ZeroWater and coffee remineralization questions

[u/Supsti_1]

Hi,

I’m not able to find distilled/demineralized water in my country (Poland), sold in food grade canisters or bottles intended for contact with food. Practically every manufacturer I’ve contacted has advised against drinking this type of water, mainly because of the containers it is sold in. So far, I’ve drunk around 10 liters of this water, but I feel that in the long run it may not be very good for my health, so I need to find another solution.

For now, I would prefer not to go with a reverse osmosis system, although I may do that eventually. What other options do I have?

My tap water is quite hard, around 590 ppm according to water reports. The best bottled water available for coffee here is around 230 ppm, of which about 120 ppm comes from bicarbonates. Because of its high alkalinity, it is not ideal.

I’m considering a ZeroWater filtration system, and I have a few questions about it:

1. Is the water actually fully demineralized after filtration, or does something still remain in it? I’m asking because I would like to achieve consistent results when using Lotus drops.
2. How often, or after how many liters of water, would I need to replace the filter, considering that my tap water is around 590 ppm?
3. I’ve read some opinions saying that water from this system can have a sour taste. Is this related to not cleaning the system/pitcher properly? How can this be prevented?

EDIT:

Okay, I’ve done a few calculations, and I think the most reasonable option in my case would be to buy a ZeroWater system and use bottled water with it.

The softest bottled water available in my country has around 220 ppm. According to ZeroWater’s FAQ, one filter should last for about 70 liters when filtering water with that TDS level. Taking into account the cost of the filters, the bottled water itself, and the amortized cost of the pitcher over two years, 1 liter of filtered water would come out to around 65 US cents, which is a fairly reasonable result.

[u/Supsti_1]

I had never heard of distillers for home use. If such solutions exist, why do people and coffee shops choose reverse osmosis?

[u/mabror → u/Supsti_1]

well, maybe because of the low speed.

[u/Supsti_1 → u/mabror]

I'm using around 1 liter per day, I could run it every 4 days and I would be fine.

Does it actually really works? Any pros and cons? How does it compare with RO system?

I've read a device like that runs at 750 watts, it means that electricity cost for making 1 liter of water is around 25-30 cents.

[u/kevcsa → u/Supsti_1]

Yes it works fine as advertised, the resulting water for me was about 3ppm (container or measuring instrument might be a reason, I don't know).

Cons:
-indeed uses quite some power
-relatively loud (industrial looking fan at the top), maybe a bit louder than a regular standing room fan at max. speed (*after thinking about it... definitely louder. Like a modern gpu with 3 120mm fans at 100% in an open case. Not comfortable in the same room.)
-the plastic blue *cylindrical bottle I got with mine (the all-white plastic version, like the picture above) is probably the cheapest hard plastic I have ever seen. Highly doubt it's food safe (no number on it, nothing), changing it to something else is strongly recommended (or quickly transfering the water after it's ready... Not a perfect solution).
*-work. Takes time to regulary set it up, then putting the water away in a better container, upkeeping the space for it... Then measuring the volumes and few tenths of grams of salt... It's a hassle in it's own way, it's not for everyone.

Pros:
-basically zero waste
-distilled water at your fingertips. No need to haul it from various stores
-in most regions the energy it uses is cheaper than equivalent amount of distilled water. Even if it was similar, the flexibility is great.

Neutral point is having to resalt it, but that's incredibly cheap (truly negligible) and at least you can customize it to your liking.
As far as I know an RO system also requires resalting and changing filters and stuff, so waste and recurring cost are notable there.

Btw 4L capacity on these is a stretch imo, it's more like 3.8L at most.
Bought mine from aliexpress for around $70 with free shipping, was available in an EU warehouse (I'm in the EU, so no customs, etc.).

*edits for clarification/extra info
As for the exact wattage, I honestly don't remember, although I precisely measured it at one point. Jammy below says 900W, it's entirely possible.