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  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Other Uses of DI Water

First - let me compliment the quality of this board. I've been researching the advisability of using DI water to clean used inkjet printer cartridges before refilling them and I now believe that the aggressiveness of the water will be beneficial in cleaning. I was worried about residual effects of the DI's aggressiveness to the plastic and copper it will contact in the cleaning process. But, because it will be flushed from the cartridges very soon after application, I am not concerned about potential damage it may cause.

Ray Edinger
inkjet cartridge remanufacturer - San Antonio, Texas
2006

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Ed. note: Thanks for the compliment, Ray. You have discovered the secret that a good way to get an inquiry high on a queue is to either compliment or insult the quality of the forum :-)

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2006

While DI is minorly corrosive to many things, it takes nearly an infinite amount of time. A bigger problem is the ultra purity (MegOhms) drops very rapidly as it dissolves anything. Its attack on plastic would be measured in years and probably in months for copper.
That said, it is a good cleaner. You might consider a cheaper route, RO (reverse osmosis) water with a little wetting agent as in TSP [trisodium phosphate ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] ] or n-laurel sulphate.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida