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Old 10-14-2018, 06:52 PM
double gun double gun is offline
 
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Default Reverse osmosis - any tips?

We have a softener, and have had our well water tested and it’s fine to drink just isn’t great tasting. Looking to buy a reverse osmosis system for drinking water but there are dozens (if not more) systems available. Every brand claims to be the best. It’s a bit overwhelming.

Any suggestions on brands/models to look for or avoid?
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Old 10-14-2018, 07:00 PM
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CaberTosser CaberTosser is offline
 
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If you plan on having the RO water run through your water lines be forewarned that it is aggressive to copper and brass and will deteriorate such materials. When running water lines for RO lines they must be entirely plastic, including the tees, elbows and other fittings.

If you're just doing a point-of-use system for a drinking water faucet then you'll be fine. I'd stick to a standard price unit from an established manufacturer, if its got a slick pile of marketing and an elevated price tag, note that most of that price is mark-up and sales commission. The scare tactics used by so many water filter outfits is probably the pinnacle of fear-mongering.
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Old 10-15-2018, 07:14 AM
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ccmckee ccmckee is offline
 
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Get one that you can get the filters readily, they recommend they be changed at least once a year and two years on the membranes for normal household use. I have 4 systems setup here in the office building i look after and i change the filters every 6 months with the extra use they get. I sourced ours from Woolsely, i think they are around $250 and they always have the filters on hand,1- 5 micron sediment and 2 carbon, which was my biggest concern.
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Old 10-15-2018, 03:02 PM
jrowan jrowan is offline
 
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We had a reverse osmosis filter put in when I was a kid. In 6 months I ended up with 14 cavities from 0. If you have soft teeth or kids with soft teeth I wouldn't recommend it as it pulls any fluoride out of the water. I live in Calgary now and I know we don't have fluoride in our water but I still wouldn't bother installing one.

Last edited by jrowan; 10-15-2018 at 03:12 PM.
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Old 10-15-2018, 10:19 PM
ghfalls ghfalls is offline
 
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Get a point of use system and when the filters need changed, just discard the first filter and kept on using the system. Water will be about 10 ppm and taste great if you like water that is near pure. Will pretty much be zero maintenance without filter number one.
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Old 10-17-2018, 07:34 PM
-JR- -JR- is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ccmckee View Post
Get one that you can get the filters readily, they recommend they be changed at least once a year and two years on the membranes for normal household use. I have 4 systems setup here in the office building i look after and i change the filters every 6 months with the extra use they get. I sourced ours from Woolsely, i think they are around $250 and they always have the filters on hand,1- 5 micron sediment and 2 carbon, which was my biggest concern.
Does Wolsely supply Aqua Flow filter.
I was surprised today as I picked up three of them from a water company that is next door to P&D gun in Edmonton and the price was $75.00 for three.
I am hopping Wolsely price is much lower when i visit them in a year.
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Old 10-17-2018, 09:54 PM
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bloopbloob bloopbloob is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrowan View Post
We had a reverse osmosis filter put in when I was a kid. In 6 months I ended up with 14 cavities from 0. If you have soft teeth or kids with soft teeth I wouldn't recommend it as it pulls any fluoride out of the water. I live in Calgary now and I know we don't have fluoride in our water but I still wouldn't bother installing one.
I use RO at my work for a final rinse, after a chemical cleaning process on steel. Thanks to advice from CaberTosser, I started some research. Found out RO water, which I always assumed would be close to pH 7.0, actually can be closer to 5.0-5.5. Tested our water with a digital pH tester today, and it's 5.7. It grabs CO2 from the atmosphere and creates carbonic acid quite quickly. I'm now working on getting all our manifolds and fittings converted from brass and copper, to stainless steel at work. We are always replacing expensive fittings, and this is probably why. RO running over your teeth every day might have the same effect... Just something to think about.... I'd lean towards a filter over RO... Also, demineralized water is hungy for minerals, and will try to dissolve what it can to increase ion concentration. Just something to think about

Last edited by bloopbloob; 10-17-2018 at 10:21 PM.
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Old 10-18-2018, 05:42 PM
-JR- -JR- is offline
 
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I always thought to have an osmosis system you need to run air threw the water.
So what is a reverse osmosis system ?
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Old 10-18-2018, 06:18 PM
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CaberTosser CaberTosser is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -JR- View Post
I always thought to have an osmosis system you need to run air threw the water.
So what is a reverse osmosis system ?
Reverse osmosis filters water through a special membrane that will only allow water molecules through, anything else gets stuck in the membrane. Part of the cycle includes a drain/rinse process that helps the dirty side of the membrane stay cleaner.
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  #10  
Old 03-21-2019, 05:22 AM
SammyS778 SammyS778 is offline
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I personally run a 5 stage Reverse Osmosis system, but honestly, you only need 3 stages: Particulate filter, Carbon filter, and membrane. The other stages are fluff. You can read more on my thoughts regarding RO systems on avidwater website or forums like terrylove etc
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Old 03-21-2019, 12:28 PM
Donkey Slayer Donkey Slayer is offline
 
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we run the one from Costco, no problems. If it does, it goes back. With a system I would consider if you can get filters in 10 years. I know with Costco, if not, it goes back.
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  #12  
Old 03-21-2019, 05:43 PM
Glion Glion is offline
 
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I picked up a RO off Amazon. I wanted one that put some of the carbon and mag back in. Tastes way better imo. I got quoted 1500-3000 for just a drinking tap RO all in after I installed mine myself was maybe 800 and came with an extra set of filters. Can't remember what brand it is right now. I will say we love our well RO water now, and when we visit friends on town water can taste the chemicals right away. For the cost my wife and I agree it has been one of the best things we added to the house.
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Old 03-21-2019, 09:03 PM
^v^Tinda wolf^v^ ^v^Tinda wolf^v^ is offline
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When I lived on an acreage I bought mine from Home Depot and was very happy with it. I took it when I sold the house and now a friend is using it for his pot plants. The filters were expensive to replace and our water is fabulous where I live now so I never installed it. I don’t recall the brand name but it came with a five gallon storage tank .
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