Storing RO water

[Larso]

Hi, my RO system has a very low throughput but I can easily enough fill, say a 5litre bottle while I stand over it, the tank then needs to refill. I'm wondering, how long can I store my RO water at room temperature in bottles?
Does it stagnate/degrade and how long does that take? Should I sanitise the bottles first?
I need about 35litres for my BIAB brew and I'm thinking of maybe filling a 5litre bottle every day for a week and storing them until I brew?

Thanks

L

 

[bottlebomber]

I'm not sure how often you brew but I wouldn't personally tax my drinking water system for brewing.. RO water is cheap, sometimes as cheap as 30¢ a gallon and so the cost is negligible in the world of brewing ingredients.

 

[david_42]

Sanitize the bottles properly and you'll be able to use the water months from now.

 

[Larso]

Thanks guys, I dont brew very often so its not really taxing my system but its great to know I can store the water for a prolonged period. A week would probably be plenty of time, because I dont brew very frequently I tend to plan ahead....

L

 

[Transamguy77]

I'm not sure how often you brew but I wouldn't personally tax my drinking water system for brewing.. RO water is cheap, sometimes as cheap as 30¢ a gallon and so the cost is negligible in the world of brewing ingredients.

I see this posted every once in a while, where are you getting it for .30? In my area it's $6.50 for 5 gallons, it's actually cheaper to buy it by the gallon and that is still .85.

 

[GarageDweller]

Larso, i've wondered the same thing. The tank on my RO only stores about 2gal (not sure in liters) and then it runs really slow. I have to fill up in 2 gal increments over the course of a day, but i've never let the water sit more than over night. The question came up, in my mind, when I thought of the RO filter taking out the chloromine and/or chlorine that keeps the water sanitary. Good question!

 

[bottlebomber]

I see this posted every once in a while, where are you getting it for .30? In my area it's $6.50 for 5 gallons, it's actually cheaper to buy it by the gallon and that is still .85.

Most Walmarts have a Culligan's water dispenser giving carbon filtered, RO, UV sterile water for... Actually it is 37¢ a gallon in most locations.

 

[bob1852]

Most Walmarts have a Culligan's water dispenser giving carbon filtered, RO, UV sterile water for... Actually it is 37¢ a gallon in most locations.

$0.25/gallon out in front of the circle k. Though I don't trust that it is RO.

 

[Wynne-R]

As long as the container is clean, it should keep forever. Personally, I’d probably dump it after a hundred years, just to be on the safe side. The plastic jugs might degrade. I keep 5 gallons(19L) or so under the sink for emergencies.

I get cheap RO water at a drive up kiosk. $.25/gal, $1.00/5gal bring your own container. Some of the big grocery stores have dispensers for $.40.

 

[mabrungard]

There is no problem with storing RO water forever in the proper container. In addition, it wouldn't matter if it did pick up an organism, since you're heating and sterilizing all water in the brewing process. Don't over think this. If you can find a big container, that would be better. The container does not really need to be closed.

In addition, if you run off your RO water directly into an open container instead of a pressurized tank, the water efficiency of the RO unit will be increased.

 

[AllHopAbandon]

I'm not sure how often you brew but I wouldn't personally tax my drinking water system for brewing.. RO water is cheap, sometimes as cheap as 30¢ a gallon and so the cost is negligible in the world of brewing ingredients.

Most Walmarts have a Culligan's water dispenser giving carbon filtered, RO, UV sterile water for... Actually it is 37¢ a gallon in most locations.

Store bought RO water or RO water dispensers at your local super market aren't nearly as common in Europe as they are in the US. Consequently, RO water is generally much more expensive. I pay anywhere between $1.60 - $2.80 per gallon of RO water.

Also, I live on the 5th floor in an old building without elevators (!), so I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of my RO system

 

[Larso]

Thanks guys, while were on the subject, why wont it go stagnant, what is water stagnation? The reason I ask is that where I work we had a drinking water system feeding fountains that was replaced by bottles because water was going stagnant in the long runs of pipe. It tasted awful and a company came in and tasted it and said that the off taste could be attributed to stagnation.

