RO Water Storage?

[Gizzygone]

I’m considering an RO setup for my newest hobby....

But the small tanks the undercounter systems come with won’t do much for a 5 gallon batch.

I’ve seen the 5gallon camping jugs: but washing them seems tough.

I’m also thinking the 6 gallon fermentation buckets would be a good, sturdy option?

I’m curious what you guys do for RO water storage...

 

[SoCal-Doug]

I use 5 gallon water bottles with screw tops and handles. You can pick them up at big box and diy stores or a local water store. As long as they are safe for water storage and somewhat easy to lug around, fill, and dump into your brew rig, they should be fine.

Whatever you use. Sanitize them before use.

 

[day_trippr]

Aside from the small (~2 gallon capacity) pressure tank that services a dedicated faucet, I don't store RO water for brewing.
I run a branch straight from the output of the membrane to my brew rig and collect all that I need for the next day's brew.
It's a little bit of a process to remember to get things rolling the day before, admittedly, but storing 20 gallons of RO water has a bit of risk as well, as it's corrosive and has pretty much zero resistance to things like mold...

Cheers!

 

[NeoBrew]

Get a larger pressure vessel. I use a 14 gallon one which typically allows me to get 10+ gallons for my 5 gallon batches.

I replaced mine when the small one failed, but I bet if you contact a place that sells them they could figure out how to swap out the 3 gallon one for a larger one.

This works great for me and it’s simple on brew day. I don’t have to worry about monitoring fill levels, or deal with float switches. It also means the water is stored in a closed system so it stays clean.

 

[Gizzygone]

Get a larger pressure vessel. I use a 14 gallon one which typically allows me to get 10+ gallons for my 5 gallon batches.

I replaced mine when the small one failed, but I bet if you contact a place that sells them they could figure out how to swap out the 3 gallon one for a larger one.

This works great for me and it’s simple on brew day. I don’t have to worry about monitoring fill levels, or deal with float switches. It also means the water is stored in a closed system so it stays clean.

I did see one 14gallon pressurized tank; it’s pricey, but could work well.

How big is yours? Where do you have it mounted?


How do you clean the pressurized tanks?

 

[NeoBrew]

Mine is 14 gallons, do you mean what are the dimensions? It is about 20" long x 15" diameter. Mine hangs from the joists in my utility room. I just mounted it with galvanized strapping material and some 1/4" bolts.

I don't clean my pressure tank. When I first got it I cycled two whole batches of water through it to flush it out. When I brew I also fill from a 1/2" connection, so that flushes it out pretty well once or twice a month. Since it is almost pure water with no nutrients in it, it doesn't tend to grow anything. Plus, my family of 5 keeps it cycling water through it. I've never had a problem yet with contamination. I had considered sanitizing it with star san, but haven't had the need to do it yet.

 

[SevenOaks]

I have 3 of these. I refill them a couple of gallons at a time from our kitchen RO faucet.

 

[mongoose33]

I've used an Aquatainer since the beginning. I widened the vent hole to 1/4" which is exactly the size of the supply line, and I set the system up to fill that jug. I have the 7-gallon version; wish I had two 5-gallon ones. Easier to lift.

On brew day, I empty the jug into my boil kettle and set it to refilling, which takes most of the brew time, depending on the time of year (colder water is slower).

 

[JMathie77]

Just had this put in, it's a 40 gal nsf water storage container with a float valve to stop flow when full. Also have a pump and a dedicated line to the Brew kettles to fill em up.

 

[muledogus]

Have you searched for RO dispensers in your area? About 5 minutes from me there is a self-service unit so I just got two 5 gallon jugs with screw on lids and handles and I go fill them a day or so before I brew. It's $2 per 5 gallons.

 

[VVbrewery]

Have you searched for RO dispensers in your area? About 5 minutes from me there is a self-service unit so I just got two 5 gallon jugs with screw on lids and handles and I go fill them a day or so before I brew. It's $2 per 5 gallons.

That's also what I do. We have a small RO system under the kitchen sink but I'm not sure how long it would take to produce 10+ gallons. A place near me has a self fill station for $0.27 a gallon. I got some 5 gallon water bottles from Walmart.com for cheap and they're made in USA. A neighbor of ours got some bottles that were made in China and if you left the water in them over night it smelled and tasted of plastic. They didn't have any recycling emblem on the bottom so who knows what they were made of.

 

[mredge73]

I just store mine in standard 5 gallon water bottles you can find on every work-site in America.
Don't know the shelf life, I have used them over 6 months old before without problems.

High volume pressure tanks are expensive, I got my entire RO system for less than they want for a 14 gallon one. I like the holding tank above, pretty neat setup. It takes me a few hours to make 10 gallons for brew day with my 50 gallon a day system; so I built something similar out of a standard 5 gallon bucket.