Tap water vs filtered water vs purified water vs distilled water?

Is there a more pure water than distilled water (that is available to the general public) Asked by kp02 52 months ago Similar questions: tap water filtered purified distilled Environment > Water.

Similar questions: tap water filtered purified distilled.

You are correct so far, but determining whether purified or filtered is more pure depends; I do not believe filtered and purified have specific standards to allow you to determine which gives the more pure product; it depends on the filtration process and the purification process being used. Nothing is more pure that distilled, because it is water, plain and simple, with nothing else in it. But you don't want to depend on this to use for drinking water, because there are no minerals in it, and minerals are necessary for good health!

Honestly, use tap water. If the taste or odor of it makes that difficult, get a good filter and run it through that to remove the odor and taste; the minerals you need will still be in it. Sources: personal experience .

Distilled water has mostly to do with removing minerals So distilled water is usually the water used when mineral deposits would be a problem pumping systems, batteries, However, it is not good, usually, to drink it and to use it in fishtanks, unless that water is supplemented. ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/watsys/ae1032w.... course, the distillation process is rather expensiveWhat impurities are not removed? Distillers can allow 0.3 to 0.5 percent of water impurities to exist in the storage container after distilling.

Some volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), certain pesticides and volatile solvents, boil at temperatures very close to water (207-218 degrees Fahrenheit). These types of contaminants will not be substantially reduced in concentration by distillation. Properly equipped distillers can reduce VOC concentrations effectively.

Although bacteria are removed by distillation, they may recolonize on the cooling coils during inactive periods. Now, purified water and filtered water are pretty much two phrases meaning the same thing. Water can be purified by Distillation, by boiling or by reverse Osmosis filtration.

Filtered water means it was run through a filter. Which kind? Who knows?

DependsMost tap water is highly filtered and often reverse osmosis purified. About 80% of bottled water is straight tap water. http://www.aquatechnology.net/system_comparisons.html There are precisely TWO DIFFERENT WAYS in which to compare water purification systems with each other: * On the basis of their comparative performance and cost * On the basis of their attributes to health and well-being The following two sections summarize these two different comparisons.

Our reasons for presenting this information is not one of confrontation or to be argumentative. These are technical and cost factors which tend to be overlooked or intentionally discarded in the rush by most water products manufacturers and distributors to "make the sale". It is important that you as a consumer have accurate information in hand before you purchase any type of home water treatment or purification system.

On the other hand, we do not pretend to be your doctor or nurse but feel obligated to present the latest and most pertinent information on the health aspects of various types of waters, as available from the open literature and as produced by the various water treatment systems. Although additional types of water treatment systems are available(such as ultraviolet, ozone, de ionization, etc) we will limit our discussion to the three most popular types of water treatment systems: steam distillation, reverse osmosis and filtration. Comparison vs performance & cost All water treatment systems have a finite lifetime and during that lifetime their performance may vary, depending on system type.

Most manufacturers like to discuss the capabilities of their systems at the time of purchase and ignore possible system performance degradation as a function of time. At the beginning of life(fresh off the shelf) distillation, reverse osmosis and carbon filtration systems remove, respectively, decreasing levels of contaminants on their first day or hours of use. The actual percentage depends on they TYPE of contaminant being removed by the device.

The types of contaminants being removed by each type of device(% and type of contaminant) are discussed later on this page). However, in general one can construct the type of chart shown below which illustrates not only the initial performance comparison of the three systems, but the long term water quality(or % contaminant removal) expected with each type of system. Since both carbon filtration and reverse osmosis systems use components(filter elements and membranes) which become depleted, worn out or simply exhausted over a period of time, the types of curves shown below represent a top-level comparison of the three types of water treatment systems.

One can see very quickly that if a certain amount of time passed before components of the filter or reverse osmosis systems were changed, the consumer would be drinking what amounts to tap water. By comparison, distillation produces virtually totally pure water, not only at the onset of operation but day after day, month after month and even year after year. This is because natural processes are at work in the distillation system---team and gravity.

