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Re: Kold Steril (was APD V4 #349

Hello,

Kold Steril and R/O units are two completely DIFFERENT systems,
operating on different principles and producing different results. Each
one is supposedly very good in what it does, which is different.

Kold Steril, as the name implies, offers "cold sterilization" i.e. it
passes the water through a 0.2 micron filter membrane, removing 99.9% of
all "bugs" (except viruses). The product water is bacterially sterile.
If a bit of chlorine was added at the outset, then most viruses would be
also inactivated.

The Kold Steril SYSTEM has an ion exchange membrane and activated carbon
unit added. They DO remove some heavy metals and organics. However, on
the Kold Steril site
(http://www.marine-monsters.com/front/products/koldsteril.html) I could
NOT find the capacity of the system, i.e. what volume of a given water a
cartridge will process, just a warning that the manufacturer's
directions on replacing spent units must be followed to obtain the
advertised results. That gives me something to think about!

If you need sterile water, with essentially unchanged water chenistry,
Kold Steril is probably the unit of choice.

On the other hand, there are several different R/O units with different
membranes, that produce different results. All of them pass water, under
pressure, through a very tight membrane that lets smaller ions/molecules
through, rejecting the larger ones and flushing them out. The "flushing"
part generally uses 3-4 times as much water as it produces as product.
The rejected water can be used to water your garden or for hardwater
lowing fish (also good for snails and Daphnia), but it is, essentially,
a waste stream.

Depending on the membrane, temperature, pressue, etc., generally up to
95+% rejection of divalent cations can be achieved. The product water is
VERY SOFT, almost like distilled water. For most uses minerals have to
be added (or raw water blended back in) to obtain the hardness one needs
for fish to live in it.

So, if you need soft or softer water, R/O is the way to go!

REMEMBER -- the two systems are NOT interchangeable -- they produce a
different product!

Best,

George


 
> Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 10:16:46 -0400
> From: "Monolith Marine Monsters \(m3\)" <puffie at marine-monsters_com>
> Subject: Re: Tap Water Purifier
> 
>   >Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 18:57:12 EDT
>   >From: IDMiamiBob at aol_com
>   >Subject: Re: Tap Water Purifier
>   >
>   >Edward writes:
>   >
>   >>  When
>   >>  you are in the market for a larger / more economical water
>   >purification
>   >>  system, look into the Kold Ster-il.  It keeps all the
>   >minerals in the water
>   >>  which in my opinion, is much better than any RO/DI units out
>   >there for both
>   >>  potable and aquaristic use.
>   >
>   >If it keeps the minerals IN the water, then what's the point?
>   >If you're just
>   >trying to get out the solvents, colorants, and other pollutants,
>   >you can use
>   >activated carbon in a box filter.  We use RO to remove the minerals,
>   >including, and particularly, the Mg that Rich is complaining it
>   >takes out.
> 
> Do you use RO/DI water straight out from its outlet??  Do you not
> reconstitute the water by adding minerals back in before using??  Sounds
> like you need a water softener.  The Kold Ster-il system is a water
> purification which sorbs and restricts the following: Lead, Mercury,
> Cadmium, Copper , Iron, Zinc, Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC), tannins,
> Proteins, Dissolved Organics, Chlorine, Pesticides/Insecticides, Metal
> Particulates, Algae, Fungus, Giardia, Cryptospordium, and E. coli Bacteria.
> Carbon can adsorb some of the above for sure, but not that extensively and
> efficiently.  Also, RO/DI wastes a lot of water.  This system doesn't.  Use
> some water softening resins in a pouch and put it in one of the system's
> canisters if that suits you more.
> 
> Edward
> www.marine-monsters.com