BRS RO/DI Unit - What do I put in this Cannister?

[cjtabares]

In order to have 2 di resin canisters you will need a 6 stage system. The one pictured is a 5 stage with only 1 being a mixed bed of DI resin. Imo if you go this route I would separate out the di resin and just buy bulk bags of cation and anion this way you can just replace the anion as it will be used up at a much faster rate than the cation. With mixed resin you are pretty much throwing away good cation every time you change it out.

I don’t think this is true. I think they could do 1 carbon, and 2 di, they would just need to fix the order the water flows through. Also, I have read if you are going to do a cation and anion separately, you would still need to do a mix carriage, is this true?

 

[Jamie814]

In order to have 2 di resin canisters you will need a 6 stage system. The one pictured is a 5 stage with only 1 being a mixed bed of DI resin. Imo if you go this route I would separate out the di resin and just buy bulk bags of cation and anion this way you can just replace the anion as it will be used up at a much faster rate than the cation. With mixed resin you are pretty much throwing away good cation every time you change it out.

That last image is not the system the op has, that is an option that was given to them as a 5-stage system with 2 carbons and 1 DI.

 

[Jamie814]

I think they could do 1 carbon, and 2 di

Correct.

I have read if you are going to do a cation and anion separately, you would still need to do a mix carriage, is this true?

This I do not know; I always just ran a mixed bead.

 

[cjtabares]

I am also going to retract needing to rework the water flow. If adding a single unit to the end of the 4 stage it is probably already in the right order.

 

[Derrick0580]

Correct.

This I do not know; I always just ran a mixed bead.

No you do not. I ran solely separate resins for the last 2 years. Just this last week I added a 3rd resin canister for mixed.

 

[exnisstech]

In conclusion: I am going to make it a 5 stage. The last two stages will be DI

I would just do the last 2 stages both DI and rotate 1 new resin into the last stage as your TDS creeps above a few PPT.

This is exactly how I do it. This way if I get a little lazy I have the last stage di pick up the slack till I rotate it back and add the fresh di at the end. 2 di stages just means I do not have to change the di resin immediately when tds appears after the first di stage. I don't let it go a long time but at least having that second di stage I can finish filling my mixing station and top off storage containers etc rather than having to stop everything to change di resin. I like a tds meter between the di resins and after the last di. I also have a tds meter on the source water and after the membrane but only because I had a few in line tds meters laying around.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Give us a call if you'd like to put this issue to a definitive end.

Russ
513-312-2343

 

[SauceyReef]

I just want to reiterate I bought a 4 stage unit, and am adding on a 5th cannister with a digital TDS meter already attached to it. It seems the question is should I do two carbon blocks and one DI at the end, or two DI's at the end.

I would just do the last 2 stages both DI and rotate 1 new resin into the last stage as your TDS creeps above a few PPT.

When your DI water reads a TDS of 3+ move the stage 5 resin to stage 4 and replace the resin in the last stage - stage 5. This way you're fully exhausting the DI resin before tossing it.

Micron ratings are all opinions and subjective to tap water quality. I have about 250-300 incoming TDS on well water and use 5-micron sediment and carbon filters and get 0 TDS after DI.....

Using the photo above with the red numbers: If I made the last 2 stages a DI where would I put the white RO membrane on the top? That is the 4th stage, so you are telling me to replace that with a DI and I am wondering how that works. Seeing that cannister is white while all the others are clear does it take a specific filter content? Or can I put anything in that all white non see through cannister at the top? Following this approach I would have to move a bit more around.

In order to have 2 di resin canisters you will need a 6 stage system. The one pictured is a 5 stage with only 1 being a mixed bed of DI resin. Imo if you go this route I would separate out the di resin and just buy bulk bags of cation and anion this way you can just replace the anion as it will be used up at a much faster rate than the cation. With mixed resin you are pretty much throwing away good cation every time you change it out.

Can you dumb this down for me a bit more? I am not sure what separate the DI resin out means. Not sure what bags of cation and anion is, and what filter media that would represent. You have to realize you are talking to somone who doesnt know much about any of this..

This is exactly how I do it. This way if I get a little lazy I have the last stage di pick up the slack till I rotate it back and add the fresh di at the end. 2 di stages just means I do not have to change the di resin immediately when tds appears after the first di stage. I don't let it go a long time but at least having that second di stage I can finish filling my mixing station and top off storage containers etc rather than having to stop everything to change di resin. I like a tds meter between the di resins and after the last di. I also have a tds meter on the source water and after the membrane but only because I had a few in line tds meters laying around.

