Does RO water go bad?

Jamaica_sun · 03-05-2006, 08:56 PM

Pardon my ignorance... but I have to ask. Does time effect the RO process? If I store RO water does it have a shelf life?

JohnO · 03-06-2006, 05:19 PM

That's a really good question and in all honesty I have no idea what the answer is

However, let's try to work it out

I guess that even the best RO water would still contain some organic matter, and the air/water interface would also allow for some organic matter to be exposed to the water. The air would also contain bacteria, so I would expect that you would always get a mini cycle, which when complete would give you water that had slight traces of Nitrate. However, I guess if the container was made airtight after filling then the initial cycle ( ammonia/nitrite/nitrate ) would occur until all the oxygen was used and then the nitrate/nitrogen cycle would commence.

Anyone else want to speculate?

John

Bruce · 03-06-2006, 09:53 PM

Hmm...this is a puzzling question...I MUST EXPERIMENT!!!!

I will list my findings as soon...as I get them XD

Xtasia · 03-15-2006, 05:47 PM

Good question... FWIW, I think if you clean your bottles out with bleach, and keep them covered with a lid, it should be ok for a while... or good enough that it won't make a difference.

jpmorley · 03-24-2006, 12:15 PM

You could add a small abount of hosehold bleach (1 tbl/5 gal) to chlorinate it before storage. The chlorine will dissipate over time, but you can check it before use and dechlorinate if necessary. I would agree with Xtasia though...if you keep it in a full, tightly sealed container that was previously decontaminated with a mild bleach solution, it should be good for many months.

Jamaica_sun · 03-24-2006, 01:59 PM

Thanks everyone.
JP and X.. Karma coming at ya'.

ItalianNJ · 04-01-2006, 07:55 PM

I have to be honest.. I have been storing 10 gallons at a time.. 2 buckets..
and between topoffs and water changes.. every 2 weeks or so I go through it.. so I wouldnt worry about it. You have the same RO as me because I faxed u the instructions..it doesnt take too long to fill a 5 gal bucket.. :O)

jonathan · 04-01-2006, 09:48 PM

i've read that if you constantly aerate stored RO water...you will never have a problem. personally, i would never introduce bleach (no matter how small the amount or take measures to counteract the solution) into a living system...jmho. hth.

SAW39 · 04-01-2006, 10:21 PM

I agree with jonathan about the bleach. Don't do it.
JohnO, I don't see any flaws in your logic and tend to agree. The amount of decaying matter from dust or whatever will be very small. I suppose that any nitrate in the water will allow some algae growth, if the container is clear and in the light.
As for the rest, for long-term storage (more than a year), glass is the container you would want. Plastic will leach some hydrocarbons into the water, given enough time. Probably not enough to matter, but ...
My 2 cents...