Thanks

L

 

[bottlebomber]

Store bought RO water or RO water dispensers at your local super market aren't nearly as common in Europe as they are in the US. Consequently, RO water is generally much more expensive. I pay anywhere between $1.60 - $2.80 per gallon of RO water.

Also, I live on the 5th floor in an old building without elevators (!), so I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of my RO system

Good point, I didn't even think to check where OP lived. May your RO system arrive soon

 

[mabrungard]

Stagnation in water distribution systems is from 2 factors, degradation of the disinfectant residual and dissolving the iron, copper, or lead out of pipes (or organic compounds out of plastic pipe). Those can affect taste and aroma of the tap water.

 

[HopSong]

Best I find is .35/gal at both the supermarket and outside the Dollar Store. I had a small RO water system for my RV and I couldn't believe how much water was wasted in making it. Didn't want that on my bill as I also have to pay a horrendous sewer fee for the water usage.. even if it's not being used to flush.. da pot. Plus, it's very fast n fresh at the store.

 

[bottlebomber]

I couldn't believe how much water was wasted in making it.

I hadn't thought of that so I researched it... Evidently it is a 3-4:1 ratio, the variable being mainly from the temperature of the water going in. The colder the water the poorer the efficiency. Learn something every day.

 

[bob1852]

I hadn't thought of that so I researched it... Evidently it is a 3-4:1 ratio, the variable being mainly from the temperature of the water going in. The colder the water the poorer the efficiency. Learn something every day.

Great. Now I have to worry about brewhouse efficiency AND RO efficiency?

 

[HopSong]

No need to worry about water efficiency if you buy it..

 

[bottlebomber]

Great. Now I have to worry about brewhouse efficiency AND RO efficiency?

Yep, better grab that Thermopen and start monitoring the input temp on your RO filter

 

[ajdelange]

Depends on your system. The stuff in the pressure tank should be good for a very long time. Your system was (or should have been) sanitized when you installed it. No bacteria are going to make in through the membrane so if you go direct to the pressure tank from the membrane then the water should be sterile. If you have an atmospheric tank, OTOH, you might worry about that getting dust/bugs in it. When I left for the summer I drained the atmospheric tank but not the pressure tank.

 

[mthompson]

We store our ro/di water in a 29gal rubbermaid brute plastic trash can. The system has a float valve and automatic shut off. We turn it on a week before brewday, fill the can, take our mash volumes out the night before brewday and it automatically starts filling and is filled again for brew day.

Our waste is about 4:1,but the commercial versions still have waste. With the total water used (clean + waste) we can make 50 gal of ro/di for around $2.....I'm fine with the "waste" which actually pumps out to the yard.

If you are buying water, buy an ro/di system. It will pay for itself in a few brew sessions.

 

[DSmith]

If you are buying water, buy an ro/di system. It will pay for itself in a few brew sessions.

I disagree. Grocery store RO water is $0.39/gal around my area. An inexpensive RO unit without tank is $130, equivalent to 333 gallons of store-bought RO. That number figure goes up if you factor in replacement filters/membranes - but I don't know how many gallons a unit like this produces before maintanance.

I think people who have RO water can buy a couple food grade buckets and start using RO water from a store immediately without loosing money in the long-run if they decide to buy an RO unit later.

Another useful tool if you buy RO water or have a in-home system is a TDS meter. This one is nice enough to know if your RO water is good.
http://www.tdsmeter.com/products/tds3.html

 

[nyer]

I can only find 1 RO water machine around me and it's at Walmart. I have been buying 1 gallon jugs for .89 each. I always wondered if I could bring a couple of brewing buckets into the store and fill them instead of buying their water jugs. I'm getting tired of buying water already but it has made such a difference in my beer.

 

[mthompson]

I disagree. Grocery store RO water is $0.39/gal around my area. An inexpensive RO unit without tank is $130, equivalent to 333 gallons of store-bought RO. That number figure goes up if you factor in replacement filters/membranes - but I don't know how many gallons a unit like this produces before maintanance.

I think people who have RO water can buy a couple food grade buckets and start using RO water from a store immediately without loosing money in the long-run if they decide to buy an RO unit later.

