Can you make garden hose water reef safe?

[Albertan22]

I wouldn’t do it, but if you do, as others have said don’t use a garden hose. At a bare minimum get a white drinking water hose that you would get for an RV. They are supposed to be inert and not leach all the nasties that your average garden hose does.

 

[JsL]

... I have an Apex and 2x DoS. I have Very high flow with 4 Wav's and 2 Gyre 350's.

You spend money on nice equipment to ensure a healthy and successful reef but will gamble with tap water?

Save yourself trouble and use RO/DI and store the waste water for plants.

 

[WvAquatics]

My water bill only went up 40$ a month. I make about 50g a week for top off and water changes on a 120g.

 

[Doctorgori]

Sounds like you were asking to use just the hose, not tap water per se....
Anyway, Great Lakes water has a TDS of 120 and pH of 7.1 and isn’t that bad in a pinch but I dunno I’d trust any metro water Outside of that
As for using a garden hose, with Pythons on the market, I see no upside saving that kinda money

 

[homer1475]

I was thinking he wanted to just use a garden hose to fill the tank by tthe thread title.

I have very low TDS water(incoming from tap is around 20), and I would still not use my tap. There are plenty of ways to use the waste water, from watering the lawn, to filling your washing machine.

I personally would not use TAP. You already have the filter, just take the initial hit to the wallet, and find a source for the waste water.

With that said, and back to the original reason I clicked on the thread.....

While bulk hose that doesn't collapse(read braided) is rather expensive at the big box stores, white potable drinking water hose intended for RV use is what I have been using for a while now, and is way cheaper then any braided bulk hose you can buy. Just remember to cut the brass end off the hose before use.

 

[Dj City]

VERY helpful discussion!

The TDS of my tap is one concern. I have a TDS meter and will check it today.
I had no idea that using a garden hose was bad. I've never used one but did not think it would have been a problem.

RO/DI it is.

 

[GlassMunky]

I can't think of anything to do with THAT much water and I have nowhere to put it.
I'm open to suggestions.

Just get another large water storage barrel and have it collect all the “waste” water from the RODI and use it to water your garden or lawn.

 

[Doctorgori]

VERY helpful discussion!

The TDS of my tap is one concern. I have a TDS meter and will check it today.
I had no idea that using a garden hose was bad. I've never used one but did not think it would have been a problem.

RO/DI it is.

I’ve owned a Python for yrs. I like the flexible clear plastic over Opaque hoses. Reason being Clear; its 100% likley something living or dead will clog Your hose when cleaning eventually

 

[DiefsReef]

Does your RO/DI have the water saver upgrade? Claims it will cut waste water in half and produce RO/DI much faster.

Water Saver Upgrade Kit

Why does BRS recommend this? Water Saving Upgrade Kits are probably our most recommended RODI upgrade. If you have proper pressure (65+ PSI) we highly recommend installing the kit, because it will produce water twice as fast as a standard 75 GPD or 100 GPD membrane while cutting the amount of...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Water Saving Upgrade Kits are probably our most recommended RODI upgrade. If you have proper pressure (65+ PSI) we highly recommend installing the kit, because it will produce water twice as fast as a standard 75 GPD or 100 GPD membrane while cutting the amount of wastewater in half.

The BRS 150 GPD or 200 GPD Water Saver Upgrade Kit will increase the production of any BRS 75 GPD reverse osmosis system to 150 GPD or 100 GPD RO membrane up to 200 GPD without having to use any additional water. With the installation of this kit water production will increase from approximately three gallons per hour to six gallons per hour! It does require 65psi or more into the first membrane in order to function properly and be efficient. If your home's water pressure is less then the recommended PSI do not worry, adding a booster pump is simple and only takes a couple of minutes.

 

[Biglew11]

What's the tds of your incoming water?
Do you have a single or two ro stages.
You can plumb the waste line of the first into the input of the second. This will cut your waste by almost half.

This video shows how if it's not set up this way already.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BMAF6BAgJEAM&usg=AOvVaw1vrFPDijZbaYKQeco3T6RK

Does your RO/DI have the water saver upgrade? Claims it will cut waste water in half and produce RO/DI much faster.