Steam is always produced by the boiling process of distillation(see introductory chart on distillation) while gravity is always on the job, separating dissolved solids from the steam. Expendable membranes and filters which comprise the heart of reverse osmosis and filtration systems cannot compete with the purity of water at the onset of system operation or over time, when compared with water distillation. >> Conclusions: With the Sole Exception of Steam Distillation, all other home use water treatment systems provided a progressively degraded quality of water.

Distillation is completely alone in its ability to remove dangerous bacteria and other \micro-organisms. Other systems may act a s a fertile breeding ground for bacteria - providing a potentially dangerous environment for individuals sensitive to bacterial contaminants - for example any immune system disorder plus individuals on chemotherapy, antibiotics, children with cystic fibrosis, diabetics, etc. THE TYPE OF CONTAMINANT IS ALL-IMPORTANT There are four(4) general categories of contaminants in water supplies: * Biological entities * Heavy Metals(not related to any rock band) * Organic Chemicals * Inorganic chemicals If one could select which of these categories of water contaminants were the most important or had the most devastating effect on human health, it would be the first category, biological. See Pathogens, Bacteria page for more information.

More individuals are becoming ill(many seriously), worldwide, by exposure to biological contaminants in drinking water than any other type of water contaminant. In fact, with an incredible increase in all types of immune deficient health conditions, biological hazards are taking on an even greater importance to consumers as well as water treatment experts. With this in mind, if one compares the effectiveness of the three systems, we find that only Steam Distillation and Ceramic filtration removes all bacteria, pathogenic or otherwise, from the incoming water.

Carbon filters are known breeding grounds for bacteria. Carbon filters impregnated with silver only slow the growth rate of bacteria(that is why they are referred to as "bacteriostatic" rather than "bactericidal" systems. Reverse osmosis systems also do not remove microbiological contaminants.

In fact, like carbon filters, they are known to act as breeding grounds for bacteria. One of the pivotal studies which conclusively proved that reverse osmosis systems acted as intensive breeding grounds for bacteria appeared in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 1991. P945-948.

In this milestone study, entitled "Gastrointestinal Health Effects Associated with the Consumption of Drinking Water Produced by Point-of-Use Domestic Reverse-Osmosis Filtration Units" and conducted in Canada, individuals who drank water treated with a $1000 reverse osmosis system were experiencing gastrointestinal problems equivalent to those experienced in the Third World. Information such as this has been suppressed from the US press.In fact, when the story originally broke and while we were writing several articles for the national water press, we approached one of the major water monthly publications and proposed discussing this issue as part of a larger treatment of microbiological water problems. The editor told me that even though the Canadian study was factual and apparently without fault, it would be impossible for him to include such materials in his publication because the US reverse osmosis manufacturers who advertised profusely in his magazine would tear him apart.

This disturbing incident led us to produce another article entitled Censored Science which appears on this Web Site. Our point in discussing this particular example is quite simple: what is sometimes promoted by the water industry and its dealers does not necessary track with the facts. Do not be misled by crafty advertising brochures which give the impression that a particular device or system is capable of doing more than it scientifically is capable of doing.

Many manufacturers and their dealers would dearly love to have their systems "grow up" to do things that more capable systems routinely do. Sources: My answer .

1 Distillation removes minerals. That may or may not be good for you.

Distillation removes minerals. That may or may not be good for you.

2 yeah, I knew that distilled water wasn't good for drinking.... I was just curious about the level of purity of each..

Yeah, I knew that distilled water wasn't good for drinking.... I was just curious about the level of purity of each..

3 I have had kidney stones. Distilled water is what I need. Less minerals.It depends on individual situations.

Some think it pulls too many minerals out of the system.

I have had kidney stones. Distilled water is what I need. Less minerals.It depends on individual situations.

Some think it pulls too many minerals out of the system.

Is filtered water and distilled water about the same to use with the netti pot and a sleep apnea machine.

Do you use distilled water for any special purpose.

Why is my stalk turning yellow after replanting it and using distilled water.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.