Cheap Reverse Osmosis Filter: Aka "zerowater"

AN Addict 420

Active Member
Hey everyone, I havent made a post in a while cause things were goin pretty slow for a bit but im getting ready for another cycle in the old Ebb and Flow and naturally as a hydro grower I obsess about my water quality. I want to be able to get water from my tap but am worried about my high ppms (230+) so I considered buying a R.O. system but decided against it because I have a fairly small reservoir and cant justify the cost. I looked a at maybe just using a water pitcher to filter most of the crap out but all of them only reduced my ppms by about 20-30ppms. Then i heard about something called a "zero water" its supposed to make it so your water only has a ppm of zero. I thought it was just a ploy but it looked tempting and it came with a free ppm meter which i needed. Plus the whole setup only set me back 38 bucks, not too bad. I tried it out and tested the water I put into the pitcher (it was 223) then after about 5-6 minutes later the water had completely run through and sure enough, the ppm meters came up all zeros (both my hannah and the zerowater meter). Not to mention the water tasted bomb! I though this would be halpful for folks to take a look at because I know a lot of you guys out there have small setups too and you probably hate having to buy an assload of distilled water all the time cause it looks kinda suspicious. Plus the plants like it better and it allows you to top off your res with little to no ph swing.
My soil plants showed an immediate improvement in overall health I think it was because i'm using organics and the chlorine was killing all the microbes.
I just wanted to share cause it seems like a good investment.
Anyone else buy one?
 

Bearknows

Active Member
Never heard of it until now. Seems pretty awesome! Thanks for the heads up (even though i already purchased an r/o system). Thinking of getting one for my mams. haha
 

HomeGrownHairy

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone, I havent made a post in a while cause things were goin pretty slow for a bit but im getting ready for another cycle in the old Ebb and Flow and naturally as a hydro grower I obsess about my water quality. I want to be able to get water from my tap but am worried about my high ppms (230+) so I considered buying a R.O. system but decided against it because I have a fairly small reservoir and cant justify the cost. I looked a at maybe just using a water pitcher to filter most of the crap out but all of them only reduced my ppms by about 20-30ppms. Then i heard about something called a "zero water" its supposed to make it so your water only has a ppm of zero. I thought it was just a ploy but it looked tempting and it came with a free ppm meter which i needed. Plus the whole setup only set me back 38 bucks, not too bad. I tried it out and tested the water I put into the pitcher (it was 223) then after about 5-6 minutes later the water had completely run through and sure enough, the ppm meters came up all zeros (both my hannah and the zerowater meter). Not to mention the water tasted bomb! I though this would be halpful for folks to take a look at because I know a lot of you guys out there have small setups too and you probably hate having to buy an assload of distilled water all the time cause it looks kinda suspicious. Plus the plants like it better and it allows you to top off your res with little to no ph swing.
My soil plants showed an immediate improvement in overall health I think it was because i'm using organics and the chlorine was killing all the microbes.
I just wanted to share cause it seems like a good investment.
Anyone else buy one?
I've been wondering about these since I see them advertised on tv quite frequently. Nice to know it qworks that well. Thanks for posting this.
 

AN Addict 420

Active Member
No problem, I'm really happy with mine. I should note that it is only rated to work for 23 gallons with my water quality but i think it still filters it down to 003 or so and gradually works up from there.

Also I just saw some new stuff from advanced called Kushie Kush, anyone know anything about it?
 

thesurface

Active Member
thanks for sharing, reverse osmosis systems are expensive but this would be great for a small home grower like myself
 

sherriberry

New Member
if you want to save yourself a lot of hassle...

dont buy the pitcher... just buy the box of 2 replacement filters, on the shelf next to the pitcher.

Go home, and trace the diameter circumfrence of the filter with a pen...
IN THE BOTTOM OF A RUBBERMADE TUB.

then get a razor and take your time cutting the circle.

Put the filter in from the top of the hole, and get some waterproof tape from lowes or wherever, and go along the edge of the filter and tape it in from the top, creating a waterproof seal from the bottom of the tub to the filter.

The filter will be sticking out the bottom of this tub about 6-8 inches.

You simply take this tub, and sit it sideways on top of another tub, trashcan, or some res setup to store your ro water.

Then simply fill the top tub, and forget about it. Come home later, and there, youve got gallons and gallons of ro water.

I tried the picher technique, and it was a non stop chore to fill it up and pour it out.
 

skimmingdasky

Active Member
if you want to save yourself a lot of hassle...

dont buy the pitcher... just buy the box of 2 replacement filters, on the shelf next to the pitcher.

