Drinking Water Purification Systems

White95Max · 02-20-07, 09:19

I'm looking into buying a purification filter or pitcher for my apartment. Most filtration devices appear to be activated carbon filters, but those do not remove nitrates. I was hoping to find one that can remove nitrates.
I realize that the municipal water supply is monitored for nitrates and treated to maintain a sub-10mg/l concentration of nitrates. I'll be working for the Water and Wastewater Departments this summer in the next town over. My rationale for wanting to remove nitrates from the drinking water is this: if nitrates can cause babies to suffocate, and can cause miscarriages in pregnant women, who's to say that nitrates aren't affecting the health of everyone else too, perhaps by suppressing immune function or increasing lethargy?

Anyway, I'd love to hear some thoughts on the subject by members that have some sort of purification system for their drinking water, whether they remove nitrates or not.

BlueZero · 02-20-07, 09:37

I've been looking at getting a PUR faucet mount. The 3-stage one. Contaminants
I have tons of problems with my tap water. I have a Culligan water softener and have more problems than it's worth. Every year I get a report in the mail saying my water isn't safe to drink for children and pregnant women. Like you said, it makes me wonder what it's doing to me.

White95Max · 02-20-07, 09:50

Yeah, most municipal systems are pumping water that is considered "unsafe" because of dangerous nitrate levels (above 10mg/L). The water departments in this area pump groundwater that is around 15mg/L nitrate concentration, and treat it down to 8mg/L before sending it out to the public. They have the ability to take out more, but like everything else, it's a matter of money. If 10mg/L is dangerous to the health of the citizens, is 8mg/L really *safe*?

Accumulator · 02-20-07, 10:00

We've been very pleased with reverse osmosis systems, and I've used them for decades. Not sure if they remove nitrates though..

BlueZero · 02-20-07, 10:01

I did notice the PUR one I linked to, didn't say anything about Nitrate's. I will be following this thread. I'd like to know what's out there also. All of my water comes from the bay now. Pretty soon they will be switching over to getting it from Manitowoc. I don't know if that will change things for the better or not.

White95Max · 02-20-07, 10:20

Accumulator - I'm pretty sure RO systems do remove nitrates, but they are less effective with some other contaminants.

Blue - the water quality in Green Bay and the Fox River has been problematic for a while now. That explains why Green Bay was willing to spend so much money to install a pipeline all the way to Manitowoc. I had a 4-day "tour" of the Manitowoc Wastewater Treatment Facility, working with each of the employees, and I remember going out on the roof and looking at Lake Michigan. Ironically, the discharge pipe from the wastewater plant was "upstream" from the intake pipe for the Water Department. However, Manitowoc's wastewater treatment process is excellent. They go above and beyond the requirements.

BlueZero · 02-20-07, 10:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by White95Max

Ironically, the discharge pipe from the wastewater plant was "upstream" from the intake pipe for the Water Department.

I'm sure it's clean water and fine to drink. However, just the thought. Ewe

It's like eating a hot dog, better not to think what's in it.

yakky · 02-20-07, 10:55

I just installed a GE RO system from Lowe's over Christmas break. Its pretty simple to do, the worst part is drilling the hole in the sink (stainless is hard!). Its probably a 3 hour project, took me slightly longer because of the icemaker hookup. Water is amazingly tastey afterwards. The city water is almost unbearable. It included nitrate test strips and they tested negative in the city water so obviosly they were fine after the RO.

I've had just carbon filters and they aren't even close to RO water.

AL-53 · 02-20-07, 11:54

Those here with the RO systems ...do you know what your waste water gallonage is..I know mine is 10 gallons to make 1 gallon..so I waste 10 gallons....I have a well and do not pay for water..I use the water for saltwater tanks after it is run thru a series of DI filters....also the colder the feed water the more waste water....Ideal water temp for a RO system is about 65-70 degrees...thats the soft spot for less waste water...it has to do with the membrane expanding and contracting...

Al

taken from a RO site

RO units use a lot of water. They recover only 5 to 15 percent of the water entering the system. The remainder is discharged as waste water. Because waste water carries with it the rejected contaminants, methods to re-cover this water are not practical for household systems. Waste water is typically connected to the house drains and will add to the load on the household septic system. An RO unit deliver-ing 5 gallons of treated water per day may discharge 40 to 90 gallons of waste water per day to the septic system.

CkretAjint · 02-22-07, 08:49

I use a PUR water filter on the faucet in my apartment. My mom gave it to me one day from their house when they got a newer one. Works fine, and the water isn't green with floating stuff in it anymore when it comes out. No complaints here...

Accumulator · 02-23-07, 10:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by AL-53

Those here with the RO systems ...do you know what your waste water gallonage is?

Short answer: a lot! But (at the risk of offending somebody) water is cheap and I'm so used to the RO water that I don't mind the waste. If I were in a differnt situation, where the waste wouldn't be as acceptable, I'd probably go with bottled water in quantity (the big jugs that get delivered on trucks), which can be pretty cheap too.

Invigor · 02-23-07, 01:36

I have an ro/di unit for my fish tanks, and also for my drinking water. I've never tested for nitrates with it in the final product, but it comes out as 2ppm TDS (total dissolved solids) where the regular tap water is about 180-300ppm depending on the day.

I got mine off ebay from a company called "Aqua-safe". The whole 5 stage ro/di filter cost me about $200 shipped to my door, with 6 replacement filters of each kind, which is enough for about 4 years...which by that time, the RO membrane will be toast, but they're only about $50.

Great investment if you ask me.

I get about 4 gallons of waste for 1 gallon produced with mine. Costco sells a zero-emission water purifier last I checked.
Costco Watts Premier Zero-waste Reverse Osmosis System