Finding ultra-pure water locally...

Hello, to answer your first query, no, ultra pure water, lab-grade water and distilled water are not the same thing.

Lab grade water is a collective term for different types of water used in laboratories, namely type-I, type-II & type-III water.

Ultra Pure Water or Type-I Water is the purest form of water i.e. water without any dissolved components or solvents, it undergoes 4 stages of purification and is used in critical laboratory applications. 

Distilled water is the water that has been treated with the distillation technique, which is the oldest water purification technique.

Moving on to the second question, I guess you could look for a laboratory consumable suppliers. They deal in various lab supplies from chemicals to solvents and might also provide ultrapure water.

I hope my answer was of help, Thanks.

Drubin,
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The Axiom everything matters especially applies to cleaning records and the sonic results that are yielded.
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I use a separate brush for each fluid and or rinse that I do. I don't want to cross contaminate from one step to another. Using "Ultra-Pure" water matters dramatically in each step (either as part of the cleaning solution or as a rinse).
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Using a strong vacuuming machine (Loricraft or other) is important in that you need to remove all of the cleaning/ rinse solutions off of the record to take the impurities /dirt/ mold out of the grooves.
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My great preference is the AI solution system as I have mentioned before. Walker's system is quite good as well. The more resolving your system the more you will appreciate the value of good cleaning / rinsing solutions and a great machine.
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Good Luck
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Rgds,
Larry

With the record mounted on my Loricraft, I squirt water on it, then turn on the platter and hold a carbon fiber brush to the surface so the water gets distributed as the platter turns. Then vacuum off the water.

Drubin, my process for rinsing with a vacuum cleaning machine is to dedicate a cleaning pad (Walker Audio, Disc Doctor or Music Direct) to the final rinse; apply ultra pure water to saturate the pad; apply pad to rotating LP; then vacuum.
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Drubin: Carefully douse , paint, or spray a portion of the LP absorbing the water with a micro cloth. Or, repeatly spraying pure water on a revolving a disc seated on a RCM, then vaccuming the disc to remove the water and any contaminates. Some record steam cleaners report dipping the LP into a shallow bowel of pure water , rotating the disc with a micro cloth in one hand to absorb the water from running over the label. What ever you decide , experiment with a trashed LP to perfect your hand-work.

Dumb question: how exactly do you "rinse" the record?

Hdm and Jtimothya thanks for the info for Thermo Scientific Nerl Diagnostics i just got off the phone with a very nice lady and orderd 12 pints of there Reagent Grade Water. Next time i will go with a 5 gallon order. Steaming lps does use more water. I think steaming gets lps to sound better than not.

Doug i understand your test on a/b ing sides but as you know different stampers used for lp sides could come into play sound wise.

Tim,

You are such a NERL! ;-)

Fully agree that a very pure water rinse is an essential final step. Of course it's no surprise that a second cleaning sounded better than the first, as you said. Here's how we A/B final rinse waters:

Get both sides of an LP as clean as you know how. Then rinse side 1 with water A and side 2 with water B. Play and compare. (If you have a second set of ears available, as I do, don't tell him/her that it's a test until after they've heard both sides... double blind).

Now re-rinse each side with the opposite water. Play and compare again.

If you hear a difference, re-rinse the quieter side with the OTHER water (the water NOT used for when it was quieter). Play and listen to hear if the sound goes backwards. If it does, and re-rinsing with the quieter water makes it better again, you've identified the purer/better performing water.

Doug

Here's a follow-up on using NERL Diagnostics' Reagent Grade Water for record cleaning.

I purchased a 5 gallon container for roughly $33 (including shipping) via the link I referenced above and it arrived at my door in less than a week after ordering. I compared that cost to Lloyd W's water at ~ $88 per gallon or Osage/Audio Intelligent water at ~ $72/gallon (both w/out shipping).

The NERL Diagnostics Reagent Grade water comes in a thick plastic 'bag' inside a cardboard box with an analysis printed on the side. I was very happy to find a spigot included. It was easy to attach the spigot, then turn the box on its side for easy dispensing of the water into an empty 32oz water bottle from my Walker Prelude kit.

So... how's it work? Works just like water. For record cleaning I've used the RO water from my home's system and of course the water that comes with the Prelude kit, but otherwise I don't have a lot of basis for comparison. And I don't have a fancy methodology, so no pretense of Science here.

