Transporting Reverse Osmosis Water

I've been building water from 70–80% distilled and the rest tap water, and then adding minerals with great success. So far I've been buying 7–8 gal of distilled, in the one gallon jugs that are $1 a pop.

At a different grocery store nearby I noticed an RO dispenser and it was something like $2 for 5 gal. I think I'm gonna try this route, but how do you guys transport the RO water from the grocery store? I'd need about 7–8 gal.

Just bring several buckets with lids and start lugging? Typing this, I realize this sounds like the only solution, but just wondering how this plays out ...

Most of the grocers around me have an RO dispenser where you can buy the 5 gallon water carboys. WalMart has the best price for me. $3.70 for 10 gallons of RO water. Buy the carboys the first time and then only pay refill rates going forward. Check WalMart as they use Culligan and usually they have a stand with empty carboys next to the RO dispenser.

Better bottles?

I've purchased two 5g bottles from WalMart. They are durable and come with screw caps. Handles built in for easier carrying. Once you pay the few $$ upfront, your water will be dirt cheap. Around here, Glacier Water machines pump out RO water for 36-37 cents per gallon. Works well. Depending on how well the machines are maintained, they may/not pump out water that is as sanitary as bottled water. I say that because the spouts on the RO water machines need to be sanitized frequently.. as should other parts of the machine. So "I" personally would not use it for top off water w/o first boiling it.. in fact, I wouldn't use it for top off water no matter what w/o boiling first unless it was being topped off in the BK.

That said, Dollar Stores sell Crystal Geyser or Alhambra water for $1/gallon. A good deal.. and I believer there are zero sanitation issues with that.

Probably too much info

I've been brewing with water I get from the RO dispenser at my local grocery store.

I first sanitize my 6.5G Better Bottle, 6G brewing bucket, or 6G bottling bucket, seal it closed with a sanitized lid, take it to grocery store, unseal, fill, re-seal and drive home.

The ale pail has a lid. If I use a carboy, I sanitize some saran wrap and hold that on with a rubber band.

I also take a sanitized 1G jug and fill that as well, so I have some extra, should I need it.

Yep - Just buy the bigger carrying vessels. They usually sell them anywhere there is an RO dispenser.... at least they do around here. Personally, I like the 3 gallon containers - they are a little more manageable than 5 gallons. I have 5 x 3 gallon containers. .39 cents a gallon for refills. Before that, I just loaded up the cart with 15-20 1 gallon jugs and filled them all up. Kind of a PITA dealing with that many jugs though, so I switch to the bigger containers.

I did just that for a long time! When I went to 10 gallon batches, I found it more bothersome to lug all that water. About a year ago, I bought my own RO water system for my brewery for about $110 just for the convenience factor!

Any sporting goods or camping store (or probably even Target) will carry this kind of thing:



They're nice because they don't take up much space when empty.

laserghost said:

I've been building water from 70–80% distilled and the rest tap water, and then adding minerals with great success. So far I've been buying 7–8 gal of distilled, in the one gallon jugs that are $1 a pop.

At a different grocery store nearby I noticed an RO dispenser and it was something like $2 for 5 gal. I think I'm gonna try this route, but how do you guys transport the RO water from the grocery store? I'd need about 7–8 gal.

Just bring several buckets with lids and start lugging? Typing this, I realize this sounds like the only solution, but just wondering how this plays out ...

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You don't get to take it home. They expect you to drink it all right there.

Caveat: don't assume that the "R.O." water you're getting from the commercial vending dispenser is neutral. The water from the machine I use is not. I suppose it depends upon the maintenance of the machine, which I wouldn't count on being at the highest level. What percentage of their customers know or care?

I take 6 gallon better bottles. I always tell them that it's a 6 gallon container but the fine people at Walmart always charge me for 5 gallon containers.

Home RO systems really aren't that expensive and have simplified our lives greatly. We have one for general home/beer use and one for the reef tank. Lugging 5 gal bottles of water for a 300 gal aquarium got old quick.... Out here RO water costs between 15-25 cents gal from the local stores...

Pilgarlic said:

Caveat: don't assume that the "R.O." water you're getting from the commercial vending dispenser is neutral. The water from the machine I use is not. I suppose it depends upon the maintenance of the machine, which I wouldn't count on being at the highest level. What percentage of their customers know or care?

Click to expand...

At WalMart the Culligan RO dispenser has a label on the side for maintenance. You can at least look at it to tell when the last date of service for the unit was. I also like the Culligan dispenser because it has UV light for the water to pass through to help kill any bugs.

Obviously you guys are adding your own mineral content? Drink RO at the house but thought that it lacked the mineral content desired for yeast?

