Budget water making stations ideas

[427HISS]

Cheap 30 gal trash can, a pump to circulate the water and an amazon RO/DI unit

Try not to buy cheap cans, as their too thin, can buckle with inside pressure and can leach chemicals. Go with the tried and trued, Brute cans. Also, I bought two of their dollies to move the heavy weight of water around, you'll never regret it.

 

[427HISS]

Try not to buy cheap cans, as their too thin, can buckle with inside pressure and can leach chemicals. Go with the tried and trued, Brute cans. Also, I bought two of their dollies to move the heavy weight of water around, you'll never regret it.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubberm...Commercial-Environments-FG264020BLA/203207009

 

[427HISS]

Also since my mixing station when ever I get the stuff and make it would be on a different floor than my tank so is the easiest way is just to carry buckets up the stairs.

Buy a pump and garden hose rather than lugging up buckets ! Real back saver and might even save your marriage. lol

 

[Rob A]

Buy a pump and garden hose rather than lugging up buckets ! Real back saver and might even save your marriage. lol

Hauling 5 gallon buckets of water around is the number one reason people give up/fail

 

[dvgyfresh]

Water jugs and primo water stations

 

[19Mateo83]

Since your system is upstairs, you could do what I did and put one of these diverter valves on your shower head buy a few cheap fittings to adapt it to 1/4” water line and sit your RO unit in the tub and just use a brute trash can on a dolly. No lugging water upstairs.

 

[DEE’S reef]

The tanks near the stair it shouldn’t be to far of carry I know someone who live in a apartment and had to carry buckets up the stairs

 

[CaptainScuba]

Here's my two cents about saving money making water....

1. I'd suggest a "full sized" RO/DI unit. The RO Buddy works but requires you to buy their replacement filters....which are small and therefore require sooner replacement. With full sized filters you can shop for the best bang for the buck on filter changes....also for a high rejection membrane....you ideally want at least 98% rejection.

2. Install a three way valve between your RO unit and your DI canister. The reason is that on start up you get breakthrough TDS from the RO unit that otherwise would be removed by your DI causing it to deplete much sooner. What you do on start up is flip the valve to run the water to waste for about five minutes and then flip the valve to run through you DI canister. My breakthrough TDS spikes to 50 to 60, but after about five minutes it's down to 2.

I get about a year out of my DI resin this way.

Hate to revive an old(er) thread & hijack it at the same time... But I'm curious if you mean that you do this every time you make water? Is that what you mean by "on start-up"? Or is this something to do with when installing new filters?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Hate to revive an old(er) thread & hijack it at the same time... But I'm curious if you mean that you do this every time you make water? Is that what you mean by "on start-up"? Or is this something to do with when installing new filters?

You are correct, every time I go to make water is what I termed "start-up." Each time your unit is turned on, you get a burst of high TDS that occurred while the unit sat since the last run. I've seen my TDS jump up to 50 or 60 and then start to go back down during this start-up. For my unit, it takes about 5 or 6 minutes before it gets down to about 2 TDS and I flip the valve to run through the DI resin. By running this initial start-up of water to waste, I save my DI resin. I typically get a year out of my resin before it needs to be changed.

 

[CaptainScuba]

You are correct, every time I go to make water is what I termed "start-up." Each time your unit is turned on, you get a burst of high TDS that occurred while the unit sat since the last run. I've seen my TDS jump up to 50 or 60 and then start to go back down during this start-up. For my unit, it takes about 5 or 6 minutes before it gets down to about 2 TDS and I flip the valve to run through the DI resin. By running this initial start-up of water to waste, I save my DI resin. I typically get a year out of my resin before it needs to be changed.

Amazing. Thank you for the quick response, I really appreciate it! Got my new system today so I want to make sure I extend the life of the filters as much as possible. Sounds like this part is uber important to making the DI resin last.