In-line RO system

[Locham]

After reading through my local water reports I've come to the realization that my tap water is terrible and unpredictable, bottled water available here is relatively alkaline, and distilled water is very expensive (about $3-4 for 4 liters), considering I'd need about 5 gallons or so to dilute out the HCO3 in even the bottled water, which sits around 260 ppm. Diluting bottled water with RO or distilled water seems to be my only way to get closer to having great beer.

I brew 5-gallon batches about once a month, so my needs are very limited in terms of how much RO water I'd use. Ideally, I'd like an RO system where I can plug it into a faucet, let it run 24 hours or so to collect the RO water in my bottling bucket, and then disconnect and store it until the next month. I'll only be living here for another 2 years or so when I'll return to the States, so I'd prefer to not make a large investment if I can avoid it!

Any thoughts on a system like this?

 

[passedpawn]

I've got something like that. I have used it for brewing, but really it's part of my fish tank. I bought mine through Marine Depot about 800 years ago. It's an RO/DI system. Most guys who keep reef tanks (saltwater) filter their water this way.

Yooper had a thread on this recently. I bet she pops up and drops a link to that thread. Or, (drumroll please).... search

 

[Bensiff]

They make RO systems of all sizes...off the top of my head I don't know which brand/model would be best, but a little Google work will turn something up that will do exactly what you need for a reasonable price.

 

[Yooper]

That's what I bought. I keep it under my utility sink, and just hook it up when I need it. I run it to fill my HLT, and then unhook it.

I bought this one; http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/75-gpd-ro-di-4-stage-economy-system.html

 

[Locham]

Cheers everyone! I did search, but it seemed that everyone was offering some kind of RO/DI system that also included a tank, required a pump (invariably 110v...I'd need 220v here), and ran about $80 to ship APO.

Yooper, your setup there looks like a winner. Thanks for the link! When doing your water chemistry with it, do you treat it as distilled water and build up your water profile from there, or have you sent out a water sample to get down to the nitty gritty?

 

[Yooper]

Cheers everyone! I did search, but it seemed that everyone was offering some kind of RO/DI system that also included a tank, required a pump (invariably 110v...I'd need 220v here), and ran about $80 to ship APO.

Yooper, your setup there looks like a winner. Thanks for the link! When doing your water chemistry with it, do you treat it as distilled water and build up your water profile from there, or have you sent out a water sample to get down to the nitty gritty?

I actually looked again, and I have the same set up I linked to, but with no DI. (It was like $5 cheaper).

Anyway, how I "test" it at this point is just with the aquarium strips that measure GH. I "talked" to the water experts here on the forum (AJ deLange and Mbrungard) and that's a pretty good way to make sure that the carbonate hardness is still low (which was my problem all along with my tap water). The RO water is nearly 0, although not quite, in all areas. A TDS meter would work, too.

Today I'm brewing, and using 100% RO water for the sparge, and 70% RO (with 30% tap water) for my mash. Normally, though, I use 100% RO and just add a little calcium chloride and/or gypsum to the water.

I just bought this RO system in March, and have used it about 10 times or so. I love it- it's convenient and pretty fast. My tap water tastes great, so I haven't been using the RO system for anything except brewing but if your water doesn't taste great, you could easily use the RO system for making coffee and drinking water.

 

[Locham]

Thanks again, Yooper. The RO and the RO/DI unit are the same price now, but from what I can gather from the 'ol search button is that the DI is unnecessary at best...and perhaps not as good for the brew water?

With shipping it works out to about $163, equivalent to what I'd spend on Distilled water from the store for 10 batches, assuming a 50/50 mix. So I think it'll be a good investment, and I can take it with me when we move. I'll call that a win.