BigRedHopHead said:

At WalMart the Culligan RO dispenser has a label on the side for maintenance. You can at least look at it to tell when the last date of service for the unit was. I also like the Culligan dispenser because it has UV light for the water to pass through to help kill any bugs.

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The Glacier Water dispensers at the grocery store and other businesses also have UV filtration. The bugs get killed as they pass thru the filter and UV light device.. but the problem is with the outlet tube that drops down.

I guess my education started with watching a cooking channel show where this big burley guy goes in and totally renovates a failing restaurant. He showed the ice maker that continually produces ice.. but the outlet developed this slime from bacteria in the air, etc. That was an eyeopener. Since I saw that, I've seen other warnings for the same issue.. Also, if you look at the Glacier Water website (?) or google their water dispensers.. you'll find they had a history of bad water from lack of maintenance. I'm sure it's just the drop down tube.. But, I'm not an expert.

Just a suggestion of buyer beware. We spend a ton of effort to make sure everything post boil is sanitary.. Be a shame to blow a batch using this as top off water. Oh, and the other reason for boiling the RO water for top off is that you want to de-oxygenize it.. No steenkin O2 in the fermenter

Get an RO system and thank me later. I used to go to the grocery store for water, too - always dreaded it. Save your time and energy and enjoy the added bonus of great drinking water as well...

Pilgarlic said:

Caveat: don't assume that the "R.O." water you're getting from the commercial vending dispenser is neutral. The water from the machine I use is not. I suppose it depends upon the maintenance of the machine, which I wouldn't count on being at the highest level. What percentage of their customers know or care?

Click to expand...

True - I did send a sample in to Ward Labs from my local Walmart/Culligan machine (because I am paranoid like that) and it all checked out as advertised.

Unionrdr.. O2 in top off water is fine as long as the topping off takes place in the BK.. Not so sure about the fermenter unless it's before the yeasty beasty's are added. I'd guess that would be when it would happen in most circumstances.. but.. just a caution

Yooper said:

I did just that for a long time! When I went to 10 gallon batches, I found it more bothersome to lug all that water. About a year ago, I bought my own RO water system for my brewery for about $110 just for the convenience factor!

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$110? That's like 10 batches. What did you get?

I agree you should prob just buy a ro filter you can be sure it's clean and maintained they are easy to install if your handy I got mine for $210 it's the top of the line one but I got it at cost because I'm in the industry

BigRedHopHead said:

I also like the Culligan dispenser because it has UV light for the water to pass through to help kill any bugs.

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Beat me to it. I think in most areas they are serviced monthly. (I happen to be a "Culligan Man".)

An Igloo cooler has nice big handles. Works for ice, too.

I can get all the RO I want for $.25 / gal at one of those drive-up things.

Watermill Express, the one I use, is serviced daily. It even has a failsafe, it shuts down if the TDS hits 50.

tgmartin000 said:

$110? That's like 10 batches. What did you get?

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The price has gone up a bit now, but it's this one, but with no DI and an auto shut off;

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-ro-di-system-75gpd.html

We don't have chloramines in our water, so it's cheaper than the ones that have chloramine removal!

Yooper said:

The price has gone up a bit now, but it's this one, but with no DI and an auto shut off;

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-ro-di-system-75gpd.html

We don't have chloramines in our water, so it's cheaper than the ones that have chloramine removal!

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Yooper, do you have to plan ahead to fill your HLT, or do you have a tank, or is the flow rate fast enough to just fill from the RO outlet?

More than likely she has a storage tank. It's rated at 75gpd, but most would get 55-65gpd. Lots of different factors can change the end water amount and TDS. Pressure, incoming TDS, temp etc.

I have a 30gpd that runs at about 23-25gpd that feeds a 40 gallon storage tank in the garage. I use it for rinsing the automobiles and BEER! I had a brew-buddy over for my most recent brewday and the TDS was 3. Yes 3! One thing that most people don't realize is that the more you use RO the cleaner it is. Within reason, that is. Filters may need to be changed more often, but the membrane(s) flush more and better.

LBA4ME said:

Yooper, do you have to plan ahead to fill your HLT, or do you have a tank, or is the flow rate fast enough to just fill from the RO outlet?

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I fill the HLT (no tank). It goes at about 3 gallons per hour. The waste water goes into the washer, or for watering plants.

$0.30 a gallon or $1.30 for 5 gallons for RO at the local grocery store. Less than $2.00 I can fill up the Better Bottle. Dump 5 gallons in the HLT and use the last gallon to make a bit of sanitizer. I make up the remainder of my brew water with carbon filtered tap water since my tap water has high hardness and mineral content. All that means I can do 60 batches for the cost of a cheap RO system and I do not have to replace consumable filters.