Water Saver Upgrade Kit

Why does BRS recommend this? Water Saving Upgrade Kits are probably our most recommended RODI upgrade. If you have proper pressure (65+ PSI) we highly recommend installing the kit, because it will produce water twice as fast as a standard 75 GPD or 100 GPD membrane while cutting the amount of...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Water Saving Upgrade Kits are probably our most recommended RODI upgrade. If you have proper pressure (65+ PSI) we highly recommend installing the kit, because it will produce water twice as fast as a standard 75 GPD or 100 GPD membrane while cutting the amount of wastewater in half.

The BRS 150 GPD or 200 GPD Water Saver Upgrade Kit will increase the production of any BRS 75 GPD reverse osmosis system to 150 GPD or 100 GPD RO membrane up to 200 GPD without having to use any additional water. With the installation of this kit water production will increase from approximately three gallons per hour to six gallons per hour! It does require 65psi or more into the first membrane in order to function properly and be efficient. If your home's water pressure is less then the recommended PSI do not worry, adding a booster pump is simple and only takes a couple of minutes.

surprised more haven't mentioned the water saver setup
this video shows how to connect the second membrane.

 

[Dj City]

BRS doesn't have them in sock at the moment. I have a 100g rodi unit and will get the kit as soon as its in stock.
I already have the booster pump on my existing unit.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

So many people miss the point of the op. @Dj City, if water conservation is something you're looking for, you might consider eliminating waste water altogether by not using a reverse osmosis membrane at all.

You can research using deionization resin only. You can get ~4' tall containers, one that holds cation resin and the other holds ation resin. Regulating the flow to a trickle can maximize contact with the resin and achieve 0 tds output.

Then research how to recharge di resin and you can save money on resin replacement.

Rodi units are very popular because the ease of use and the availability of replacement filters/membrane. Because of that, I bet there's a lot of people that don't even know this is an option.

 

[Biglew11]

So many people miss the point of the op. @Dj City, if water conservation is something you're looking for, you might consider eliminating waste water altogether by not using a reverse osmosis membrane at all.

You can research using deionization resin only. You can get ~4' tall containers, one that holds cation resin and the other holds ation resin. Regulating the flow to a trickle can maximize contact with the resin and achieve 0 tds output.

Then research how to recharge di resin and you can save money on resin replacement.

Rodi units are very popular because the ease of use and the availability of replacement filters/membrane. Because of that, I bet there's a lot of people that don't even know this is an option.

yes this is possible, sounds like a pita though. but could save alot of money on di resin.
http://robinson-solutions.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-recharge-di-resin.html

 

[92Miata]

I have very low TDS water(incoming from tap is around 20), and I would still not use my tap. There are plenty of ways to use the waste water, from watering the lawn, to filling your washing machine.

I'm with you.

I ran a reef tank for 4 or 5 years in Boston with about 30 coming out of the tap - and it was mostly fine. I still wouldn't recommend it.

The problem with TAP (even good tap) is that it's inconsistent. When you have a storm, or a damaged pipe somewhere, or the city decides to do plant maintenance, you'll have changes in your incoming parameters- and some things that are perfectly safe in drinking water aren't ok for a reef tank.

With an RODI unit, this just means the amount of resin you go through is inconsistent on a day to day basis. Running tap, that can mean chloramines, iron, lead, high bacteria counts, pretty much anything.

yes this is possible, sounds like a pita though. but could save alot of money on di resin.
http://robinson-solutions.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-recharge-di-resin.html

DI regen is resource intensive. If your concern is generally environmental and wasting water/etc, you're much better off using your wastewater for washing clothes/watering plants/etc.

 

[Biglew11]

I'm with you.

I ran a reef tank for 4 or 5 years in Boston with about 30 coming out of the tap - and it was mostly fine. I still wouldn't recommend it.

The problem with TAP (even good tap) is that it's inconsistent. When you have a storm, or a damaged pipe somewhere, or the city decides to do plant maintenance, you'll have changes in your incoming parameters- and some things that are perfectly safe in drinking water aren't ok for a reef tank.

With an RODI unit, this just means the amount of resin you go through is inconsistent on a day to day basis. Running tap, that can mean chloramines, iron, lead, high bacteria counts, pretty much anything.



DI regen is resource intensive. If your concern is generally environmental and wasting water/etc, you're much better off using your wastewater for washing clothes/watering plants/etc.

the other thing to think about is di resin is an ion exchange system, cation attracts positively charged particles and the anion attracts negatively charged particles. if a particle has no charge it will flow right through the di resin.

