4 ms·

The slag issue can be solved by using demineralized water, and reverse osmosis water filter, which remove almost all minerals, can be had for pretty cheap these

by xyzzyz 6y ago

The slag issue can be solved by using demineralized water, and reverse osmosis water filter, which remove almost all minerals, can be had for pretty cheap these days.

dragontamer 6y ago
People say "pretty cheap", but a lot of reverse-osmosis filters I've seen are ~$150 to $450. Also consider: it takes ~4 gallons of water to make 1-gallon of reverse-osmosis water. All water-purification methods have their own issues. ------- If you plan to make distilled water (aka: boil water to remove impurities)... that's basically what a warm-mist boiling-type humidifier does _anyway_. All good water-purification methods either take up a ton of water (ie: reverse osmosis) or a ton of energy (ie: distilled).
- amluto 6y ago
  RO doesn’t fundamentally need much energy or all that much waste. This system claims to be much less wasteful by recovering pressure using a “permeate pump”: https://www.theperfectwater.com/home-master-hydroperfection-reverse-osmosis-water-filtration-system.html https://www.theperfectwater.com/home-master-hydroperfection-... I personally think an evaporative humidifier is the way to go, as long as you are okay with the evaporator getting gross over time.
- throwaway09223 6y ago
  I have an under-sink RO/DI system, the whole system was about $200. It's a great investment for a place with hard water. I use it to get demineralized water for my house plants, fish tank, and drinking. I use the RODI for expensive steam appliances like my Wagner, but I don't use RODI for regular old vegetable steamers or humidifiers. It's just not worth it. The scale buildup isn't a big deal and it's very easy to dissolve with an acid or just brush off.
  - dragontamer 6y ago
    For people with Ultrasonic humidifiers (which spray the scale across the room as white-dust), it is a much bigger pain to clean that up with regular dusting. For warm-air humidifiers (aka: boiling water), where all the scale is concentrated onto the heating element: yeah... no big deal. A cup of cheap 5% vinegar and 20-minutes of waiting is all you need to clean that off. ------------ I think if you have RO water, it probably makes sense to use an ultrasonic humidifier.

by xyzzyz 6y ago

The slag issue can be solved by using demineralized water, and reverse osmosis water filter, which remove almost all minerals, can be had for pretty cheap these days.

dragontamer 6y ago

People say "pretty cheap", but a lot of reverse-osmosis filters I've seen are ~$150 to $450. Also consider: it takes ~4 gallons of water to make 1-gallon of reverse-osmosis water. All water-purification methods have their own issues. ------- If you plan to make distilled water (aka: boil water to remove impurities)... that's basically what a warm-mist boiling-type humidifier does _anyway_. All good water-purification methods either take up a ton of water (ie: reverse osmosis) or a ton of energy (ie: distilled).

amluto 6y ago
RO doesn’t fundamentally need much energy or all that much waste. This system claims to be much less wasteful by recovering pressure using a “permeate pump”: https://www.theperfectwater.com/home-master-hydroperfection-reverse-osmosis-water-filtration-system.html https://www.theperfectwater.com/home-master-hydroperfection-... I personally think an evaporative humidifier is the way to go, as long as you are okay with the evaporator getting gross over time.
throwaway09223 6y ago
I have an under-sink RO/DI system, the whole system was about $200. It's a great investment for a place with hard water. I use it to get demineralized water for my house plants, fish tank, and drinking. I use the RODI for expensive steam appliances like my Wagner, but I don't use RODI for regular old vegetable steamers or humidifiers. It's just not worth it. The scale buildup isn't a big deal and it's very easy to dissolve with an acid or just brush off.
- dragontamer 6y ago
  For people with Ultrasonic humidifiers (which spray the scale across the room as white-dust), it is a much bigger pain to clean that up with regular dusting. For warm-air humidifiers (aka: boiling water), where all the scale is concentrated onto the heating element: yeah... no big deal. A cup of cheap 5% vinegar and 20-minutes of waiting is all you need to clean that off. ------------ I think if you have RO water, it probably makes sense to use an ultrasonic humidifier.