Can filtered water be used in a humidifier instead of distilled water?

So you guys buying distilled water how much do you figure it costs you? My consoles have two tanks in them that hold 2 1/2 gallons a piece. When it's really cold I may fill it up 2 or 3 times a week, 10 - 15 gallons a week. That would get a little spendy.
 
Get a Zero Water pitcher.

The article is wrong calling Zero Water an upstart. I've had a Zero Water pitcher for years.

I’m curious how long the cartridges effectively last. The packaging said it was only certified for 20 gal ( I think ), but I would not expect the TDS to magically jump at that point. Given the cartridge cost at that interval, it is still cheaper for us to buy DI water jugs.
 
I’m curious how long the cartridges effectively last. The packaging said it was only certified for 20 gal ( I think ), but I would not expect the TDS to magically jump at that point. Given the cartridge cost at that interval, it is still cheaper for us to buy DI water jugs.
How long it lasts depends on how heavily contaminated your water is. The filter will last longer if your tap water has lower TDS to begin with.

Our tap water is at around 150-180 TDS. The ZeroWater filter lasts about 20-30 gal (just my guess) before the TDS exceeds 006. You can find these filters on sale often for about $8-$9.

A gallon of distilled water is about a $1 around here. So ZeroWater is cheaper, plus I don't have to haul jugs back and forth.


tds-chart_1400x.jpg


In our next house I'll likely get an RO system.
 
Our tap water is at around 150-180 TDS. The ZeroWater filter lasts about 20-30 gal (just my guess) before the TDS exceeds 006. You can find these filters on sale often for about $8-$9.
Thanks. Truth be told, I was comparing to the price at Bed Bath Beyond where I read the package, which is somewhat ironic since they seem to stock nothing now due to their “remodel”. Definitely no filter sale there !
 
Thanks. Truth be told, I was comparing to the price at Bed Bath Beyond where I read the package, which is somewhat ironic since they seem to stock nothing now due to their “remodel”. Definitely no filter sale there !
BBB is where I usually buy these filters. I actually just bought a 4-pack from them last week. It was $34 after all the usual discounts/coupons. ZeroWater also usually has coupons on their website.
 
most ultrasonic dont have "filters".. some have demineralization cartridges.

My RO filter costs about 2cents a gallon. and usually its around 15month and 2000 gallons before I change the filters. RO element supposedly lasts 2-5 years depending on water and changed by using TDS meter to see if its working.
I have a cool mist and have been using tap for 3 years. I put in a Homedic demineralization cartridge changed monthly.
 
As a side note, I knew someone who worked at a chip factory, where the purest water was required for the fabs, it was basically 100% H2O. I was told you could die if you drank it because it would draw out all of the sodium / electrolytes you need to function. Not sure if they were pulling my chain or not.

When I was in graduate school I did nanomaterial/surface chemistry and we had an 18MΩ/cm water system in our lab(which became my responsibility to maintain). That sort of system is not uncommon in a lab. We fed ours with the "house" DI system(that I also later worked to maintain), and the house DI system just had a go/no-go 1MΩ/cm light(it would go out if resistivity went lower than that, but on fresh resins I'd usually measure it close to 2MΩ). The 18MΩ system would have crudded up pretty quickly being fed tap water.

Just for reference on the 18MΩ system, it took the regular DI water and passed it through 4 cartridges-I can't find my notes but from memory it first went through activated carbon to grab organics, heavy duty separate cation and anion exchange cartridges to do most of the purification, and then a final mixed bed "clean up" cartridge. The dispenser handle had a .5 micron filter(that people would often bypass when it clogged and slowed down rather than walk to the supply cabinet on the other side of the lab and get a new one...).

In any case, water that pure can do funny things. Most people would leave their glassware soaking overnight before using it, as if the glassware was bone-dry putting high purity water in it could actually leach enough sodium out to do cause issues for some of what we were doing. Plastic containers were mostly out of the question. Most of the tubing in water system was PTFE, but some parts were HDPE. Most any HDPE used with it would get very brittle in a relatively short amount of time because it could pull out plasticizers.

As for drinking it-kill you is probably extreme but it certainly could upset your electrolytes if it were your only source of water. Even "normal" DI or distilled isn't the greatest thing for you for the same reason, although as long as you're consuming things other than just water it won't be that big of a deal. Ultrapure water often will seem to have a metallic taste because it's pulling metals out of your teeth. I've found that it actually will often dry out my hands for...all of the above reasones.

It's funny stuff for sure.
 
When I was in graduate school I did nanomaterial/surface chemistry and we had an 18MΩ/cm water system in our lab(which became my responsibility to maintain). That sort of system is not uncommon in a lab. We fed ours with the "house" DI system(that I also later worked to maintain), and the house DI system just had a go/no-go 1MΩ/cm light(it would go out if resistivity went lower than that, but on fresh resins I'd usually measure it close to 2MΩ). The 18MΩ system would have crudded up pretty quickly being fed tap water.

Just for reference on the 18MΩ system, it took the regular DI water and passed it through 4 cartridges-I can't find my notes but from memory it first went through activated carbon to grab organics, heavy duty separate cation and anion exchange cartridges to do most of the purification, and then a final mixed bed "clean up" cartridge. The dispenser handle had a .5 micron filter(that people would often bypass when it clogged and slowed down rather than walk to the supply cabinet on the other side of the lab and get a new one...).

In any case, water that pure can do funny things. Most people would leave their glassware soaking overnight before using it, as if the glassware was bone-dry putting high purity water in it could actually leach enough sodium out to do cause issues for some of what we were doing. Plastic containers were mostly out of the question. Most of the tubing in water system was PTFE, but some parts were HDPE. Most any HDPE used with it would get very brittle in a relatively short amount of time because it could pull out plasticizers.

As for drinking it-kill you is probably extreme but it certainly could upset your electrolytes if it were your only source of water. Even "normal" DI or distilled isn't the greatest thing for you for the same reason, although as long as you're consuming things other than just water it won't be that big of a deal. Ultrapure water often will seem to have a metallic taste because it's pulling metals out of your teeth. I've found that it actually will often dry out my hands for...all of the above reasones.

It's funny stuff for sure.
Thank you for elaborating. Who new pure water could be so complicated!
 
Our area is apparently going through some distilled water shortage as none of the stores have any. I'm wonder if I can just use filtered water in my humidifier, or if doing so will ruin it...
Boil and bottle your own water
 
Steam-distilled water from a condensing dryer is okay to use for the supplemental watering of plants and for ironing. Not sure if there are some impurities that might make this water unsuitable in a humidifier. Tap water should be okay in a humidifier but may cause scale and mineral buildup and may favor the formation of algae.
 
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Steam-distilled water from a condensing dryer is okay to use for the supplemental watering of plants and for ironing. Not sure if there are some impurities that might make this water unsuitable in a humidifier. Tap water should be okay in a humidifier but may cause scale and mineral buildup and may favor the formation of algae.
That statement needs a qualifier.
Tap water is NOT ok in Ultrasonic humidifiers.. This type doesnt have scale or buildup. they spew it out into the air in micro droplets that deposit (or yo u breathe in the particles.)
The most common issue they do have is pink bacteria growth if not cleaned regularly.
 
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