What do you mean by "rotate" it out? Does this mean when stage 4 DI goes bad, you take that out, put final stage 5 DI resin back in stage 4, than replace new DI resin in stage 5?? Hope that makes sense. Thank you for clarifying though your post helped a lot. I have tiny tanks, so not sure if I will get the same benefit. The TDS placement makes a lot of sense. Wow 4 TDS meters haha. Guess you cant go wrong with more accuracy and knowledge.

Give us a call if you'd like to put this issue to a definitive end.

Russ
513-312-2343

Thank you! Still okay to chat seeing I already bought everything from BRS, and probably will not be getting else extra? Buckeye Hydro - you are from Ohio?? Akron here!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Using the photo above with the red numbers: If I made the last 2 stages a DI where would I put the white RO membrane on the top? That is the 4th stage, so you are telling me to replace that with a DI and I am wondering how that works. Seeing that cannister is white while all the others are clear does it take a specific filter content? Or can I put anything in that all white non see through cannister at the top? Following this approach I would have to move a bit more around.

Don't get hung up on the numbers, just be sure to follow the correct order. Sediment > Carbon>Membrane> DI.
The RO membrane goes after the carbon and before the DI, regardless of how many of each filter you have. I doubt you need this, but some use 2 sediment filters, then 2 carbon, then the membrane, and then DI. In this example, your membrane would be the 5th stage because the water goes through 4 stages prior to the RO (2 sed. and 2 carbon).

And while the clear housings can usually hold any of the other filter media, the white RO housing only holds an RO membrane.

Regarding moving things around, all you need to move is the tubing... The individual filters could theoretically be placed in any order as long as the water flows through sediment, then carbon, then RO, then DI.

Can you dumb this down for me a bit more? I am not sure what separate the DI resin out means. Not sure what bags of cation and anion is, and what filter media that would represent. You have to realize you are talking to somone who doesnt know much about any of this..

I had to learn about this too and it was a lot easier to research it online than have someone try to explain it here... BRS, Buckeye Hydro, and many other websites (probably even wiki) can help you understand the differences. Fwiw, most just use a mixed bed.

What do you mean by "rotate" it out? Does this mean when stage 4 DI goes bad, you take that out, put final stage 5 DI resin back in stage 4, than replace new DI resin in stage 5?? Hope that makes sense. Thank you for clarifying though your post helped a lot. I have tiny tanks, so not sure if I will get the same benefit. The TDS placement makes a lot of sense. Wow 4 TDS meters haha. Guess you cant go wrong with more accuracy and knowledge.

Exactly. Since the first DI will exhaust fastest, if the second still seems useable then move it to the first position and let it remove more before you throw it out.
Color changing resin is a good way to determine when the di is exhausted.

 

[SauceyReef]

Don't get hung up on the numbers, just be sure to follow the correct order. Sediment > Carbon>Membrane> DI.
The RO membrane goes after the carbon and before the DI, regardless of how many of each filter you have. I doubt you need this, but some use 2 sediment filters, then 2 carbon, then the membrane, and then DI. In this example, your membrane would be the 5th stage because the water goes through 4 stages prior to the RO (2 sed. and 2 carbon).

And while the clear housings can usually hold any of the other filter media, the white RO housing only holds an RO membrane.

Regarding moving things around, all you need to move is the tubing... The individual filters could theoretically be placed in any order as long as the water flows through sediment, then carbon, then RO, then DI.



I had to learn about this too and it was a lot easier to research it online than have someone try to explain it here... BRS, Buckeye Hydro, and many other websites (probably even wiki) can help you understand the differences. Fwiw, most just use a mixed bed.


Exactly. Since the first DI will exhaust fastest, if the second still seems useable then move it to the first position and let it remove more before you throw it out.
Color changing resin is a good way to determine when the di is exhausted.

The numbers just help solidify the order for me, but at this point it has become quite clear even without the numbers from all your help what I need to do! I really do appreciate the clarification. I am looking everything up online, but sometimes things just go over my head. A question to sum it up for me: a mixed resin bed will come in 1 cannister? Or would I get a single anion resin bed in one cannister, a cation bed in another? Or a both in each cannister.

I am here now reading about it: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cation-single-bed-color-changing-bulk-deionization-resin-brs.html#:~:text=Mixed beds are very common,Anion = Negative Charge

Keeping in mind I am pretty new at this, only have a few Nanos, and already have an extra cannister than I already need turning this 4 stage into a 5 stage: What DI bed do you think I should I get? Single, or mixed? And if you think I should go single how do I know whether to get a Cation or Anion bed? Another rabbit hole for me lol...

