Question about water...

[TaknByD]

Does a water softener create RO/DI type water? I was seeing the rodi water things at the lfs have, but didn't know if my own water softener does the same thing...

Thanks

[Mr Cob]

no, you will still need a RO/DI unit.

[TaknByD]

Word... Thanks again, Rob. :D

[RayAllen]

yep, you do not want to use that water for your aquarium. I have a softner on my house and a RO unit under my sink, adding a DI unit soon.

The water softner water has a constant slick feel to it, if you own one you know what im talking about. Takes a while to get use to it showering etc... Cant imagine what that would do to your tank.

[tebstan]

Is it really so bad? What would be the consequences?

Water softeners put dissolved sodium into the water, but no other minerals. I don't know a whole lot about how they work, so maybe I'm missing something. Clearly its not as filtered as RO, but it seems it might not be as bad as tap.

[Europhyllia]

the sodium replaces the calcium and magnesium ions. I am under the impression that that is all it does. Takes out calcium and magnesium and replaces it with sodium. Seems like calcium and magnesium would be the least of my worries. It's the other stuff I want removed.

[Mr Cob]

well, sure...it's better than tap water but you would still have to buffer it.

A water softener will not remove chlorine, nitrates, phosphates etc... so back to his original question: "Does a water softener create RO/DI type water?"

No, it does not. To get RO/DI water you will need to purchase an RO/DI unit.

I mean in theory...you don't need to purchase anything and can just use tap water...but...that does not come without other things to address.

[Mr Cob]

some info on Water Softeners: http://www.spectrapure.com/St_soft_p2.htm at the bottom of the link they have a helpful chart that lists contaminants and the solution to remove the contaminant.

[tebstan]

Doesn't RO water need to be buffered as well? Sometimes. Everyone's RO system is different, I'm sure.

[Mr Cob]

lol, I guess, so everyon'e water softener is different and same for everyone's tap water....lol, variables all over the place in this hobby....so what the heck are we talking about here anyways?!

[ErikH]

My RO is a PH of 9, but after I add salt it goes back to normal.

[tebstan]

Wow. Why so high? did you set it up that way on purpose? Some RO is at 7...

[Europhyllia]

wouldn't RO by definition have to be right around neutral (7)?

I mean we bother with RO to remove stuff. Once everything is removed all you should have is water without any additives. Pure water pH is around 7.00 at 77F

[hobogato]

yep, pH of RO/DI should be around 7.0

tap water here in SA is about 8.3

[BuckeyeHydro]

Fun fact to know and tell-->
Guess what is inside a water softener?
Answer: Cation DI resin.

Remember that there are many many different kinds of DI resin. What is typically called a softening resin is a cation resin that can be recharged by exposing it to high levels of sodium. That's why you have that small tank full of salt pellets nest to your water softener.

The post above was exactly right - the softening resin removes calcium and magnesium (the two most common ions that make water "hard," and exchanges them for sodium ions.

If you have a water softener, by all means provide the softened water to your RODI system.

Russ

[vman181]

Fun fact to know and tell-->
Guess what is inside a water softener?
Answer: Cation DI resin.

If you have a water softener, by all means provide the softened water to your RODI system.

Russ

Would this help your filters last longer if it was run through a water softener first?

[BuckeyeHydro]

Just like you might see hard water deposits on a faucet, these deposits ("scale") will form inside the membrane and shorten its life span.

Russ