The bottom line is I am now more convinced than ever that pure water rinsing is a key critical step in effective record cleaning. I started with records that had been rigorously cleaned with the Prelude system using my Loricraft machine, listened to them, then cleaned them again with one pass of the Prelude Step Two cleaning fluid and 2 rinses with the Reagent Grade water. One record was from an EMI box set of Richter and Kagaan at the Touraine festival playing Mozart sonatas and the other was the Telarc Slatkin Mahler Titan.

The records each sounded remarkably cleaner (substantially reduced noise and faintly increased harmonic information) after the second cleaning and rinsing. I've had both these records for many years and frankly I was surprised and delighted to hear them virtually free from pops n clicks. I can't say if the NERL water is 'better' - not sure how I'd know that - but including it in the regimen yields the best cleaning results I've had over many years of record cleaning.

I then cleaned a copy of the Marriner Argo Handel Water Music and declared victory. For a multi-year supply delivered to my door for a little Web research and less than the price of a new Speakers Corner reissue I'm quite pleased with the NERL water. Its my new reference water! (Heh - always wanted to say something Valinesque.)

Tim

Markd51: Your point is well taken, kinda like "How many angels can dance on the point of a pin." For my part , I'll give anyone a good run for the money when it comes to a LP Collection, even still , how many records can I clean for today and into tomorrow is up for debate.

The one fact I am sure of is that should one own equipment that discerns the differences all to the good. If not , no problem at least you have a clean recording.

Before I steamed cleaned LPs the differences were less hearable. Now, as I use steam cleaning those differences are quite noticeable , so for me, the "cleaner" the rinse the better. How much better($ vs $$$) has yet to be determined. All the best.

As I said, do what you need to do, as there is no real information on which to judge the needed purity of water you need. I probably would have continued to use RO water as I had been using had I not tried the Walker Prelude system.

The Prestone Water, while might be good, and good enough for many users, (and very possibly better than single step distilled), without any data to be had, and what type container such water is then placed in, still leaves me with some doubt?

I remember one of our very good agon posters, some time back with the Water Thread, with the very thorough, and extremely long post? Was very well done I thought, and the best lowdown I've ever read about water quality.

The links provided here in this thread of the gallons of water for a very reasonable price, seem like a very good cost effective alternative.

And if I had in my possession 10,000-15,000 LPs like maybe Michael Fremer perhaps has, I'd probably jump at the opportunity to buy it, but four gallons of water is a whole lot of water to buy, and for a "little guy" like me, I'd probably be collecting social security by the time I used all this water!? lol

As time passes, then one might also wonder, is this water still as pure as when I first bought it, or has chemicals from the holding vessle, and conditions it was perhaps stored in, now has leached contaminants-plasticizers into the water, now making it actually worse than the standard Wally World .69 cents a gallon stuff?

Ahh, many thoughts to ponder, but do enjoy the topic with you folks. We once delved into this topic a couple months ago on AKarma, lots of opinion of course, as there always is, one fella remarked he was a degreed chemist, but then offered nothing to the thread about cleaners, or rinse waters.

No scientific data, or common logical sense was offered from others in this thread on Karma, to back any argument in why we all shouldn't just be using chopped down Paint Brushes, and Paint Brush Pads to scrub, Distilled Water mixed with Dawn, Photoflow, and 99% Walgreens Iso Alcohol, forget the Enzymes, who needs them, and of course just whip out the ole Micro-Fiber cloths for the final wipe down, and rack em in the kitchen sink? Mark

Markd51 and Crem1, as we really don't know what the benefits of purity are, I do think we have to go by what we personally judge to be pure enough. I have found, as I noted, that Walker's water sounds better as a final rinse than either store bought distilled water, which should be a pure as the steam that it comes from, and reverse osmosis water. Given what I use I will continue with Walker's water. I do wish some scientist would evaluate the benefits of greater purity for various purposes.

Tbg : I have been actively searching out water sources for steam cleaning for years.

In theory, I believe that most any material thing can be purchased for a reasonable cost , provided one is willing to search off the beaten path. Aquiring water products is no different than other objects , just a tad more challenging.

What I have been attempting to do is to locate some national resource available to all interested parties at the lowest price. My reasoning has always been that the more obsecure the manufacturer the greater the control of pricing ,particularity, when ascribed as "medical or Lab" grade. Understandably, they do have greater requirements and specifications that support the cost(s) out-lay(s). Nevertheless, what I have discovered is that certian manufactures require , say demand, huge quanities of reagent grade ++ water products for production purposes at the lowest outlay of money.

