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View Full Version : Rainwater - is it clean enough?


JohnA
08-11-2004, 02:42 PM
there are different kinds of water being used here: tap, demineralised, distilled, what have you...

I've always used rainwater, collected in a water butt from the roof. Due to moss etc I also use a kitchen carbon filter (Britta) to further remove any contaminants. This kind of water is practically free and it's ideal for coolant mix and the like.

My question is: does this sound clean enough to people here?

It doesn't leave any streaks on glass, even when spraying everyday (I also use it to spray my plants in the conservatory, getting more value out of the aircompressor :lol:)

hotrod
08-11-2004, 04:44 PM
It should be very close to being distilled water if there is no contamination.

Simple test would be to put some in a pan and boil it dry. If there is no mineral build up seen I would think its more than good enough.

Larry

PuntoRex
09-11-2004, 03:08 AM
You guys are lucky to have a clean environment to live in.

Here in where I live, we always get acid rain with lots of dust. :cry:

JohnA
09-11-2004, 11:46 AM
...Simple test would be to put some in a pan and boil it dry. If there is no mineral build up seen I would think its more than good enough...
Good idea, strange that I didn't think of this earlier :lol:

M3Turboca
10-11-2004, 02:14 AM
John I dont think you even need rain water once you use the brita filtered water.

I also used a basic brita jug to filter the water and then fill my rad when I do rad fluid changes and also for my water injection.

You know how good I find the brita filter ? I have a electric kettle that I boil water at the office every morning and during the days for the past 2.5 years. I use a brita jug just the regular one to filter the water. :)

Not once have I ever cleaned the electric kettle and when I open the lid to fill the water there is no build up of any chemicals/ residue nothing. :)

Even the the coils are perfectly clean. :)

JohnA
10-11-2004, 10:04 AM
John I dont think you even need rain water once you use the brita filtered water.
Oh, but you do mate. :wink:
I've been using these active carbon filters for many years (even before Brita was on the market)
They are OK for heavy metals, pathogens and some forms of contamintants - but not everything else. They only claim to reduce limescale, they don't eliminate it.
I only use filtered water in my kettle, and the previous one did have to be cleaned a couple of times to get rid of limescale deposits (flat bottom, too)
Same with the new kettle, some limescale gets through the filters, especially if they are old-ish.
I only use expired filters for garage use, so they won't be perfect anyway.

M3Turboca
12-11-2004, 01:08 AM
Well dont know if the water where you are has a higher content of lime but I have never ever had any build up of lime while using the brita filter in my electric kettle.

Maybe the brita filter does filter down more than a regular carbon filter ?

JohnA
12-11-2004, 12:03 PM
Here is southeast england mate, limescale is terrible.

I remember comparing different filters some years ago, and they do vary in limescale removal. None is perfect though, and these 0.4mm nozzles look like they can block pretty damn easily!

Steve VXR
27-01-2005, 04:05 AM
Trick I found in work. If you want to filter water for limescale with a carbon filter (like a Brita) and it doesn't guarantee to remove it all, put the water back through a few times.

I got this advice from someone who worked for the company who supplied our tow truck and forklift batteries, as the filters go 'off' they don't lose all their filtering properties.

The ones we have in work supplied for topping up the batteries can filter efficiently at mains water pressure, but when they 'fail' this guy was taking them home to filter his water from a spring by gravity feed and it was still coming out clean. He said the carbon canister has to filter at the given flow rate, but if you slow it down (or repeat the filtering) it will still work for a long while after it 'broke'

keithmac
08-07-2005, 10:36 PM
I live up North and the mineral content of the water is pretty bad, I don`t want limescale in my pump/jets! Is the Britta filter good enough?, don`t want to get into distilling the water but I may prefer to buy demineralised water if it`s cheap enough, anyone else do this or feel the need to?

sparkplug
09-07-2005, 07:17 AM
I live up North and the mineral content of the water is pretty bad, I don`t want limescale in my pump/jets! Is the Britta filter good enough?, don`t want to get into distilling the water but I may prefer to buy demineralised water if it`s cheap enough, anyone else do this or feel the need to?

Well I also live in a lime zone so I've bought de-mineralised water from Farnell ?7.99 for 25l here is a link http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=317302&N=401.

Hope this helps

Dave

keithmac
22-07-2005, 12:32 AM
Got a 25l tub from Farnells, couldn`t belive it was free delivery on such a heavy item :D

sparkplug
22-07-2005, 03:38 PM
Got a 25l tub from Farnells, couldn`t belive it was free delivery on such a heavy item :D

I'm glad you have ound it usefull.

keithmac
28-07-2005, 12:18 AM
Yeh, cheers sparkplug :D, also oredered some electonic components and got the Aquamist kit runing from my MegaSquirt ECU last week, happy days!

T.F.S.
02-05-2006, 01:25 PM
rainwater is dirt!

i have a 15 grand water purfier i got from work john......i use this for many things

its called an "elga"
http://www.elgalabwater.com/?id=4003

JohnA
04-05-2006, 10:25 PM
That looks like laboratory grade.
Bit too much, we don't need weapons-grade purification here, do we? :lol:

Sirius_dogstar
16-05-2006, 04:05 PM
Get a dehumidifier. Produces demin water as it freezes the water out of your air in your house. Put one in your garage gives a nice dry environment for your car or bike. I get about 5 litres per week & there's just the 2 of us in the house and both work. The more people living in the house the more water vapour. Dryer air makes the whole house warmer. Same reason as why one wants water injection. Heat capacity of water etc.

JohnA
16-05-2006, 06:46 PM
good idea :D

In the summer my portable aircon unit produces a few litres of condensed water, but it's nothing to what a dehumidifier would produce all year round.

T.F.S.
11-01-2007, 02:15 PM
That looks like laboratory grade.
Bit too much, we don't need weapons-grade purification here, do we? :lol:

the purer the better!, neo wont drink anything else!

we throw 2 of these units away every two years, if you like ill make sure i take one home for you next time john

JohnA
15-01-2007, 10:59 AM
Well, yeah, if it's going to be thown away it would be a shame not to put it to good use :smile:

I wouldn't let a pet drink it though, they do need certain minerals, and this one has got nothing.
I've found the Sainsury's own brand mineral water to be the softest out there. Cheapest, too.

T.F.S.
04-02-2008, 02:46 PM
have one for you john....it needs new filters

if you want it let me know!