I think you should rig a water softener unit into this
Spent a few hours with a couple different places trying to figure out the best way to get "0" TDS water, none of which animal related, but it helped when bringing it to my hobbies such as this and marine aquariums.
I was also told using softened water tends to wear the filters out faster, but that also depended on your water source. This is using salt based water softeners that pretty much everyone around here uses. The filters then have to filter out that salt from the water, along with the other contaminants.
It was kind of a trade off kind of thing.
Good low TDS water source(less than 200 TDS), no reason for softener. A slightly high TDS (300+TDS) water source, the softner tends to take some of it out(larger particulates), but replace it with the salt minerals. Resulting in about the same TDS after the softener, maybe slightly higher, but the salt is easier on filters than larger particulates. Also depends on the type of plumbing in your home. PEX or PVC lines run clean adding none or very little TDS(less than 5). Copper pipe or any other metal pipe adds to the TDS(about 20+ or so), I don't know why this occurs or how it happens, it just does. We couldn't figure it out, but the TDS meter was telling us it was there, so we went to the method I mention below.
Around here if you can manage to collect rainwater from your gutters the TDS is about 7-11, pump it through the RO/DI and you're down to zero TDS and it's easy on the filters. Not feasible for everyone, and it takes some pretty large sized containers(100+ gallons) to maintain a decent supply of water. Then you have the hassle of pumping the water when you want it instead of just opening a valve like in a homes pressurized system.
This is all based on prolonging filter life as they are expensive. This was for a business where we could end up going through 500+ gallons of "0" TDS water per week. I highly doubt you'll go through that much in a home system so my points may not mean a lot to your use, just information for those that might like to have it. I like to apply it to home use though, why replace filters every 6 months if you can make them last a year or more??
combining powers for the ultimate mist system. You should name the system "The Zamp."
