Do You Have a Water Filter System with Deionization?

We have an inline deionization water filter (SP-ID200QC) and Reverse Osmosis System (SP-RO400AQD), but they are not recommended for drinking water filter applications. DI cartridges and the resulting water are generally used for car washes, dental offices, aquariums, medical and pharmaceutical purposes, cosmetics, and more. This is because these industries require completely chemically pure water that does not have any ions such as salts, metals, and other minerals, allowing it to assume the chemistry of anything that is added to it. This chemically pure water also allows consistent results each time.

DI water is usually not recommended for drinking. This is for a few reasons.

• Often the materials used for creating the DI water can be toxic and are not fit for consumption, and can often be a breeding ground for bacteria that could cause illness.
• Deionization also only serves to remove ions from water and does not filter out bacteria, viruses, or solids.
• Because its purpose is to strip ions, DI water is also not the healthiest choice as it lacks essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and electrolytes, although for healthy people with a well-rounded diet this is not a particularly large issue.
• The lack of ions makes DI water tasteless, which for some people is a turn off, describing the water as flat or off-tasting, and not as adequate at quenching thirst.
• Some schools of thought report that because DI water has a low pH it may be acidic, which is why it is often used for cleaning purposes. While not proven, drinking DI water for extended periods of time may result in reduction of tooth enamel, similar to the effect of drinking soda pop.
• Another theory about ingesting DI water for long periods of time or in large quantities is that it may begin to strip your body of essential minerals. Because the water is neutral, it will try to balance itself out by absorbing charged minerals in your body, particularly calcium, magnesium, and salts. This has not been scientifically proven, however, and many report drinking DI water for years without ill effects.
• Depending upon how you obtain your DI water, the water may become contaminated by leeching of plastics or metals from faucets or plumbing, again due to it absorbing these materials as it passes through.
• One of the biggest reasons not to ingest DI water is simply that it is not practical. Deionization does not produce water that is any better for you than other filtration systems such as RO or Ultrafiltration, but it does cost more.

In short, while deionization creates a very pure water, there can be a point that the water becomes “too pure,” making it a poor choice for consumption.

For home water filtration needs, we recommend our SpiroPure Whole House Water Filtration Systems. For example, the SP-WH300 contains a sediment filter that will remove larger, solid particles from water. Next, a specialized German-made catalytic carbon media reduces chlorine, chloramine, lead, fluoride, sulfur odors, PFAs, PFOAs, and more, many of which would not be reduced by deionization. And, if your interest in DI water stems from the reduction of hard water spots, our salt-free descaler filter can help. The German-made cutting-edge descaler technology not only prevents scale buildup in your home, but also reduces previously formed scale in plumbing pipes and appliances like hot water heaters. The salt-free water softener design provides easier, hassle-free maintenance, is better for the environment, and won't leave you feeling slippery or slimy after showering.

If you need a solution for on the road, our SpiroPure RV Water Filter Systems have an Ultrafiltration cartridge, which filters unwanted impurities down to 0.02 to 0.1 micron, effectively reducing the smallest of particles without stripping healthy minerals from your water. This is actually much more ideal for drinking water than a DI system would be, as DI only removes the minerals and leaves many of the other impurities. In addition, SP-RV300 and SP-RV311 also include a dual-purpose sediment and catalytic carbon filter and the descaler cartridge to provide the same premium filtration of contaminants and scale prevention as the whole house systems.