Do you clean your RODI system once a year?

Do you clean your RODI system? If so, what do you clean with?

  • I clean with soap.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I clean with bleach.

    Votes: 6 10.7%
  • I clean with soap and bleach.

    Votes: 2 3.6%
  • I rarely clean.

    Votes: 8 14.3%
  • I never clean.

    Votes: 40 71.4%

  • Total voters
    56

zalick

A cup of water and a dash of salt
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I’m a bit confused. That’s okay though. Haha!
I do have a T valve installed after the membrane and before the first DI stage. For TDS creep. I also backflush the membrane for 5-10 minutes before and after use. I also turn the T-valve and let run for a few minutes before diverting it through DI. I was referring to cleaning the reservoir that holds fresh RO/Di water. The holding tank/reservoir I use is a 65 gallon HDPE tank. Like this.
I have a 100g norwesco. Never cleaned it out. It's around 6yrs old and thousands of gallons through it. Still looks sparkling clean except for the dead spider at the bottom that's been there for awhile now..... :)
 

DeepintheReef

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What I want to know is. What’s the Best/easiest way to clean your Ro/Di reservoir? Like the Norwesco style tall cylindrical ones. Bleach soak/scrub or Vinegar soak/scrub? Then flush with fresh water. Never attempted to clean mine.
Pressure washer to remove the brown muck from the salt mix. No chemicals if it can be avoided.
 

JCTReefer

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I have a 100g norwesco. Never cleaned it out. It's around 6yrs old and thousands of gallons through it. Still looks sparkling clean except for the dead spider at the bottom that's been there for awhile now..... :)
Nice!!! Yeah, I’m about to replace this 65 with a 100 gallon. 65 isn’t going to cut with the tank upgrade. Never cleaned this 65. Been setup since 2017. They make the same style cylindrical tank that have full open tops with lids, but I’ve yet to find that style with the gallon marks also. I’m thinking on the 100 I’ll go shorter and bigger in diameter. That way if I ever do decide to clean it, I won’t have to use such a long handled brush. Of course with this thing setting in the garage, sun and algae growth really isn’t an issue. More west Texas dust than anything. And I honestly can’t see that any dust has made its way into the reservoir anyways. I was just thinking somebody might have a magical cleaning tip for this style container.
 

Fish Think Pink

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What I want to know is. What’s the Best/easiest way to clean your Ro/Di reservoir? Like the Norwesco style tall cylindrical ones. Bleach soak/scrub or Vinegar soak/scrub? Then flush with fresh water. Never attempted to clean mine.
NEVER use bleach. When it comes to cleaning house/kitchen/bathroom/laundry - I am a bleach-a-holic. When it comes to potable water, never use bleach. When it comes to my aquarium - I use a LOT of care and more likely to use elbow grease/human power if something needs scraped off. I use citric acid to clean my pumps, but I rinse well. I only use clean paper towel to wipe out my units when I change filters. If I ever felt my lines need cleaned, I'd replace them (like I do for my tank - if I can't get in there, I can replace - tank has titanium (non-rusting) clamps on hoses).
 

Fish Think Pink

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I’m a bit confused. That’s okay though. Haha!
I do have a T valve installed after the membrane and before the first DI stage. For TDS creep. I also backflush the membrane for 5-10 minutes before and after use. I also turn the T-valve and let run for a few minutes before diverting it through DI. I was referring to cleaning the reservoir that holds fresh RO/Di water. The holding tank/reservoir I use is a 65 gallon HDPE tank. Like this. I don’t use it for drinking purposes.

B47F005C-2857-425E-80AE-552A71689870.jpeg 9577A4E2-D8BD-4BD5-8A46-5BE56C80C959.png 31608BD6-8264-4E8D-BBC6-A8C6A603D166.jpeg
loving how your wheeled trashcan fits under your tank... now I want a new stand for my tank <wink> I have crossing support bars under mine
 

redfishbluefish

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I’m a bit confused. That’s okay though. Haha!
I do have a T valve installed after the membrane and before the first DI stage. For TDS creep. I also backflush the membrane for 5-10 minutes before and after use. I also turn the T-valve and let run for a few minutes before diverting it through DI. I was referring to cleaning the reservoir that holds fresh RO/Di water. The holding tank/reservoir I use is a 65 gallon HDPE tank. Like this. I don’t use it for drinking purposes.

I apologize. I thought you were talking about a drinking unit 3 - 5 gallon storage tank that comes with these units.
RO Drinking Unit.png
 

JCTReefer

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NEVER use bleach. When it comes to cleaning house/kitchen/bathroom/laundry - I am a bleach-a-holic. When it comes to potable water, never use bleach. When it comes to my aquarium - I use a LOT of care and more likely to use elbow grease/human power if something needs scraped off. I use citric acid to clean my pumps, but I rinse well. I only use clean paper towel to wipe out my units when I change filters. If I ever felt my lines need cleaned, I'd replace them (like I do for my tank - if I can't get in there, I can replace - tank has titanium (non-rusting) clamps on hoses).
Good advice! I would never use bleach to clean the actual Ro/di canisters. I think I should have reworded reservoir with holding tank!!! I do however bleach all components of my Quarantine systems. And flush with freshwater and let dry thoroughly. And then vinegar and alcohol wipe down. I’m crazy like that.
 