 

[Dj City]

TDS in my container is 158. That's before any kind of cleaning.
I just filled it from the garden house and put a pump in for circulation. (Preparing to put 1 gal of citric acid in to clean the container)

Water straight out the tap in my kitchen is 150 TDS.
From the garden hose is 168 TDS.

I don't know why the water in the container is 158 TDS and the water straight from the hose is 168 being that i used the hose to fill the container.

Maybe the TDS decreased from the large volume of water through the hose?

 

[Dj City]

I'm with you.

I ran a reef tank for 4 or 5 years in Boston with about 30 coming out of the tap - and it was mostly fine. I still wouldn't recommend it.

The problem with TAP (even good tap) is that it's inconsistent. When you have a storm, or a damaged pipe somewhere, or the city decides to do plant maintenance, you'll have changes in your incoming parameters- and some things that are perfectly safe in drinking water aren't ok for a reef tank.

With an RODI unit, this just means the amount of resin you go through is inconsistent on a day to day basis. Running tap, that can mean chloramines, iron, lead, high bacteria counts, pretty much anything.



DI regen is resource intensive. If your concern is generally environmental and wasting water/etc, you're much better off using your wastewater for washing clothes/watering plants/etc.

You and others suggested using waste water for washing clothes or watering plants.
Where could I possibly store over 600+ gallons of waste water? I have a 275gal container to mix and hold new saltwater. What could I possibly use to hold waste water?

I don't mean to be rude. I don't mean to come off the wrong way but I'm trying to find PRACTICAL AND POSSIBLE solutions.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

yes this is possible, sounds like a pita though. but could save alot of money on di resin.
http://robinson-solutions.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-recharge-di-resin.html

Huh, I didnt know they were converting reef central articles into blogs.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-09/nftt/index.php#:~:text=Set%20the%20anion%20(the%20resin,in%2C%20in%20the%20earlier%20step

.

That article focuses mainly on mix bed DI. Most of the work is separating the ation and cation. The rest is pretty straight forward.

People that do this keep the two resins separate so that you don't even have to remove the resin from the containers and recharge them without making a mess.

But as I said, it's a viable option, just not popular because rodi is so mainstream now.

 

[92Miata]

You and others suggested using waste water for washing clothes or watering plants.
Where could I possibly store over 600+ gallons of waste water? I have a 275gal container to mix and hold new saltwater. What could I possibly use to hold waste water?

I dying mean to be rude. I don't mean to come off the wrong way but I'm trying to find PRACTICAL AND POSSIBLE solutions.

Just flush it onto the lawn or something if you can't store it. Make a water garden.

You can reduce waste by running a multi membrane system - but you're still going to be at best 1:1, so you'll have several hundred gallons of waste.

Trying to clean up all this water and go to just DI, so you don't have any waste is going to cost you literally hundreds of dollars every time you fill it.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

If you change 100% of your water per month, you'd need 180g of saltwater. If you top off two gallons a day, that'll be 240 gallons total. That's a high estimate as you probably don't do 100% water change or top off 2 gallons a day, but it's a place to start.

If you run your RO/DI unit like the membrane manufacturer recommends, you have a 1:4 permeate to brine (product to waste) ratio. Like most hobbyists, you probably run a much lower ratio, probably closer 1:2. But we'll assume a worst case scenario of 1:4.

To make 240 gallons of RO water per month, you'd need about 1,200 gallons of tap water per month. The average tap water cost in the US is about $0.01 per 5 gallons, or $0.002 per gallon. 1,200 gallons x $0.002 per gallon = $2.40 per month. If your tap water is 2x more expensive than the national average, your monthly cost of RO water is just under five dollars. If your water is 5x more expensive than the national average, your tank costs just $12 a month to run. That's if you use the permeate:brine ratio you should and if you do 100% WC and 2 gallons of top off a day. You probably don't do any of those.

The average US family uses 300 gallons of tap water PER DAY. That means if your family is average, they use 9,000 gallons of water at home every single month. Even if you use 1,200 gallons of water for your RO system per month, which you probably don't, your RO still accounts for only 10% of your water bill. Even if you eliminate RO entirely, you've still only reduced your water bill by 10%.

If your water bill is high, it's not your RO system unless you have extremely expensive tap water. In almost all cases, your water bill is high because your family uses a lot of water.