Reverse Osmosis system recommendations?

[cyrus]

Just curious if there's a preferred brand for small, cheap, below the sink RO systems currently on the market. I am getting tired of lugging gallon jugs of distilled water, and my local store is selling less and less of the distilled stuff and more of the "spring water" or filtered water. I have city water which is fine btu I still use distilled for final rinses. I was considering the less than $300 price range. It seems to me that the systems are mostly the same save for quirks like how easy it is to change filters etc.

[Jim Noel]

There are several vendors who sell or lease these. Most of them filter constantly and dump the excess down the drain. I finally bought one through Culligan which only filters upon demand and am very pleased with it.

[Harley Goldman]

I have not yet pulled the trigger on getting one, but I have done a little bit of internet research. The one sold by Costco seems to get pretty good reviews, takes out the nasties like chromium 6 if you have it in your water and is reasonably priced. I plan to get one in the near future. It is the Premier.

[Ari]

There are many RO systems on eBay for about $150; they mostly seem to be of good quality, the main difference being the size of the tank.

[cyrus]

Wait, if it is constantly draining water, it may be a broken autoshutoff valve or a leak thats not letting sufficient pressure buildup to shut it off.

[cyrus]

There are many RO systems on eBay for about $150; they mostly seem to be of good quality, the main difference being the size of the tank.

Yeah but Ive heard about the quirks that set them apart. One model requires you to disconnect the pipes to change filters for example, another has cheap plastic valves that crack if tightened and then leak.

[Bill Burk]

I break into a cold sweat every time I replace the filters on mine. I got one from Canada on eBay with lots of spare filters etc. They started putting o-rings in instead of expecting you to seal the plastic connectors with pipe-fitting compound, makes it a little less stressful to change... I don't mind having the whole unit in the Garage (near the darkroom too). But under the sink inside the house used to scare me, I'd always be concerned about a leak running for a long time before getting caught and fixed.

[Pete Watkins]

Over here I use de-ionised water. It's the stuff that's used for car batteries. I get 25 litres at a time (5 gallons, about) and the empty containers are great for storing home produced wine/beer cider.
Pete.

[AtlantaTerry]

Have you looked into a home distillation system?

https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&t...+water+at+home

[Peter De Smidt]

Don't drink de-ionized water. It will leach minerals from your body. At least that's what the folks who sell de-ionization systems for reef aquariums say. Also, be careful about RO water an bacteria, since you're taking out all of the chlorine.