Another useful tool if you buy RO water or have a in-home system is a TDS meter. This one is nice enough to know if your RO water is good.
http://www.tdsmeter.com/products/tds3.html

This is true, mileage may vary. We go through around 35-45 gallons on a typical brewday with 3 or 4 people brewing all grain (plus I brewing 10gal batches). That's a lot of lugging buckets in and out of walmart, plus you never know what quality you are getting unless you have a taste meter.

I bought my 75gpd ro/di unit on Ebay for around $150 a few years, plus a $30 trash bin. Our unit paid for itself in 10 brewdays, if we had to pay 39¢ per gallon. Each year or so you gotta buy a filter and some resin, so after the initial 10 days, I'd say at most 3 days a year pays for that.

Plus, it is convenient to just turn on a faucet and walk away. If you brew rarely and by yourself, it probably won't pay off. We used to carbon filter tap and had off flavor (astringent) issues because our hardness and alkalinity (both over 300,sometimes 400). Our unit has been well worth it.

MT

 

[DSmith]

I can only find 1 RO water machine around me and it's at Walmart. I have been buying 1 gallon jugs for .89 each. I always wondered if I could bring a couple of brewing buckets into the store and fill them instead of buying their water jugs. I'm getting tired of buying water already but it has made such a difference in my beer.

Absolutely, load up a shopping cart. Bring an extra gallon jug container to transfer water from the machine to a buckets. It's a great way to try RO water brewing and the water primer.

I understand the big volume brewers justifying an in-house RO unit a lot faster or if there isn't a store nearby.

 

[Larso]

I've never seen RO water on sale here at all. I can buy mineral water for €0.25 per litre which is about $0.31. I use 35litres for BIAB to get a 20litre brew. I have an RO water system with a 50gpd membrane which in reality gives a fairly slow feed, hence the question about storing RO water. I can easily fill. 5l bottle every day for a week before brewday so that's what I'll do. I prefer the RO to the mineral water because I can get the water I want with the minimum of messing. Surprised at the amount of responses this thread has generated.

Thanks people!

L

 

[ajdelange]

I can easily fill. 5l bottle every day for a week before brewday so that's what I'll do.

Absolutely no problem doing it that way. Did it for years.

 

[MNDan]

Most Walmarts have a Culligan's water dispenser giving carbon filtered, RO, UV sterile water for... Actually it is 37¢ a gallon in most locations.

They re-mineralize it after RO it looks like (though I bet if the mineral content of the source is close, they just skip the RO all together).

http://www.culligan.com.pk/about-bottled/iframe\quality_bottled_water_4.htm

 

[koopa]

I have no stores with an RO dispenser near me and the cheapest store that does have one sells 10 gallons for $5.00 (and is 30 minutes away so the gas money alone kills that option without even considering the value of the time I'd spend driving to that store and the hassle of transporting the containers back home) so I bought a 4 stage RO filter that produces 3 gallons an hour in the comfort of my own home. Even with a 4 to 1 waste water to ro water ratio, it costs me 1/2 a cent to produce a gallon. I use over 200 gallons per year (which would cost $100 + tax and time for the RO water) so that's $1.00 + maybe say $30 worth of filters. So my $31 a year covers all of my water needs, saves me time, and saves me $69 annually even after covering the cost of the filters. This means in 2 years the RO system has paid for itself.

 

[GotPushrods]

I can only find 1 RO water machine around me and it's at Walmart. I have been buying 1 gallon jugs for .89 each. I always wondered if I could bring a couple of brewing buckets into the store and fill them instead of buying their water jugs. I'm getting tired of buying water already but it has made such a difference in my beer.

If you can find a few of those blue 5-gal water jugs, buy them. They're yours... just bring them in the store and fill them for a quarter a gallon, give or take.

Interestingly, The Wal-Mart near me keeps the best maintained RO machine around. They even list the maintenance dates and TDS readings each time. No other store I've found does that. My last batch from Wal-Mart read a TDS of 14. The Water and Ice store I tried was 60. (Membrane needs replaced bad) Coming from water with a TDS of ~570, I'm impressed with Wal-Mart.