So what rodi unit should I get?

[Noah707]

Hello, I'm looking for a new unit as my current one (RO only) is at least 12 years old and the lowest reading I can get the tds is 38 with brand new filters.. When I start my tank I'll just use rodi water from the lfs, but somewhere down the line I'd like to get my own. I don't really know much about them and there's a couple things that could be problematic. First off it'd have to be a system that isn't plumbed and can just be hooked up for when I need to do a water change/fill ATO reservoir. Second of all I see that these can be pretty expensive and I'm not looking to spend more than 200-250$, but I still want something of high quality.

I'm considering one of the BRS units, in particular the 4 stage value one which only runs at 150$. Does anyone here have experience with those and if so would I be able to use it as I said earlier? Are there any other cheap rodi units that are of good quality and have good customer service/warranty? Thanks!

 

[maroun.c]

How about adding a DI and pressurized water container to your existing unit?

 

[WindeyD]

If I were you I'd save a bit more and get a BRS 6 stage plus; it's more money than you stated but if you buy the value system you likely will want to upgrade it later which will cost you more in the long run. BRS puts them on sale from time to time too. My feeling is the better your water the less problems you'll have down the road which also saves you money in the long run and minimizes frustrating problems that come about from water quality issues.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Start with a 4-stage unit as the default - add stages only if needed/appropriate based upon contaminants in your water.

 

[gemini9]

items in store on eBay!

There

 

[NanaReefer]

How many GPD are you looking for? AquaticLife has a couple units, 50-100GPD that are very nice, with a price sticker to match. Very unique space saver units. Especially for those of us who have to connect to our kitchen taps

http://www.aquaticlife.com/rodi-systems/ro-buddie

 

[AZDesertRat]

Stick with trusted reef quality RO/DI vendors with a long time proven history such as Spectrapure, Buckeye Hydro or PurelyH2o. All have been around a long time and sell only products they would use themselves. Most of the ebay systems and components are cheap for a reason and there are many vendors just out to make a quick buck and know nothing about the hobby or its water requirements.The 3 vendors above have all been around over a decade with Spectrapure over 25 years in the same US city.

BRS would not be my choice either as their standard sediment filters are 5 microns which is very coarse and allows contaminants to foul and ruin the carbon block. Did you know you can actually see 40 microns with the unaided human eye? The vendors I recommended all use 1 microns as their standard sediment filter and offer others as low as 0.2 microns absolute which is what I use myself.

"Stages" is an ebay trick to make a cheap system with a couple more housings with unneeded filters installed when you really only want and need 4 real stages normally. One good 1 micron or smaller sediment filter and near bsolute or absolute rated is better than nominal rated, one good 1 micron or better yet 0.5 or 0.6 micron 20,000 gallon carbon block, the RO membrane and a single full size vertical DI. Vendors like Spectrapure and Buckeye Hydro also offer hand tested higher rejection rate RO membranes for just a bit more that will save you a bunch on DI replacements over their lifetime so quickly pay for themselves.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Avoid those little inline units like the plague, unless you have a tank the size of a goldfish bowl. Very low capacity and high cost of use.

 

[Noah707]

High GPD isn't really necessary because it'll be used for maybe 10-15 gallons/week max. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll definetly look into buckeye hydro and spectrapure when I'm buying as they seem to have units in my price range.

 

[Noah707]

Oh also about adding the DI, I couldn't do this because it's located in the wrong part of the house, and also gets used a lot so I wouldn't want to have to worry about the cartridges getting used up prematurely.

 

[AZDesertRat]

The advantage of a higher GPD membrane is it makes the same quality much faster so less waiting around to fill a container. The cost, the physical size and the waste ratio remain the same regardless if its 15 GPD or 75 GPD. One takes 2 hours to make a gallon of water, the other makes about 3 gallons in 1 hour. Big difference.

There is no reason you can't add DI. You only run the reef water through the DI and use the RO only for other uses like drinking and cooking. Its as simple as a tee and a ball valve to separate the two.

 

[Noah707]

Well the problem is the current RO unit is on the 1st floor and the tank is going to be in the loft, I mean, I guess it'd be doable just kinda a hassle.

 

[Rob&Gab]

i have a 5stage 150GPD BRS UNIT. love it and wouldnt go threw any other vendor. i make enough water for R/o for a week witch is 40G, and make 40G of salt water for water change. tehn rinse out my 44G brute cans and repeat. love it, and i got a higher then needed just incase i upGrade again witch we did to a 150G and a 120G. SO GONNA need allot more water now,

always think for the future , if you cant afford it this month wait a month and get your ideal ITEM you need. but iIMO i would reccomend BRS .

 

[AZDesertRat]

It really doesn't matter if the RO/DI and display or sump are in different parts of the home. My RO/DI and ATO storage are in my garage 35 feet away from my sump so I ran the 1/4" line through a wall, around a 6' arcadia door and behind baseboard moldings to where the ATO peristaltic pump and liquid level controller resides. The peristatic pump can suck up 35 or so feet vertically or if it was in the basement it can pump vertically up 65 feet. If you can hide a 1/4" or 3/8" tube you can do it.

 

[Aquaph8]

Love my BRS unit, great company with all your reefing needs in one place and best of all they sponsor this awesome forum!!!!!

 

[Gopi]

I also have BRS unit: 4 stage RO/DI. It's light enough that I can unhook it and take it elsewhere- very easy to attach and detach. It had been living in the laundry room for filling 5 gallon jugs, but I've carried it back and forth to the garage to fill up 32 gallon Brutes for rock cooking. It takes about 1 hr 45 minutes to get my 5 gallon top off containers filled with 50-60 psi.

 

[stunreefer]

I'm going to go ahead and second the Buckeye Hydro recommendation. Russ has helped me with my RO/DI needs for over a decade now, and I have nothing but great things to say. He'll steer you straight and help you find what's going to work best for your specific source water (everyone's is different!) based on your volume requirements.

He's even willing to help you when you live in the brilliant city of Ann Arbor, MI, home of University of Michigan, when he's based out of Ohio and has quite possibly the worst word in the english language in his business name, "Buckeye" :thumb:

Thanks Russ!

-Austin

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

I love my BRS RO/DI unit and so does my tank.

 

[AZDesertRat]

If only BRS RO/DI systems were a little better rather than average, They are a good vendor and sponsor but their RO/DI needs a little more thought such as lower micron sediment filters, drop the unnecessary second carbon block that costs you more money for no benefit, capillary tube flow restrictors you the end user can adjust to fit your exact unique water conditions and more. I love their supplements and chemicals and have a closet full of them up to 5 gal bucket quantities but shop elsewhere for RO/DI. Why settle for average when you can do better for the same or less money?

 

[heathd.hd]

I just was going through the same battle with which Rodi setup to buy. I asked around a bunch. I ended up going with http://spectrapure.com/Refurbished-90-GPD-RODI-System because I've heard great things.