Go home, and trace the diameter circumfrence of the filter with a pen...
IN THE BOTTOM OF A RUBBERMADE TUB.

then get a razor and take your time cutting the circle.

Put the filter in from the top of the hole, and get some waterproof tape from lowes or wherever, and go along the edge of the filter and tape it in from the top, creating a waterproof seal from the bottom of the tub to the filter.

The filter will be sticking out the bottom of this tub about 6-8 inches.

You simply take this tub, and sit it sideways on top of another tub, trashcan, or some res setup to store your ro water.

Then simply fill the top tub, and forget about it. Come home later, and there, youve got gallons and gallons of ro water.

I tried the picher technique, and it was a non stop chore to fill it up and pour it out.
thats a great idea thanks!!! +rep
 

AN Addict 420

Active Member
if you want to save yourself a lot of hassle...

dont buy the pitcher... just buy the box of 2 replacement filters, on the shelf next to the pitcher.

Go home, and trace the diameter circumfrence of the filter with a pen...
IN THE BOTTOM OF A RUBBERMADE TUB.

then get a razor and take your time cutting the circle.

Put the filter in from the top of the hole, and get some waterproof tape from lowes or wherever, and go along the edge of the filter and tape it in from the top, creating a waterproof seal from the bottom of the tub to the filter.

The filter will be sticking out the bottom of this tub about 6-8 inches.

You simply take this tub, and sit it sideways on top of another tub, trashcan, or some res setup to store your ro water.

Then simply fill the top tub, and forget about it. Come home later, and there, youve got gallons and gallons of ro water.

I tried the picher technique, and it was a non stop chore to fill it up and pour it out.
Damn, This is quite clever. I just wished I had known sooner lol, i hate the constant babysitting with that damn thing. Rep+
 

fatman7574

New Member
Dudes, they are just minature DI filters. Some are cheaped down by using a mixture of carbon and DI resins. You can buy a larger DI cartridge like those used with RO filters or buy a smaller inline filter for $19 that will filter about 12 times as much water. They even sell refillable units and refill resins etc.

Check here: http://www.thefilterguys.biz/di_resin.htm
 

horribleherk

Well-Known Member
i bought a freightdamaged o-water pitcher for $10 & sealed the crack in it havent used it yet my tap water is pretty good avg. 50-70 ppm. year-round
 

robb1

Active Member
Hey everyone, I havent made a post in a while cause things were goin pretty slow for a bit but im getting ready for another cycle in the old Ebb and Flow and naturally as a hydro grower I obsess about my water quality. I want to be able to get water from my tap but am worried about my high ppms (230+) so I considered buying a R.O. system but decided against it because I have a fairly small reservoir and cant justify the cost. I looked a at maybe just using a water pitcher to filter most of the crap out but all of them only reduced my ppms by about 20-30ppms. Then i heard about something called a "zero water" its supposed to make it so your water only has a ppm of zero. I thought it was just a ploy but it looked tempting and it came with a free ppm meter which i needed. Plus the whole setup only set me back 38 bucks, not too bad. I tried it out and tested the water I put into the pitcher (it was 223) then after about 5-6 minutes later the water had completely run through and sure enough, the ppm meters came up all zeros (both my hannah and the zerowater meter). Not to mention the water tasted bomb! I though this would be halpful for folks to take a look at because I know a lot of you guys out there have small setups too and you probably hate having to buy an assload of distilled water all the time cause it looks kinda suspicious. Plus the plants like it better and it allows you to top off your res with little to no ph swing.
My soil plants showed an immediate improvement in overall health I think it was because i'm using organics and the chlorine was killing all the microbes.
I just wanted to share cause it seems like a good investment.
Anyone else buy one?

You still use this thing? I saw it at home depot, went home and read some reviews, (from people drinking it, not using it for plants), and they were very mixed. A lot of people said that after a while of filtering water, it started to have a "fishy" smell, and many claimed to feel sick after drinking it. And I mean a lot of people. I have to assume that wouldn't be good for plants either. Have you had any experiences getting bad water from it, or a funky smell from it? How often do you have to change filters and what do they cost? Whats your ppm before you filter it? Have you ever had anything bad happen with ZERO Water? Thanks for your help....happy and healthy growing
 

robb1

Active Member
Here is a link to their website. It explains about the fishy smell and has a lot of other info about the filters. Cheers!:bigjoint:


http://www.zerowater.com/faqs/troubleshooting/
Thanks, but since those are FAQ from the actual maker, I don't trust them too much. Plus those FAQ are for people who are drinking it, not using it for plants. I'd rather take advise from someone who using it in the same manner I am. Do you personally use it for your plants? If you do, maybe you could answer the questions I asked "AN Addict 420". If not, thanks anyways.
 
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