Alkaline Cartridges in RO System: How long do they last

Hi,

I am thinking of adding Alkaline Cartridge to my RO System. Any idea how long do these last? How many liters of water do these cartridges alkalize?

Thanks,
Srikanth
 
I think it is a kind of scam regarding this Alkaline water. My RO system guy was pestering me to add the Alkaline cartridge. It is said that drinking Alkaline water will make your body less acidic but our body usually gets rid off the excess acid. Also our gastric fluid is very strong that it will neutralize the alkalinity. There is no scientific proof of its credibility. This is my opinion but maybe someone with solid chemistry background might be able to explain it in a better way.
 
I think it is a kind of scam regarding this Alkaline water. My RO system guy was pestering me to add the Alkaline cartridge. It is said that drinking Alkaline water will make your body less acidic but our body usually gets rid off the excess acid. Also our gastric fluid is very strong that it will neutralize the alkalinity. There is no scientific proof of its credibility. This is my opinion but maybe someone with solid chemistry background might be able to explain it in a better way.
More than the alkalinity, the RO water is stripping off whatever little nutrients are there in the water. I have to use RO because of high flouride content in my water. Adding this cartridge is supposed to add some of those nutrients along with some alkalinity.
 
What did the OP go for? Please update as I am also lookingout for a solution
I went for a ₹350 Konvio alkaline cartridge. It boosted my RO TDS levels from 5 to 90 for a few days. A few days later it was adding only 20 PPM. The water is definitely alkaline but only borderline. The company told me it would last for 2,000 Liters but I think it did not last for more than 1,200 liters.

I am now thinking of purchasing this: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B093TFHMLW as it has 11,000 liter capacity and should last me about 3 months.
No direct link to your health but indirect is there -

If its the lack of minerals and nutrients you are worried about, you can still manage that using the TDS controller in your filter.
If you really worried about abnormal pH levels, get a pH meter and test your water supply.
Wouldn't all that a TDS controller would do is to add a little bit of non-RO water back into the supply. What purpose does it really serve?
 
Wouldn't all that a TDS controller would do is to add a little bit of non-RO water back into the supply. What purpose does it really serve?
You are correct. The functionality of the TDS controller and the mineral cartridge is the same. As you mentioned since TDS controller allows a bit of non RO water, it can be a disadvantage if you have heavy metals and chemicals but it allows you to control the levels. Cartridges are supposed to add the minerals back into the RO water although I am not sure if you can control the levels.
 
You are correct. The functionality of the TDS controller and the mineral cartridge is the same. As you mentioned since TDS controller allows a bit of non RO water, it can be a disadvantage if you have heavy metals and chemicals but it allows you to control the levels. Cartridges are supposed to add the minerals back into the RO water although I am not sure if you can control the levels.
Not quite the same. For one it makes the water alkaline. Secondly it adds nutrient minerals depending on what type of cartridge you have chosen. You in a convoluted way if you add a T joint before the water enters the cartridge and then a tap and T joint to connect it back to the outlet of the Cartridge. Using the tap you can control how much RO water without the minerals you want to have. This will make it like a TDS controller but with RO water instead of raw water.
 
Normal drinking water pH is supposed to be 6.5 - 9.5. By alkaline water, you mean a pH greater than 9.5. Is there any conclusive study that alkaline water is good for health ? I did not find any conclusive ones. We know TDS has a direct impact on health so I would rather focus on that. This alkaline cartridge seems to be a marketing ploy. I am not saying that alkaline cartridges are bad and if it adds to the TDS which was lower than normal earlier, then, yes you may want it.
I would rather they call it a mineral cartridge rather than alkaline cartridge and use the name as a ploy to sell.
 
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Normal drinking water pH is supposed to be 6.5 - 9.5. By alkaline water, you mean a pH greater than 9.5. Is there any conclusive study that alkaline water is good for health ? I did not find any conclusive ones. We know TDS has a direct impact on health so I would rather focus on that. This alkaline cartridge seems to be a marketing ploy. I am not saying that alkaline cartridges are bad and if it adds to the TDS which was lower than normal earlier, then, yes you may want it.
I would rather they call it a mineral cartridge rather than alkaline cartridge and use the name as a ploy to sell.

My water is almost near 0 PPM. Generally it is around 9 PPM most of the time. The input water is around 450 PPM and high amounts of Flouride beyond safe drinking water limits. The Calcium hardness of the water (Borewell) is around 250 to 350 depending on whether it is rainy or summer season. So, I use a water softener to soften the bore water which is pumped to the overhead tank. We consume about 100 Liters of drinking water a day (for drinking, cooking etc). Due to the usage of soft water as input to the RO system, my RO membranes and filters last well over 2 years. The output pH is below 6 but I really cannot be precise as none of the pen type pH meters work properly.

Using the alkaline cartridge I noticed that the pH went up to 8 - 8.5 (using pH Strips and pH test Solutions). The TDS also increased by around 70 PPM.
 
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