Lyana Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Haha, so like the title says, I just got a ro unit without the di on it because I want to use it for drinking too, anyway, the ph coming out tests 9.5! Is that a little crazy or what? I flushed it good and the water reads tds 4, kh and gh 0. But why is the ph so high? While I was flushing it the ph for 10.5, is it just because the membrane is new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 I know when I got my first RODI, I had to run about 3 gallons of water as recommended by the directions. Have you done this, I know you said you "flushed it good"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted March 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 I'm not sure how many gallons went through, but I let it run for 4 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 What is the PH of your water prior to running through RODI unit? Also what are you using to the the PH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquasapien69 Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Use an air stone and let it bubble for a few hours and see what you get then. Mine comes out of my ro unit at almost pH 9, but goes down about 6.5 after vigorously running air in it for a few hours. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted March 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 It goes in at 8 ph, I'm using api test kit and a ph meter. The pen was just calibrated so I think it's pretty spot on. I'll try running air pump through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metageologist Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Just a side note I see you mentioned drinking the RO water. While you can do this it is not recommended long tern nor should it be giver to children. This is due to your body wanting all fluids in it to be at equilibrium. I since the RO water is free of Ca, Mg, etc. Long term use can lead to decalcification of teeth and bones. This is the same reasons we reminerize before it's added to the tanks. have a gneiss day mayphly, Lyana and Hiatus 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Good to know, Meta. LOL, my husband drank the water I had set out to run an air stone through so now I have to make more water. I still haven't been able to get the system set up yet because I ordered it from purewaterclub and they shorted me one quick connect elbow so I have to wait for one to come in the mail. I have two 10 gallon tanks cycling with tap water right now, they have control soil in them. I think I'm going to move my rilis over there when the tank is cycled. The tank they're in right now tests at 8.6 ph with my ph pen and they're stilling dropping eggs, but seem healthy and active in every other way. But is a ph of 6.5 going to be too low for them? I really want a nice colony of these guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo82 Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 I think its safe to drink to water if the canister is clean. My water I get to drink is filtered via ro I'm pretty sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Just a side note I see you mentioned drinking the RO water. While you can do this it is not recommended long tern nor should it be giver to children. This is due to your body wanting all fluids in it to be at equilibrium. I since the RO water is free of Ca, Mg, etc. Long term use can lead to decalcification of teeth and bones. This is the same reasons we reminerize before it's added to the tanks. have a gneiss day If you have a well rounded diet, drinking water RO water should not lead to any mineral deficiencies. I live on an acreage and use RO water for drinking and cooking, I won't drink RO/DI though. If you do drink RO for a while, tap and bottled water will taste strange to you. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 I ran a airstone in it for awhile and the ph dropped to 7.3, so I'm adding some to my shrimp tank. Fingers crossed the hold their eggs better now Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Haha, so like the title says, I just got a ro unit without the di on it because I want to use it for drinking too, anyway, the ph coming out tests 9.5! Is that a little crazy or what? I flushed it good and the water reads tds 4, kh and gh 0. But why is the ph so high? While I was flushing it the ph for 10.5, is it just because the membrane is new? Are you using chemical test kit or pH pen to test the pH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Ph pen, the api test only goes to 8.8 but it turns dark purple too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Have you tried to leave the RO water for a week and test the pH again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 No, but I can certainly do that. I'm worried once I put it in the tank the ph will jump around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 What I meant is to store the RO water in a separate container for a week. It will be better if you air pump into it. What you are experiencing is quite abnormal. For RO to have pH swing between 6 to 8 is normal, but in extreme case 5 to 9 is possible. To rule out something is wrong with the RO unit, you need to air the water for awhile to let it stable down with the atmosphere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Yeah I'm not going to add it to the tank now, I mean after a week will in be more stable? Do I add salty shrimp now or wait a week? The first time I used the ro unit the ph was coming out at 10.5 lol. Now it's 9.5. After having an airstone in it for about 2 hours the ph dropped to 7.6, I hope nothing is wrong with the unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Just leave RO water neat, without adding the salt. This is just a one time test to see whether the problem is with your RO unit or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Also, make sure you pH pen is calibrated. Don't trust the API test kit. chibikaie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 I just calibrated it but I don't have any storage solution for it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Just to clarify, you're saying the readings I'm getting are NOT normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctaylor3737 Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 I'm pretty positive RO doesn't lower PH. This has to be done using another method such as aerating, or just ADA soil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Okay, just wondering why it is raising ph. Also it does drop to about 7.1 with an airstone going all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 You could use pH 4 calibration liquid for storage too. RO or distilled water supposed to have pH 7 and it has no buffer in the water. As such, if there is a little bit of alkaline compound or acidic compound, it will have a wild pH swing between 5 to 9. Most of the time, if the water source is hard and there is no dissolved CO2, the pH will be between 7 to 9. After you aerate it, some CO2 dissolved it will start to buffer the water and prevent the pH swing upward. For water source that is soft and contains dissolved CO2, the RO water will be mild acidic (between 5 to 7). After aerate, it will be about pH 6 to 7. If you aerate it for a day and it is going back to pH 7, then your RO unit should be fine. Is your water source very hard and probably come from somewhere very natural without much processing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 My water source isn't hard but the ph is high. Gh and kh are 5 but ph is 8.2, it comes from an underground aquifer. the ro water in the bucket is testing between 7.1 - 7.6 when I tested it through out today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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