1 tds coming out of brs ro/di

[Robertchrisroph]

Hello. I have a 5 stage brs and I've done about a c few hundred gallons I have 2 to 3 tds going into di and 1 coming out all day. Is that bad? thank you

 

[ritter6788]

Have you replaced the DI resin?

 

[143MPCo]

How long have you had this unit for?
When's the last time you replaced the first 3 filters?
Did you recently repack/replace the DI resin?

 

[Robertchrisroph]

I changed all filters and di about 3 months ago

 

[143MPCo]

how much of the DI was left in the bag?

 

[143MPCo]

In order for the DI resin to do it's job it needs to be pack in tightly in between the cotton filter pads, also you should have almost none of the resin left over in the foil bag.

 

[143MPCo]

When I change out the resin I forcefully tap down the resin cartage as I fill it, doing it that way will almost always leave no resin in the foil bag.

 

[Robertchrisroph]

Yes I believe there was none left. I tapped it down as I put in

 

[143MPCo]

is the DI resin you used the color changing type?
can you confirm the TDS reading with a hand held TDS meter?

 

[143MPCo]

I periodically check my TDS with a HM Digital TDS-3 Handheld TDS Meter, they are fairly well priced and a worthwhile investment.

 

[AZDesertRat]

One issue with DI resins is they have a relatively short shelf life, even when stored properly once opened. Personally I found it was less expensive to buy better reef specific DI cartridges versus bulk resin as the resin would go bad before I could use it all. If you use bulk resin, try not to buy any more than you can use in 6 months time. Once you open it up, repackage the resin in individual 20 oz portions using Seal A Meal type freezer bags and a vacuum food sealer. Store the resin in the back of the refrigerator and it should stay fresh for 6 months or so when unopened, when you open a package use it all.
Once resin starts to dry out it loses its cation and anion electrical properties and does not work as well, often never getting it down to 0 TDS,

 

[Robertchrisroph]

I have a leak in one. A little drop so when off, they drain. And dry out I would think. so this is bad? lol

 

[Robertchrisroph]

No meter hand held and yes color changing

 

[AZDesertRat]

Resin and membranes must always stay wetted once in use. Same for new DI resins, they come damp in a special solution that needs to be flushed out before using the RO/DI water and should always stay damp in the vacuum sealed bags and stored in a cool place away from direct lighting. Back when I used bulk resin I would weigh it out in 20 oz portions, place in in the vacuum bag with an ounce or so of RO/DI then vacuum seal it before placing it in the refrigerator. I would buy in 50 lb boxes and split it up between all my reef club members and would still end up throwing some away that didn't get used in time or died out due to an improperly sealed bag. Such a hassle and I was only getting 150 measured gallons before the TDS rose to 2-3. I switched to Spectrapure's MaxCap and SilicaBuster cartridges and my very first MaxCap lasted 830 measured gallons and the first SilicaBuster did not get replaced until 3000 gallons. So for 3 MaxCaps and 1 SilicaBuster I would have used 20 or more bulk resin refills. Even if the bulk resin was cheaper it was not a good value since the 3000 gallons represented 3 years of life so I had to reorder fresh bulk resin several times.

And I highly recommend a good handheld TDS meter such as the HM Digital TDS-3, TDS-4TM or AP-1, once you use one you will forget you have the inline. And color changing resins are usually a waste since they are not very accurate. By the time they turn colors you are passing weakly ionized substances in the treated water, things like phosphates, silicates and nitrates are weakly ionized and do not show up well on a hobbyist grade TDS meter.