zalick

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Nice!!! Yeah, I’m about to replace this 65 with a 100 gallon. 65 isn’t going to cut with the tank upgrade. Never cleaned this 65. Been setup since 2017. They make the same style cylindrical tank that have full open tops with lids, but I’ve yet to find that style with the gallon marks also. I’m thinking on the 100 I’ll go shorter and bigger in diameter. That way if I ever do decide to clean it, I won’t have to use such a long handled brush. Of course with this thing setting in the garage, sun and algae growth really isn’t an issue. More west Texas dust than anything. And I honestly can’t see that any dust has made its way into the reservoir anyways. I was just thinking somebody might have a magical cleaning tip for this style container.
I got the 28 x 42 so I could access pretty easily from the top and use a grabber If anything fell in. I plumbed a T on the bottom and have it plumbed straight to my waster water line for future cleaning and easy empty. My plan, if I ever cleaned that or my identical salt tank, was to pressure wash and then discharge to sewer. That's all I got for you!
 

zalick

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Good advice! I would never use bleach to clean the actual Ro/di canisters. I think I should have reworded reservoir with holding tank!!! I do however bleach all components of my Quarantine systems. And flush with freshwater and let dry thoroughly. And then vinegar and alcohol wipe down. I’m crazy like that.

Just so you know, spectrapure and I think all other high RO manufactures, @Buckeye Hydro included, recommend using bleach to disinfect the system. It's very safe.
 

JCTReefer

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loving how your wheeled trashcan fits under your tank... now I want a new stand for my tank <wink> I have crossing support bars under mine
If you live close by, I’d say you can have this one. I built it so the height and width would accommodate a 20 gallon brute on a dolly. What i did not plan on was upgrading tanks and needing a bigger brute and bigger holding tank. Now I get to build another stand. :rolleyes:
Just so you know, spectrapure and I think all other high RO manufactures, @Buckeye Hydro included, recommend using bleach to disinfect the system. It's very safe.
And that’s exactly how they recommend disinfecting potable water tanks also. I wouldn’t think it would hurt the actual canisters. Not sure if it would do anything to the seals or other components. I’ll have to read up on that and how they recommend doing it. And at what frequency. Good to know.
 

Greg P

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I had an issue years ago in my ATO with bacterial sludge. Was my fault with contamination from the DT.
I cleaned my ATO and all hardware related to it going back to the RO. Never had an issue since ... 5 years later. Never cleaned the RO since.
 
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So I posted this thread to confirm that it isn’t very common for people to actually use soap to clean their RODI. Most rarely clean at all and those that do typically use bleach unless you are one of the rare few that don’t live in the city or have really dirty water in your area or maybe you’re on well-water. In that case you might need to scrub your filter housings with a mild soap solution to first prepare them to be sanitized or sterilized. Soap is apparently better at removing dirt/soil in dirty filter housings. This cleaning will help the sanitizer do it’s job without being restricted by the soiled housings. I have confirmed this with SpectraPure and the instructions are also available on the Buckeye Hydro website here:

Typically, bleach or a sanitizer like “Sani-System” (https://www.espwaterproducts.com/sa...vFJjKGwJ2jKLHlM57FXxfpw0KTSmWbWsaAhmNEALw_wcB) is usually enough to clean the system unless it’s really dirty. If you do need to scrub the housings with soap, makes sure to rinse them very well. After that step is complete you will then proceed to sanitize the system.

Although this may be uncommon, it is the recommended way to clean your RODI and it should be done about once a year.

Happy Reefing and thanks for voting!

For the record, I rarely clean mine either. Maybe I should raise the bar. :)
 
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BTW...forget to mention. Always use unscented bleach as the scented bleach products can have some funky detergents in them. I nuked several tangs one year unknowingly cleaning filter socks with scented bleach. Despite two rinse cycles in the washer...it wasn’t enough to get it out.

I’ve also seen this happen when people rinse sand. I always try to buy the cheapest unscented bleach I can find. It’s less likely to have detergent in it.
 
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Here’s a little clarification from Russ at Buckeye Hydro describing the differences with cleaning vs sanitizing.



“Guys... please understand there is a difference between CLEANING with a surfactant (soap) and SANITIZING.

Sometimes systems can get incredibly gross - I see this more often in situations with well water. Iron bacterial slime, iron/manganese/H2S deposits, scale, etc. This is the purpose of the mechanical washing and soap. Once relatively clean.... THEN a sanitizer is used. Sani-System (mentioned above) and chlorine are sanitizers.

Should you rinse the soap thoroughly? Yes.
Should you flush the system after washing and reassembling? Yes.
Are sanitizers as effective if the system needed to be washed and it wasn't? No.
Should you flush the system after disinfecting? Yes.

And also - don't forget to remove, wash, rinse, dry, inspect, lube with food grade silicone grease , and reinstall your housing orings each time you change your filters.”
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

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    Votes: 63 33.3%
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    Votes: 25 13.2%
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