The most significant are certian car battery manufactures ; the others, the Water, Soda and Food Industries. All of these industries are under the onslaught of foreign competition that could cause some to go out of business but not today.

This returns me to my earlier recommendation for Peak Battery Water ; this product has been distilled, RO'ed , de-mineralized ,de-ionized and filtered product for $4.00 Gal @ Pep Boys Auto.

Whether the Peak Product is as pure as other products I can not confirm but it does appear to be superior to most , low cost and nationally available. For now that's my personal contribution to the search.

I generally take great interest in threads such as these, and others about cleaning-rinsing, etc., as well, that can discuss the actual science, and appropriate products, without perhaps the need to shell out $40 for a 1/2 oz of cleaner, such as what LAST charges for thier Power Cleaner.

I'm sure we would all like knowing to what point of purity is "ideally" needed, then to what point there are then diminishing returns, and what boundary we should recognize for a "good enough" grade of water.

Of course, we all read the posts day in, and day out about those who will claim 'Hey, I use my Tap Water run through my Britta, or Wally World Distilled with perfectly flawless results, without any scientific testing-study-research to back those claims.

Out of curiosity, I've browsed suppliers like Fisher Scientific, and seen water prices that would make even Michael Jordan cry. Things like DNA grade, which I'm sure does not need to be in a Vinylphile's aresenal.

Part of the ethical problems I see, is while many of us patronize many good companies, we all mostly trust such good companies such as Walker to provide us with very good products.

With that being said, I would not at all feel comfortable contacting somebody such as Lloyd, and saying something so stupid, such as: "Hi Lloyd, what grade water do you use, I like it very much, works fantastic. but wish to bypass spending $88/gal for your products". See what I mean?

About expiration dates, and of course suitable storage containers, and transference to them, do we actually need to don clean room-biological repellant suits so we now look like the folks in the Dustin Hoffman movie "Outbreak"? Mark

Let see to really do this right we would need to have a broad range of purity as well as price. We would need to do a broad sampling of records to be cleaned and then rinsed with our rinse water. From my experience with Walker's water and both distilled water bought at the grocery store and RO water from my unit where I heard a cleaner record with the Walker, we might well expect a strong relationship between price and purity, but would we see a strong relationship between purity and cleanliness of records and their sound? Or would waters with relatively high to high purity sound the same down to some point where the sound went bad. The lowest purity before the sound went bad would be the best buy. Do we know if it is a linear and smooth relationship or a step relationship where there is a sudden jump as purity increases? I don't think so.

Crem1, I went to pep boys and the battery water was $2.99 a gallon, not $4. Am I getting the right water? I should email you directly as I got the prefection steamer and am getting some spitting. Obviously, I'm very impressed by the results.

So, let's see....

By my calculations, that makes the Nerl Reagent Grade $5.06 gallon when purchased in bulk (so you'd have to possibly factor in buying a few smaller containers) vs. Lloyd Walker's water at $88 gallon.

Hmmmmmm......

FYI, Lloyd Walker sells his UP Water for $44 for a half gallon jug.

Jtimothya: From the description you posted above, I think you'll be very happy with the water you ordered and that it will every bit as good, if not better than the "ultrapure" being shipped by the various manufacturers of record cleaning products.

In looking at the description compared to a "Contaminant Removal Profile" on ultrapure as described by Pall Life Sciences, the company who provides the water purification equipment used in my wife's lab, the only stage that seems to be missing from Pall's ultrapure profile is a combination Ultrafiltration (UF) and UV photo-oxidation stage just prior to a second stage of deionization and the final .2 micron filtration. This is just a guess, but I would guess that the Nerl "Safe and Secure" ultrapure might be subject to this stage to qualify for its "ultrapure" status.

Good luck and keep us posted. I'm pretty sure you and Albert are going to be quite pleased with the results.

the information I have would suggest that there would indeed be a difference between the two products; my guess is that it would probably involve higher levels of ultrafiltration. Nerl themselves appear not to apply the "ultrapure" name to their reagent grade water.

This makes sense. That Thermo Scientific is packaging Safe & Secure UltraPure as qty 6 1- pint bottles suggests this is water for special needs not requiring larger volumes and those needs are not so great that it is commonly saleable on-line.

