R/O water in heting system

BCan

Will using reverse osmosis water in a heating system cause problems? I've heard that distilled water is very destructive to system components. R/O water is also de-mineralized so will this give me trouble?

Tom Blackwell_2

To coin a phrase; it depends. Most important is the quality of the RO water and the ph. Suggest consultation with a water treatment professional-someone with certification as a corrosion engineer by NACE, not a chemical salesman. It can be done and is frequently used as boiler make-up in industrial process boilers.

EricAune

RO? Sounds very costly

Not to mention time consuming. Generally reverse osmosis water has a PH rating that will be corrosive to copper tubing. Usually not a good idea

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BCan

R/O water in heating system

The new system is located at a residence with hard well water so on first fill I wanted to use the home's R/O drinking water which they buy from a water store and have plenty of on-hand. If I test the ph and it's not acidic is that the only concern?

Mark Eatherton

Just say NO to RO...

But DO say YES to not having a continuous make up in the system.

The hardness in the water is beneficial to all of the components in the system. It sets a protective patina down that helps protect the metals from aggressive conditions. WIthout it, all metals are exposed and will degrade at an accelerated rate until they get their own protection from the oxides they are generating.

My vote would be to fill and purge it with hard water, then cut off the make up (PHYSICALLY) and leave the system protected by low water and low pressure cut offs.

ME

Unknown

R O water

is not aggressive because it is acidic although it usually is. It is aggresive because everything has been removed and it becomes like a dry sponge.. looking to absorb something. I use to know at what ppm it reaches equilibrium but it escapes me. This is why RO Faucets are stainless or plastic. If you use it in your heating system it will dissolve a portion of your system then stop when it is full. If you dont make a habit out of refilling your system there will be no problems.

Drew_2

R.O. Water

Just ran across your discussion on RO water. Could you explain How RO water is made and are there various types of RO water? Where is it used and why? Why is it harmful?

Unknown

Here is a link

It will show you how and why. As far as if the water is bad for you is up to opinions. My opinion is that RO water or any pure water is no good for your health. Water goes through a pretty simple cycle..it evaporates, picks up co2 in the atmosphere,and then dissolves calcium when it lands neutralizing the ph from the co2 and making the water hard with calcium
. It is no secret that people who live in areas with high calcium in the water live the longest...okinawa and some other areas that have a huge amount of dissolved calcium,with all other things being equal of course. All living things need calcium, it is the great neutralizer. my own water in put through an RO unit to bring the water to a pure state and then is put through a tank of limestone and then before it gets to the fridge door it goes through a pi filter( the 3.14 pi)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmotic_pressure
http://www.acm-pi.co.jp/Epaiwater.html

hot_rod

DI or DM

deionized or demineralized water would be a better choice. This is done by a basic filter, not unlike a large softener in apperance. It doesn't strip all the good stuff from the water like RO does. It is much quicker, and cheaper to produce in large quantities.

Look for a water treatment company near you and tale a 35 or 55 gallon clean plastic barrel with you. Generally they will fill it while you wait.

The tap water may be fine, you need to test it and see how hard it really is. Most boiler manufacturers have a spec for hardness, TDS, and chlorides. At least.

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