So what rodi unit should I get?
- Thread starter Noah707
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Opus
2500 Club Member
Noah707, what exactly do you have now? Do you have a picture? The age of the RO unit really shouldn't matter. My unit is over 20 years old. Started as a 10gpd Kent Marine unit. Still using the the blue canisters it came with. You should be able to easily add an DI canister to it. When you say you changed the filters, did this include the RO membrane?
I personally have my unit in the laundry room and used an adapter on the washing machine cold side. I fill 5 gal jugs that I then haul to my aquariums. If you want it automated you will have to do something like AZ mentioned. If you want something more portable they do make inexpensive adapters you can hook up to your sink faucet.
I personally have my unit in the laundry room and used an adapter on the washing machine cold side. I fill 5 gal jugs that I then haul to my aquariums. If you want it automated you will have to do something like AZ mentioned. If you want something more portable they do make inexpensive adapters you can hook up to your sink faucet.
Gopi
Active Member
When you first order, it comes with refills for the the cartridges. I've only had to replace the DI resin once (I've only had it about a year). How frequently they need replacing depends on the quality of your source water and how much you make. If you have a lot of contaminants you'll need to replace cartridges more often than those with fewer contaminants. Likewise, if you make water more frequently the cartridges will exhaust faster as well.
Aquaph8
Love The Fish
I don't know off the top of my head but it's all on the website, check it out. I've used both BRS and Spectra Pure filters and units and I honestly can't tell the difference for hobby use, my water is zero TDS and filters seem to last about the same. I'm sure if you try and dig deep enough there's an argue meant for one vs. the other but for what I use it for its great. Spectra pure was always great to deal with, it was just a seperate order and another shipping cost not to mention I had to pay sales tax cause I live in AZ.
Noah707
Community Member
Yeah I can get a picture up when I get back home. However, it's not really a possibility of using this because I want something specifically for my tank(s), and we use this for drinking water. Although we should upgrade the current unit I think it'd just be more practical to get a new one in the spot I want it. Also I wanted to just use the filter for aquariums because the current unit gets used lots and would probably wear out fast, and I change the cartridges yearly so yeah... I care about my fish more than the water I drink 
. oh and the membrane/cartridges were replaced 2-3 months ago.
. oh and the membrane/cartridges were replaced 2-3 months ago.
Do not use the coarse 5 micron BRS sediment filters.
Think about it, when you can see 40 microns with the unaided human eye 5 microns is really pretty big. The only reason you have a sediment filter in the first place is to protect the billions of tiny microscopic pores in the carbon block where the chlorine and organics are adsorbed. If the pores are plugged the carbon is ineffective and the membrane is soon damaged by the chlorine breakthru.
Save yourself some money and buy a better system. Research your purchase, RO/DI systems are not all alike and some are much better than others and often for less or the same money. Companies don't stay around for 15 to 25 years by selling average of below average systems to knowledgable buyers. Be informed.
FAQ
Reverse Osmosis General Info
FAQ p.2
Technical Info
Reverse Osmosis General InfoReverse Osmosis Filters | RODI Systems | Commerical Water Filtration System - Buckeye Hydro
Think about it, when you can see 40 microns with the unaided human eye 5 microns is really pretty big. The only reason you have a sediment filter in the first place is to protect the billions of tiny microscopic pores in the carbon block where the chlorine and organics are adsorbed. If the pores are plugged the carbon is ineffective and the membrane is soon damaged by the chlorine breakthru.
Save yourself some money and buy a better system. Research your purchase, RO/DI systems are not all alike and some are much better than others and often for less or the same money. Companies don't stay around for 15 to 25 years by selling average of below average systems to knowledgable buyers. Be informed.
FAQ
Reverse Osmosis General Info
FAQ p.2
Technical Info
Reverse Osmosis General InfoReverse Osmosis Filters | RODI Systems | Commerical Water Filtration System - Buckeye Hydro
You can easily adapt what you have for reef use but I would do some testing with a TDS meter first. My hesitation is your RO membrane is in a sealed housing and cannot be replaced without a new housing replacement too and its probably not up to reef quality 98%+/- so DI would not last long.
You can get the Spectrapure system and add an autoshutoff valve or reuse the one from you existing RO and a simple tee and check valve so you can use your existing pressure tank for drinking and have a separate circuit for reef DI water. It is simple to do and done all the time. Follow this diagram and note where the tee and 1 psi check valve are placed between the RO and the DI. Should only take you 20 minutes to plumb in the ASOV and the tee and check valve and you have the best of both worlds.
http://spectrapure.com/huds/4-STAGE-DWK-RODI-NAG.pdf
If you don't want to reuse the old ASOV and pressure tank, a complete new add on drinking water kit is only $59 at purelyH2o.com. I used the same system for drinking and reef use for years with the DI seperated from the RO drinking water.