As best I can tell, the description for both the 'simple' 9800-5 Reagent Grade Water and the S&SUP read identically, viz.: "ideal for reconstituting chemistry or coagulation products, preparing analytical standards, or rinsing delicate electrodes. Prepared at 18 megohm/cm specific resistance using reverse osmosis, mixed bed deionization, activated carbon filtration and final filtration to 0.2 micron, our water is essentially free from organic and inorganic particulate and soluble contaminants."

Fwiw, the MedicalMailOrder.com folks shipped the 44lb box in less than 24hrs, so that's a good sign. I didn't do the math but I'm gonna guess that at roughly $34 for 5 gallons, its still cheaper than Dasani. :-) And if its as good as the stuff Lloyd sends out then my wallet, my records and Ms. Loricraft will all be happy. I'll clean, listen and letcha know.

Threaders : The information that I have been able to verify indicates the Peak Battery Water sold @ Pep Boys Auto Shops @ $4.00 per Gal is the cheapest currently available alternative to Lab grade water sold nationally. According to information shaired with me by the Consumer Rep for Peak , the product has undergone multiable cleaning stages not noted on the container. While I personally do have other SP Water options my object is to locate other water products at the cheapest price. As for SP Water I believe L. Walker sells it by the Gal. I do not know the price but it should be higher than Peak.

The little I know and the information I have would suggest that there would indeed be a difference between the two products; my guess is that it would probably involve higher levels of ultrafiltration. Nerl themselves appear not to apply the "ultrapure" name to their reagent grade water.

That being said, I would expect the reagent grade to be very good and your point as to whether one could "hear" the difference between the reagent grade and the "Safe and Sure Ultra Pure" is well taken.

My theory is that the "Safe & Sure Ultra Pure Reagent Grade Water" could be a marketing niche than a unique product. First off, no one is selling it on-line which makes me wonder about demand. Secondly, I think the key words are 'Reagent Grade Water' - those words *I'm speculating* have an "industry standard" meaning, wherease the additional "Safe & Sure Ultra Pure" may not - at least I certainly don't see the latter terms in use beyond the seller. But that may not mean much, although, neither the NERL nor Thermo Scientific site specifies a difference other than claiming the one is "our highest grade".

I would like to know the physical difference between the 'Safe & Sure Ultra Pure' product and the other Reagent Grade Water. And of course .... can we hear a difference, and is it a positive improvement. Heh. Listening to water ... you got ears only an audiophile's mother could love. :-)

Albert: My guess is that the higher grade "Safe and Sure" will not be much more expensive. This product is being marketed for scientific use and not to audiophiles.

Once the audiophiles start to buy it, someone else will, of course, repackage it and sell it for 5X the money.

Thanks Jtimothya, good data.

Regarding:

If that is the case, MedicalMailOrder.com is offering the 20 liter (~5 gallon) 9800-5 Reagent Grade water at $25.32 plus shipping ($8.27 UPS ground to my zip in upper Midwest where it is a balmy 3 degrees F.)

Prices vary by packaging with the gallons costing several times what the larger packages go for. The 32 Oz. bottles are a real killer, adding up to about one gallon for $64.00.

I can't explain why packaging cost varies so much, unless it's as much trouble to get clean packaging and ship as it is to make the water :^).

I thought the gallons I got were a good compromise as the manufacturer says the expire date begins once the cap comes off. Wish we could buy the 32 Oz. size bottles equalling 5 gallons at that same bargain price.

I was worried about the issue of splitting this with my audio buddies if I bought the 5 gallon container. Splitting it up into other less than perfect containers may ruin the purity.

It appears I bought the second best grade possible. I'm glad you found that next level (the ultimate level??)

I'm going to call those people and see how much that "Safe & Sure Ultra Pure Reagent Grade Water" costs, but I'm almost afraid to ask.

With regard to storage, I ran across the following from a Wikipedia article on Dionized Water:

"Laboratory grade ultra pure water cannot be stored in glass or plastic containers because such materials leach contaminants at very low concentrations into the water. Storage vessels made of silica are used for less demanding applications but for highest purity uses, containers made from ultra pure Tin are used."

