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Legitimate RO vendors recommend disinfecting the RO or RO/DI system at least annually but I have found the few minutes it takes is worth your time at the 6 month filter replacement intervals. I say legitimate because there are literally thousands of vendors who assemble imported components and pass themselves off as RO experts when all they are doing is making a quick buck, no different than any other product or service that becomes popular.
During my Municipal water system supervision and operations days I was a witness to people being sick from drinking water from an RO syetm that had not been properly maintained. Several of those residents required brief hospitalization and a doctors care. I would usually sample from the RO faucet then from the outside hose bib closest to where the wate rentered their premises and every time the city water came back coliform bacteria free and the RO with high bacteria counts. In most instances they were rental properties or someone who bought a used home with an existing RO and did not know it needed maintenance.
While I recommend RO for drinking, as Randy said there can be dangers. You can reduce the chances by following recommended maintenance practices though and it only takes about 5 extra minutes during filter replacements.
Is that why my DI water smells after storage in the brute can for more than a day or two? I've been a bit concerned about using it for top off, but haven't had any problems so far. But I feel like I need to rinse and dry the can every couple of months. Even still, the smell comes back so it would make sense if the bacteria were growing in the filter. However I didn't think this to be likely, since bacteria need food I thought the filter and container would be close to sterile
Anything to worry about when using this for top off or salt mixing?
Thanks Randy, and all for your comments here!
How many drops of bleach in a gallon of ro di water would sanitize it properly for drinking, just in case there are harmful bacteria?
You mean because of bacteria? No.
I was also thinking about the mildew you mentioned. Should I be worried about that? I'm thinking that it probably means the water is at least no longer 0 tds, but it still don't understand how things grow (especially to that extent) in a 0 tds environment...
I have two systems. RO/DI for my fish and lizard room and a RO unit for ice and drinking water.
In the FLR I store water in two 65gal polypropylene vats. Would you reccomend sterilization of those?
For the ice and drinking water it has a pressurized tank. Clean that too?