Yet Another RO + Water Remineralization Setup Question - Page 3

#21: Post by **rrahman** » October 1st, 2020, 12:37 pm

dparrish wrote:I look forward to your thoughts on how this system works for you. I am in a similar situation now. I live in the north Dallas area and am expecting the arrival of a new Linea Mini. I've been using a Homeland HCWS filter on my existing espresso plumb-in, but in preparing for the arrival of the new machine discovered the significance of high chloride levels, which my area water has in addition to high TDS and alkalinity. So LaMarzocco has advised me to go with a water softener plus RO followed by remineralization. I'm most concerned with the remineralization as well as getting a good level (not too low) of harness post RO. I've considered using the reservoir with treated water, but I've grown used to not having to fill the tank and I dislike the idea of using water that has been sitting in plastic, bpa or not.

There are less expensive systems, but I like quality and flexibility. Sure wish this wasn't so complicated.

That seems to be an odd recommendation, though La Marzocco's water specialists are pretty smart people and doubt they would steer you wrong... I would think that a RO system would strip away any mineral content in the water, negating any effect the water softener would have.

I am going to open a new thread about my Optipure system to avoid derailing this one further.

October 1st, 2020, 4:05 pm

Turns out I don't need a softener with the Optipure. It is spec'd to handle the hardness in my area (180's ppm). I ordered the same system:).

#23: Post by **dparrish** » October 1st, 2020, 4:38 pm

sbenyo wrote:It's very frustrating to see so many people struggling to find a solution for a simple, "safe" and "tasty" waster for espresso machines and becoming chemists that invent water recipes instead of investing the time to become better baristas.

There is such a big market for espresso today that I really don't understand why there is no optimized solution yet we can just plug and use.
This whole water issue is just taking the fun out of espresso making.

Does anyone really know of any mineralization filter that can be used with RO systems and can really do the job properly and without any worries?
What are the most commonly used solutions for commercialized machines in coffee shops (that are not too expensive for home use)?

Your frustration is shared! That's why I decided on the Optipure BWS 175/2. It has a remineralization cartridge built in, a tds meter, and a blending valve which allows you to blend in carbon-filtered (but non-ro) water to reach the desired tds. With my high chloride levels, I probably won't be able to blend any, but the remineralization cartridge is supposed to bring tds up to between 40-70 on its own, adding about 75%Ca to 25% Mg. My municipal (haven't tested at home) chloride levels are in the high 60's ppm.

November 26th, 2020, 5:00 pm

finer.coffee wrote: - PH ~9.3

According to « water for coffee » that I'm currently reading (also in the whole cumbersome process of trying to make correct water both for home and coffee), it is actually a good thing to have a high pH. 11 is not recommended but I guess you're fine with 9.

#25: Post by **sbenyo** » November 28th, 2020, 11:20 am

dparrish wrote:Your frustration is shared! That's why I decided on the Optipure BWS 175/2. It has a remineralization cartridge built in, a tds meter, and a blending valve which allows you to blend in carbon-filtered (but non-ro) water to reach the desired tds. With my high chloride levels, I probably won't be able to blend any, but the remineralization cartridge is supposed to bring tds up to between 40-70 on its own, adding about 75%Ca to 25% Mg. My municipal (haven't tested at home) chloride levels are in the high 60's ppm.

This is probably one of the best options but too expensive and too unique. I am looking for a cost effective solution that for 5-10 years ahead won't cost more will cost around 50$ yearly. For now I decided to go with a normal 5 stage RO system and do the mineralization manually. I can always add a 6th stage to it if I will find a good solution. This is the most cost effective I could find.

#26: Post by **DonCon** » December 29th, 2020, 10:01 pm

Hey All,

Related question on RO pitchers/filters. I bought my first ZO Pitcher on 24 NOV, and I've probably refilled it 6-7 times since then. I just happened to notice tonight the water it is filtering is resulting in 500+ ppm.

My baseline water out of the kitchen spout is 380 ppm.

Im a bit surprised by all of this. With a baseline 380ppm, should I expect the filter to time out this quickly?

December 29th, 2020, 11:12 pm

DonCon wrote:Related question on RO pitchers/filters. I bought my first ZO Pitcher on 24 NOV, and I've probably refilled it 6-7 times since then. I just happened to notice tonight the water it is filtering is resulting in 500+ ppm.

It's not clear to me what an RO or ZO pitcher is.

Perhaps you mean ZeroWater pitcher? If so it would only handle 8-10 gallons of your ~ 380 ppm water before it was exhausted. (See https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0311/ ... 1601429855 )

#28: Post by **DonCon** » December 30th, 2020, 9:44 am

Hah, wow. Dont post and drink at the same time!

Yes, ZO/RO = Zero Water in my own language. LOL.

Based on that link below, it looks like I am right around that threshold. Phew, that went quick.