With regards to buying, to follow up on Hdm's earlier posts, the numbers 9800-1, -3, -5, appear to be product numbers for different packagings of Reagent Grade Water from NERL Diagnostics, a division of Thermo Scientific. Likewise the "Safe & Sure Ultra Pure Reagent Grade Water" appears to be a higher grade and has a different product number. It doesn't seem to be sold on-line by the various supply houses, however one can get a quote for it from Thermo Scientific

If that is the case, MedicalMailOrder.com is offering the 20 liter (~5 gallon) 9800-5 Reagent Grade water at $25.32 plus shipping ($8.27 UPS ground to my zip in upper Midwest where it is a balmy 3 degrees F.)

I'll find out how much fun is a five gallon box of frozen water. (Not just any water, Mr. Bond, reagent grade laser water.)

Following is a link to the reagent grade water Albert Porter ordered. One can buy 5 gallons for $50-the issue then is to have some smaller containers to transfer into. While $50 for 5 gallons of water may seem expensive, it is dirt cheap in terms of buying commercial cleaning solutions (and I have found the commercial solutions to be worth their price compared to DIY solutions so I am certainly not a cheapskate). I'm still experimenting with cleaning and steaming ONLY with ultrapure water and no commercial cleaning fluids and beginning to lean toward the opinion that only ultrapure and steaming may actually be the best way to clean records or at least the vast majority of them, and if that is indeed the case, 5 gallons of ultrapure will clean literally thousands of records.

I can't comment on the quality of the linked water as I'm using ultrapure from my wife's lab which essentially goes through the 6 stage process I outlined above in this thread. I know that what I'm using is very pure and I've been really pleased with the results having formerly used the RRL/Mo-Fi products (both Super Deep and SVW). I'm still unsure as to whether I can do without the Super Deep, but I've long since stopped using the Super Vinyl Wash as the Ultrapure Water I'm using is, in my opinion, both a better cleaning agent than the SVW and leaves absolutely no sonic signature like the SVW.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/casco-nerl-water-reagent-grade-9800-5.html

Readers: A funny thing happen on the way to Super Pure Water.

Following suggestions made on a couple of Threads I set out with correct vinyl Gallon container in hand for Water from three recommended places Whole Foods, a Organic FoodStore and a Pet Fish Shop.

Firstly, the water sources available for people consumption had all been doused with minerals, and Fish Shops in my area say the source water in this part of Maryland is so clean out of the tap they only charcole filter before using in the fish tanks.

Well no brass ring, so the journey continues for cheap sources of SP Water .

The Rep for Peak Battery Water has said that their water has been de-ionized and de-mineralized. He also said the water had been subjected to RO and repeatly filtered. I purchase Peak @ Pep Boys Auto for $4.00 a Ga.Very little information on the water product beyond Battery Water is listed on the lable. Since I use Peak to Steam Cleaning LPs combo'ing with RCM and a fast acting record drying/destatic machine, used in that combination, I haven't had static problems w/ cleaned recordings.

Hdm, the reason we have a RO device is that the sodium content of our water is quite high, but it could not be softer or we would never get soap off our bodies. I would just imagine that even a home RO machine would easily get lime or other minerals out of the water as easily as it would get salts out.

Tbg: My comments regarding distillation were only with respect to the fact that distilled water is a far cry from ultrapure as the original poster intimated (ie. ultrapure, lab grade, triple distilled all essentially being the same).

With respect to softening, it can be and is often used as the very first stage (followed by 5 or 6 others) in producing ultrapure water.

Guys, I have had a home RO filter for 30 years. It get replaced once a year. At the end of the year the water has about 300 non-water parts per million. After it is replaced this is 3 per million. Our chemistry department has a much higher quality RO device. They certainly were not impressed with my home results but did not mention what theirs yielded.

Hdm, assuming that you meant to add distillation to reagent water, I cannot imagine that adding salt back in as a softener would be used.

Cello, my tests also show that ultra pure water is superior at least as a final rinse to RO water.

Jtimothya, maybe it's naive on my part, but I figured that whatever sort of storage container the Reagent water has been stored in to date will be fine for continued storage at home. So that's what I am planning on doing unless I find it's a bad idea...

I have a 180 gallon saltwater aquarium with a 55g sump and had to purchase an RO/DI unit due to well water. They are not expensive. I think mine was less than $150 for a 75 gallon-per-day. I need to add nearly 2 gallons a day due to evaporation and I do a 35 gallon water change monthly. Remember, it takes about 4 gallons to make 1 gallon of filtered water. I have the "waste water" going to my washing machine. Do not store in any ole plastic jug. Glass or a #6 plastic container will not leech. Not a bad idea to own a unit for drinking and getting out all of that garbage that they treat with. You should only drink "RO" and not "RO/DI". Most units have simple valves for using either/both. That will be the day that I pay(get ripped-off) for water!