You can get the Spectrapure system and add an autoshutoff valve or reuse the one from you existing RO and a simple tee and check valve so you can use your existing pressure tank for drinking and have a separate circuit for reef DI water. It is simple to do and done all the time. Follow this diagram and note where the tee and 1 psi check valve are placed between the RO and the DI. Should only take you 20 minutes to plumb in the ASOV and the tee and check valve and you have the best of both worlds.
http://spectrapure.com/huds/4-STAGE-DWK-RODI-NAG.pdf
If you don't want to reuse the old ASOV and pressure tank, a complete new add on drinking water kit is only $59 at purelyH2o.com. I used the same system for drinking and reef use for years with the DI seperated from the RO drinking water.
dangros
Well-Known Member
Az,
What's your opinion of WaterGeneral (filterdirect on ebay)? I've spoken w/their techs who seem to know what they are talking about when it comes to aquarium RO/DI needs. I have their 150gpd unit and it seems to work well. My tds meter registers nothing when I test the water. They do have a pretty good price for their filters too.
If they aren't as advertised, then I would need to replace my system asap
What's your opinion of WaterGeneral (filterdirect on ebay)? I've spoken w/their techs who seem to know what they are talking about when it comes to aquarium RO/DI needs. I have their 150gpd unit and it seems to work well. My tds meter registers nothing when I test the water. They do have a pretty good price for their filters too.
If they aren't as advertised, then I would need to replace my system asap
bitzerjd
Community Member
I have a AquaFX 5 stage 100g/day unit that is fantastic. I ran the plastic output hose to a 40gal storage tank with a float valve. Stuck an old pump in the bottom and use it to fill up my water change bottles. Works great, I always have 40g of pure water on hand. I also have an Inline TDI meter measuring the input and output. The DI cartridges last forever.
they call them refurbished but I'm not really sure that they are. I have one for the last 2 years. When I got it the thing looked brand new. Not a single scratch on it. I'm starting to wonder if they just sold so well they are just running with it and selling brand new units. I've seen tons of people buy them and they always have them. I would definitely not worry forget the word refurb is even there you won't be disappointed.As of right now i'm leaning towards getting a refurbished Spectrapure as it seems like a good deal. Although not ideal, if it works 100% then it's fine by me
I use the BRS 6stage for years. And yes the second carbon is very important if it is catalytic carbon. If you have chloramines in your water. Chlorine and chloramine are not the same and a standard carbon block does not remove chloramines with out burning it out quickly. So catalytic removes chloramine and the carbon block chlorine. As well as other things.
I use a .5 micron sediment filter. And you do have options when buying.
I Also use a booster pump for a higher rejection rate and it helps production. Producing 1tds before DI.
Nothing wrong at all with BRS. Blah blah blah sediment filter. Get the .5 micron sediment filter then. And 5 micron compared to 40 is no comparison anyways and there shouldnt even be a comparison.
BRS, filter guys, aquafx, spectra pure are all good companies. You get what your pay for you can get okay or great setups from any of these vendors. I would stry from eBay etc.
I use a .5 micron sediment filter. And you do have options when buying.
I Also use a booster pump for a higher rejection rate and it helps production. Producing 1tds before DI.
Nothing wrong at all with BRS. Blah blah blah sediment filter. Get the .5 micron sediment filter then. And 5 micron compared to 40 is no comparison anyways and there shouldnt even be a comparison.
BRS, filter guys, aquafx, spectra pure are all good companies. You get what your pay for you can get okay or great setups from any of these vendors. I would stry from eBay etc.
Watergeneral/FiltersDirect is a low end drinking water RO vendor and nowhere near reef quality. If you laid the two systems side by side it would be very apparent and once you test them side by side even more so.
No other vendor besides Spectraure specially treats all their RO membranes proven to increase their performance then either batchs or individually hand tests them for quality control. No other vendor custom blends all their own DI resins in house based on thousands of hours of real world testing.
Dual carbons are not needed nor wanted as long as you use a good low micron sediment filter in the 1 micron or less rating and a high quality 0.5, 0.6 or 1.0 micron extruded carbon block. Everything you add in front of the membrane has an associated headloss and expense so research carefully and don't waste money on things not needed.
You really do get what you pay for. Innovators not imitators is a motto they have used for decades and it applies even more today than it did 25 years ago.
No other vendor besides Spectraure specially treats all their RO membranes proven to increase their performance then either batchs or individually hand tests them for quality control. No other vendor custom blends all their own DI resins in house based on thousands of hours of real world testing.
Dual carbons are not needed nor wanted as long as you use a good low micron sediment filter in the 1 micron or less rating and a high quality 0.5, 0.6 or 1.0 micron extruded carbon block. Everything you add in front of the membrane has an associated headloss and expense so research carefully and don't waste money on things not needed.
You really do get what you pay for. Innovators not imitators is a motto they have used for decades and it applies even more today than it did 25 years ago.
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