Can i use a normal R/O drinking water system instead of RODI?

[R2D2-15]

Ok so im new to saltwater but i know using rodi is important because it allows you to start with a clean slate of clean water with no issues, however i already have a 6 stage 75GPD drinking water R/O system installed in my kitchen sink (We always found the tap water gross and would only drink bottled water before this). This is specifically made for drinking water. Not saltwater aquariums like RODIs, i will add that it does strip of all harmful chemicals and minerals, but re-adds calcium minerals to get rid of that "over filtered" taste common among R/O systems so that it tastes the same as bottled purified waters (bottle waters companies also add calcium because of how gross completely pure water is). So it's essentially doing the same as an RODI, except re-adding the calcium. Would i be able to get away with this? or would it be even worse than just normal tap water? Better than tap water, but still not good enough? Should i just reinvest in a separate RODI?
This is the exact one i have

ROES-PH75 - Essence Alkaline Mineral 6-Stage 75 GPD Reverse Osmosis Water Systems for Drinking Water, WQA Certified

Pure Water + Alkalinity Pure drinking water + calcium minerals for improved alkalinity and great taste Systems designed, engineered and assembled in the USA with supreme quality components & food grade calcium from trusted sources Certified with WQA Gold Seal, highest contaminant rejection...

www.freedrinkingwater.com

 

[Aquanautical]

what is the TDS coming out?

 

[R2D2-15]

i'd have to guy out and buy a meter to check, im just starting out and researching so i dont actually have any equipment at this time

 

[Aquanautical]

you can get em on amazon for 10-15$. It really depends on your goals, old rule of thumb is 10 PPM max but I know some and I'm sure there are many more that use a variety of source water with no problem. I do see it making chemistry managing difficult if you decide to keep SPS or lots of LPS

 

[TracyLynn]

This is the RO/DI system I purchased from BRS, the drinking water doesn’t go thru the last filter cartridge which is what I use for my aquarium. That’s why we bought this specific model, so that we’d have filtered drinking water & RODI water for the tank.
BSR 6 Stage 75GPD Drinking & Reef RO/DI
It may be possible to add another canister or reconfigure your system to use for both as well.
*Post is based on my personal opinion & experience - not a professional. ;Pompus

 

[R2D2-15]

you can get em on amazon for 10-15$. It really depends on your goals, old rule of thumb is 10 PPM max but I know some and I'm sure there are many more that use a variety of source water with no problem. I do see it making chemistry managing difficult if you decide to keep SPS or lots of LPS

ive been finding forums posts where people say you can buy attachments for the DI, to make it an RODI system since i already have the RO part, and i could just wire the RO to make drinking tank connected to the sinking, and wire the water with added DI to a separate tank for the reef, however im wondering if the added calcium and ph balance is gonna give me trouble or not.

 

[R2D2-15]

This is the RO/DI system I purchased from BRS, the drinking water doesn’t go thru the last filter cartridge which is what I use for my aquarium. That’s why we bought this specific model, so that we’d have filtered drinking water & RODI water for the tank.
BSR 6 Stage 75GPD Drinking & Reef RO/DI
It may be possible to add another canister or reconfigure your system to use for both as well.
*Post is based on my personal opinion & experience - not a professional. ;Pompus

this is what i was looking at too, but i already have the RO system, so i'd be essentially wasting money on something i already have, i only need the DI. Im sure i could find a DI attachment. How does yours work? im assuming your RO drinking water goes into the resevoir tank for drinking, and what about the water that goes through the added DI filter? does it just come out of a hose that you just turn on when you need it?

 

[Aquanautical]

yeah I think you'd have to find a way to disable the mineral addition tho post RO. Maybe reach out to @AquaticLifeProducts or @Bulk Reef Supply they def would be good people to talk too. I just run a RODI with extra carbon due to chloramines that's the extent of my knowledge

 

[TracyLynn]

this is what i was looking at too, but i already have the RO system, so i'd be essentially wasting money on something i already have, i only need the DI. Im sure i could find a DI attachment. How does yours work? im assuming your RO drinking water goes into the resevoir tank for drinking, and what about the water that goes through the added DI filter? does it just come out of a hose that you just turn on when you need it?

You’re right, the drinking water does go into a reservoir tank & I installed the faucet (spiket) on our kitchen sink. I have a hose coming out of the DI canister that I use to fill my containers for the ATO.
Looking at how mine is ran, once the pipe comes out of the last filter, there is basically a T split, 1 goes to the DI filter the other side goes to the reservoir. I’m not an expert, just looking at mine, I think it would be doable, at least worth checking out. The folks at @Bulk Reef Supply were very helpful when I had questions about my unit.

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Sorry for the delay. This is the diagram of one of our suggested setups. Let me know if we can assist.

 

[Rjramos]

The diagram above shows exactly how it’s done. There are units sold with dual outputs like this, one for drinking and the other for reef aquarium. You could easily add a DI cartridge or 2 to your system. You need 2 tees so that both sides are fed from the pressurized R/O water in the tank. Your PH calcium cartridge should go where it says, “carbon polishing cartridge” up top.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I would for water delivery go with pure RODI unit but tds will determine ability to utilize the source of water you have now

 

[ridin8ude]

Thanks for your post, I found the APEC system to be a good deal so just purchased it for our kitchen tap and fridge and will add a dual DI system for our aquarium...

Ok so im new to saltwater but i know using rodi is important because it allows you to start with a clean slate of clean water with no issues, however i already have a 6 stage 75GPD drinking water R/O system installed in my kitchen sink (We always found the tap water gross and would only drink bottled water before this). This is specifically made for drinking water. Not saltwater aquariums like RODIs, i will add that it does strip of all harmful chemicals and minerals, but re-adds calcium minerals to get rid of that "over filtered" taste common among R/O systems so that it tastes the same as bottled purified waters (bottle waters companies also add calcium because of how gross completely pure water is). So it's essentially doing the same as an RODI, except re-adding the calcium. Would i be able to get away with this? or would it be even worse than just normal tap water? Better than tap water, but still not good enough? Should i just reinvest in a separate RODI?
This is the exact one i have

ROES-PH75 - Essence Alkaline Mineral 6-Stage 75 GPD Reverse Osmosis Water Systems for Drinking Water, WQA Certified

Pure Water + Alkalinity Pure drinking water + calcium minerals for improved alkalinity and great taste Systems designed, engineered and assembled in the USA with supreme quality components & food grade calcium from trusted sources Certified with WQA Gold Seal, highest contaminant rejection...

www.freedrinkingwater.com

 

[HOOPDEEZ]

I use a RO drinking system and added the DI portion of it. The diagram above is correct, one important thing to note; I turn off the pressurized tank when I make RODI because tds can accumulate in them, and I’ll have pressure when I switch it back to drinking water. Also I have the shutoff valve to the DI canisters at the beginning of the DI run, not at the end as the diagram shows, that will prevent tds creep into your DI cartridge. There is really no difference between your unit and the aquarium specific units. Some filters might be a lil different, but I have had no issues in 3 years. You can get a brs DI add on with an in-line tds meter as well.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I believe many of us do including myself

 

[matsalexy]

yes sure RO water filters are very effective and their purification process is also good so many filters online websites provides RO filters so you can easily check its specifications.