Premium distilled water for ultrasonic record cleaner

The impetus to use hyper clean water for record cleaning predates the ultrasonic machines.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/finding-ultra-pure-water-locallyhttp://

That's a thread from 2008 that discusses the topic and NERL water.  Part of the problem with buying fancy water is the cost of shipping it while buying enough to be cost effective.  And of course some brands charge a lot more;  generally water from record cleaning solution manufacturers is much more costly. Five gallons is roughly 44 lb. to ship (unless the container is glass, then it's lots more.)   In '08, I was buying 5gal of NERL 9805 Reagent Grade Water at $34 shipped, but I could have paid more.  It pays to shop around.  And be cautious about interpreting different grades and costs as one being superior than the other.  Compare the labels.

 

Ultrasonic machines aside, 32oz of Audio Intelligent or Mo-Fi water is $20 plus shipping. It is enough to clean 200 records or so, at least 100/120 if you do double rinse. You would call it expensive if you clean records once or very rarely? It's almost nothing compared to other things. If you can't afford this you can't afford anything audiophile grade.

jtimothya,

I tried that link, and it's not working since it's got an extra http:// on the end, so here's the correct one:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/finding-ultra-pure-water-locally

whart,

Great to see you are actively furthering the cause of cleaner records Bill, and I agree that the "super lab water" in the pint bottles is very expensive for medically related reasons, not really relevant to record cleaning. LOL about your own nuclear plant, but I've recently acquired a RODI (reverse osmosis deionized) water purification system and have been experimenting with it. I use a lot of water, and even just buying the distilled water from CVS adds up! I can recycle the used 5ppm distilled water from my Klaudio machines and turn it into very nice 0ppm RODI water. I haven't used it in the machines yet, only for making up cleaning solutions (L'Art du Son, and a triple-enzyme mold treatment) for my VPI and of course rinsing, but I really should try it out in the Klaudios on some of my own records..

The TDS water meter I use is available from Amazon.com for $60:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VVVEUI?keywords=tds%20meter&qid=1454777636&ref_=sr_1_14...

Anyone who is reading this thread is going in the right direction towards cleaner records, it's good to have these conversations!

For those interested in ultrasonic record cleaning and curious about what the Audio Desk and Klaudio machines can do for YOUR records (either separately, or better yet, when "double-cleaning" with both) then just ask me or get in touch through my website (it's on my profile) to have a few of your own records cleaned. It's affordable for pretty much anyone, and for those who are lucky enough to be looking at buying their own $3-4k machine the first hand experience will help you make a much better informed choice!

Take care,
Dave Burton

There's some truth and some BS in this thread.  For a treatise that is worth reading, go here:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/finding-pure-water-for-record-cleaning-very-long?highlight=water

lewm:

The thread you've linked to is the "Justin Time water thread" and is mentioned in the thread that jtimothya linked to earlier here. It's excellent technical reading, very detailed, but may not interest those who don't care about the science of it all and just want to know which water to buy and use, and how to use it effectively to achieve the best results..

B.S. or not (and I don't know if it's anything I wrote) surely the bottom line is that anyone who is seriously interested in record cleaning is doing it with the sole aim of achieving better sounding records! It's not like I'm cleaning records just to look at them, I want to play them and hear more music, although I suppose reduced stylus wear might also be a nice bonus consideration if you have an expensive cartridge..

Given that thousands can easily be spent on buying hi-fi equipment, upgrades, and tweaks for a "really good" system (the hardware) it surely makes sense to pay close attention to how best to clean your record collection (the software) and get the best from your investment in both.

Just my 2 cents of course, I spend a lot of time cleaning records!