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

"Mixed bed" means the cation and anion resin beads are mixed together in a single container.

Using the correct jargon will help you to come up to speed and communicate with others.

This is a HOUSING - they can be blue, black, red, clear, etc. Here we have a HOUSING with a blue SUMP and a black LID:

This is a CARTRIDGE - it could be a sediment cartridge, a carbon cartridge, a DI cartridge, etc. It is the generic name for a filter that goes inside a HOUSING.

 

[SauceyReef]

"Mixed bed" means the cation and anion resin beads are mixed together in a single container.

Using the correct jargon will help you to come up to speed and communicate with others.

This is a HOUSING - they can be blue, black, red, clear, etc. Here we have a HOUSING with a blue SUMP and a black LID:

This is a CARTRIDGE - it could be a sediment cartridge, a carbon cartridge, a DI cartridge, etc. It is the generic name for a filter that goes inside a HOUSING.

Thank you for the clarification. At this point I believe I understand the single and mixed bed concepts! Also, I have been using "cannister" in place of "housing" this entire time. I never knew it was called the housing, so thank you for clearing that up for me. Makes some sense although personally cannister seems to be a better word fit, but maybe it was to close to cartridge.

I think my only question about mixed beds: If I get 2 DI housings (see it sounds silly), should I put in two
mixed resin beds? Or a single cation in one, than a single anion in the other, so I can tell over time which one my water is depleting faster and replace that as needed.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Thank you for the clarification. At this point I believe I understand the single and mixed bed concepts! Also, I have been using "cannister" in place of "housing" this entire time. I never knew it was called the housing, so thank you for clearing that up for me. Makes some sense although personally cannister seems to be a better word fit, but maybe it was to close to cartridge.

I think my only question about mixed beds: If I get 2 DI housings (see it sounds silly), should I put in two
mixed resin beds? Or a single cation in one, than a single anion in the other, so I can tell over time which one my water is depleting faster and replace that as needed.

Just get 2 color-changing mixed beds. Sounds like you won't be making large volumes of RODI water in short periods of time so they should last a while regardless of your water chemistry.

 

[SauceyReef]

Just get 2 color-changing mixed beds. Sounds like you won't be making large volumes of RODI water in short periods of time so they should last a while regardless of your water chemistry.

Good suggestion! Your information and thoughts have been very helpful. I am going to wait to hear from a couple others opinions specifically BRS staff before finally deciding what filter media to go with. I am guessing I will probably stick with the 2 mixed resin beds as you are saying.

My next dilemma: the chrome faucet diverter valve fits on one of our sinks! The problem is when I turn it on some water dribbles down the sides. Are there troubleshooting techniques to fix this? The threads look pretty clean on the faucet, so I am not sure what to do here. I thought this was my only option because I will be leaving this house in 3-4 months and wanted to make sure this was very transportable.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

If there are any orings involved make sure they are in good shape and are lubed.

 

[SauceyReef]

If there are any orings involved make sure they are in good shape and are lubed.

No o-ring on our faucet we are trying to use. But I’m pretty sure the diverter has one it it. That should be totally new though. Still could be the issue?

 

[SauceyReef]

at least once this is done I’ll be a lot more knowledgeable with water filters

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

No o-ring on our faucet we are trying to use. But I’m pretty sure the diverter has one it it. That should be totally new though. Still could be the issue?

If the drip isn't too bad, I would probably just ignore it for now - you said you're moving soon, right?
Otherwise, the easiest thing to do is to take the diverter to a hardware store and ask them. There are so many adapters out there that finding a specific one that someone here suggests may be more hassle... The store should be able to get you something that will work.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

If the drip isn't too bad, I would probably just ignore it for now - you said you're moving soon, right?
Otherwise, the easiest thing to do is to take the diverter to a hardware store and ask them. There are so many adapters out there that finding a specific one that someone here suggests may be more hassle... The store should be able to get you something that will work.

Also, some sink faucets just aren't made with the intention of having things attached - even though they are threaded, they might not be drip proof. If you have a washing machine, you can get a splitter and connect your RODI there; I use the washing machine drain for the "waste" line.

 

[SauceyReef]

If the drip isn't too bad, I would probably just ignore it for now - you said you're moving soon, right?
Otherwise, the easiest thing to do is to take the diverter to a hardware store and ask them. There are so many adapters out there that finding a specific one that someone here suggests may be more hassle... The store should be able to get you something that will work.

I guess the pressure gauge will tell me if I am safe or not with the drip! As long as I am in the safe range I think everything is fine, and the sink will catch the leaking water.