I'm keeping my Reagent grade water in whatever kind of gallon jugs they ship in.

I have an IKEA roll around that was supposed to be for a kitchen that I use for my RC machine. I keep all the cleaners in the drawers below the work surface.

Guess I could refill the 64 ounce container supplied with my Walker Prelude kit as it empties. That's a handier and more manageable size container than the gallons.

Albert and Cincy_bob - what sort of storage container do you plan to use? From the Finding Pure Water thread, I read amber colored glass jugs should work better than plastic.

Albert, thanks for the info. This evening, I just followed your lead and ordered a four-gallon case of my own from microscopes.com.

Tks everyone for the informative responses. This is obviously a more complex subject than I had originally imagined. But I now have some great leads to get me started. Much appreciated.

John

John, go to http://www.audiointelligent.com/ , then "Product Information." Scroll down to their Ultra-Pure water. For $18 they'll quickly ship you a 32oz. container of lab grade water which will be perfect as a final wash when cleaning vinyl.

Give a call to your local kidney dialysis center.They use the purist form of water for their patients.I just got two gallons and they didn't even charge me so I donated 10.00 Works for me.

The Pure Water thread referenced above recommends some products at Whole Foods. I don't have a WF store in my local area, but when I was in DC recently I went to a Whole Foods and bought a couple bottles of some type of higher-than-normal-purity water. At the time, I couldn't recall the details from the Pure Water thread, and it turned out that what I bought was not the specific brand Justin_Time recommended. Nevertheless, records that I have cleaned and then rinsed with that water have sounded distinctly better than records rinsed with ordinary grocery store distilled water. Much quieter, and no crackling noise that often develops after a few playings following a distilled water rinse. The crackling issue is explained quite thoroughly by Justin_Time in another thread.

As far as I am concerned, Justin_Time is THE MAN when it comes to water quality issues.

I know my comments don't directly address the question of where to buy ultra-pure water. But I did want to throw in my 2 cents on the whole issue of ultra-pure vs. distilled water. Going to extreme lengths on water quality really does make a difference.

I just spoke to Microscopes.com, they confirmed that the web site offer of a four gallon case of Reagent grade type 1 water (the best lab grade) is $105.95.

Free shipping during this sale, meaning it's delivered to your door for $26.48 per gallon.

I have enough coming to share with friends and at that price it's worth knowing the end results are the best it can be for all the labor and time it takes to clean an LP correctly.

Ivan. Thanx anyways.

Go Spartans.

Another great reason not to own vinyl. I just spit on my CDs and wipe them on my T-shirt. -:)

Pawlowski,

I am afraid not. I live in Ann Arbor.

Cheers,

Ivan

Ivan, near St. Joseph, MI?

I own an aquarium shop in Michigan. We use RO water in our reef tanks. I also use the water as a rinse on my VPI record cleaner. It works very well. I don't know anything about ultra-pure water, but I find it difficult to believe that it can be significantly superior to RO-DI water in purity. I regularly check our RO filter with a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter. Our water fluctuates between 0-4 mineral PPM... I don't think that anything purer will make a significant difference for record cleaning applications. Laboratory applications? I wouldn't know...

Our shop sells RO water, 39 cents per gallon... We don't ship the stuff.

Cheers,

Ivan

I believe John adams sunnyvale is asking about a product that has undergone an extremely more rigorous purification process than either RO or distilled water commonly available for sale in grocery stores. The ultrapure water is likely used in special laboratory processes. John, you might consider determining the uses for the ultrapure water, then contacting local area firms who do that type of work to determine their source. If you are simply looking for a gallon of the stuff to try, maybe one of the firms would sell you a gallon. If you are looking for a long-term source, maybe if you find out what supplier the local firms use, you could set up your own account with that supplier and they could drop off an occasional shipment to your residence or workplace since they already deliver in the area. Or, you could see what Albert comes up with and order from the source he uncovered. Let us know how it works for you.

Yuo may be able to buy reverse osmosis water from an aquarium shop. The one I use for my fish tanks sells RO water for $0.25/gallon.