How Good (Or Bad) Is My City Water? (City Water Quality Report)

[JSkeleton]

Not to mention you’re way over thinking this second post about rodi if this is too expensive for you to provide perfect water this is the wrong hobby for you. Not trying to be mean but water is their home and why would you not want it to be perfect. Kind of like a non smoker buying a smokers house just bad decision making.

I mean, am I if I’m just trying to plan ahead and get a realistic idea on what it would be costing? If I’m gonna have to change filters every 2-3 months then yeah, I’d rather not spend that much at that point. If more 6-12months (preferably 12 at least for carbon and membrane), then it’s more ideal for me. That’s why I’m trying to be SMART and plan ahead and ask all the right questions BEFORE I commit to it all.

That said, a couple TDS is unlikely to create an unpleasant habitat for the fish because whatever IS in that TDS would be such an insanely diluted PPM that it would most likely be insignificant. It wouldn’t be as if you were running straight tap water at like 100+ TDS. Still, the lower the better obviously, but from what I’ve learnt so far (and I could be wrong) I don’t see extremely low levels of TDS slipping through being anything truly devastating to your Tank.

 

[Dbichler]

What if the tds is copper?

 

[JSkeleton]

Nope chloramine doesn’t show up chlorine test will. Google everything you need to know about rodi and watch YouTube videos. There’s seriously like 10 of them that are 10-30 minutes long if you’re still confused ask about those questions.

I have. That’s why I’m here. And the Chloramines showing up on TDS was then bad info given to me by a Rep at a company that makes Aquarium branded RODI Units. He’s the one who said removing any Chloramines would bring my 4ppm TDS down to 2-3 and that a DI would then bring the 2-3 to 0.

 

[JSkeleton]

What if the tds is copper?

What if? If it’s slip through (meaning TDS still showing 0 so it would be extremely low amount) and not that you’re regularly having it, then I highly doubt there would be enough to harm your inverts, unless you ran it like that for months upon months and there was a ton of build up. After all, natural seawater has traces of copper.

Worst case scenario would seem to be to run something like Seachem Curpisorb (at least according to a BRS video I seen).

Again, I’m not talking about running tap water in your system here. But if your City TDS is already low, it seems unnecessary to have like a 7 stage RODI.

 

[Dbichler]

I’m out

 

[JSkeleton]

I’m out

Alright then...

 

[LeftyReefer]

Again, I’m not talking about running tap water in your system here. But if your City TDS is already low, it seems unnecessary to have like a 7 stage RODI.

Right, you only need as many stages as necessary to get to 0 tds.

during the winter months, I could get by with a 3 stage system, since I usually get 0 TDS out of my RO membrane, before DI stage. But in the summer months, I need 4 stages to get down to 0 tds. In summer I get 1 or 2 TDS out of my RO and need the DI stage to polish it down to 0 tds.

No need for a 5, 6, or 7 stage RODI if your incoming water isn't that bad.
but in your case, with 2 ppm chloramines, you are going to want to account for that in some way.

My incoming water is usually around 95-100 tds in summer and 75-80 tds in winter.
4 stage was fine for me, but I did opt to add the second carbon block.

 

[JSkeleton]

Right, you only need as many stages as necessary to get to 0 tds.

Gotcha, that makes perfect sense! So if I'm at 4ppm TDS after a 3 stage (no DI) then it's likely a DI would be sufficient with one of those chloramine rated Carbon filters you think??

during the winter months, I could get by with a 3 stage system, since I usually get 0 TDS out of my RO membrane, before DI stage. But in the summer months, I need 4 stages to get down to 0 tds. In summer I get 1 or 2 TDS out of my RO and need the DI stage to polish it down to 0 tds.

Interesting, why does it go lower in the Winter?

but in your case, with 2 ppm chloramines, you are going to want to account for that in some way.

According to my local plant's quality report, the Chloramines are 1.81 at least from the plant. Not super high thankfully, but not minimal either. For that, I'm still trying to figure out whether it's best to have 1 Chloramine rated Carbon OR 2 normal Carbon OR (which is my LEAST preferred) 1 normal carbon + 1 Chloramine rated carbon?

My incoming water is usually around 95-100 tds in summer and 75-80 tds in winter.

My City Water report says 120 TDS but my tap was showing 70 with my TDS meter, so not sure?

 

[LeftyReefer]

According to my local plant's quality report, the Chloramines are 1.81 at least from the plant. Not super high thankfully, but not minimal either. For that, I'm still trying to figure out whether it's best to have 1 Chloramine rated Carbon OR 2 normal Carbon OR (which is my LEAST preferred) 1 normal carbon + 1 Chloramine rated carbon?

Look at the rated capacity and decide based on cost and how often you would have to change them out.

You keep saying that 1.8ppm of chloramines isn't much.... I disagree.

look at the rating of the chloramine filters... 4000 gallons at .5 ppm for the MatrikX ones I posted earlier. Your water has 4 times that much, so you might only get 1000 gallons out of one of those filters. If you use one of the cheaper one that only has a 2000 gallon rated capacity at .5 ppm then it may only last 500 gallons.

And keep in mind, those figures are gallons running through the carbon stage, not gallons of final product water. My RODI runs 2.5:1 waste to product.

I'd run (2) of the dedicated chloramine blocks and then swap one out at a time and move the other one to the second chamber.

 

[rtparty]

Forget about TDS. It is a trash way to measure how well your RO system is truly working. It can only measure items with an electrical charge that pass through. Lots of elements carry no charge and don't register on a TDS meter.

An ICP test a couple times a year leaves no doubt on how well an RO system is performing. BRS has fantastic videos on what carbon blocks to use with chloramines and why we use them.

 

[JSkeleton]

Look at the rated capacity and decide based on cost and how often you would have to change them out.

But do they actually last their said capacity? I heard that even if it's rated say "1,500 gallons" that it's impossible to say and some people could get way less, so how do you figure that out?

You keep saying that 1.8ppm of chloramines isn't much.... I disagree.

I only say that in the sense that the Chloramines rated Carbon filters have 2 different rated capacity, one based on LESS than 3ppm and one based on MORE than 3ppm.

look at the rating of the chloramine filters... 4000 gallons at .5 ppm for the MatrikX ones I posted earlier. Your water has 4 times that much, so you might only get 1000 gallons out of one of those filters. If you use one of the cheaper one that only has a 2000 gallon rated capacity at .5 ppm then it may only last 500 gallons.

Ohh okay, so at that rating if I make 50 gallons a month that would last me 5 ish months? The RODI I was looking at was like 1:3.5 or something like that.

I'd run (2) of the dedicated chloramine blocks and then swap one out at a time and move the other one to the second chamber.

Ouff so not even 1 normal or 2 normal, 2 of the chloramine ones?

 

[JSkeleton]

Forget about TDS. It is a trash way to measure how well your RO system is truly working. It can only measure items with an electrical charge that pass through. Lots of elements carry no charge and don't register on a TDS meter.

An ICP test a couple times a year leaves no doubt on how well an RO system is performing. BRS has fantastic videos on what carbon blocks to use with chloramines and why we use them.

Why does everyone test TDS then if it's practically trash?

Dumb question but what's an ICP test? I watched a bunch of the BRS videos but honestly can't remember which any more, been watching so many various videos and articles and forums etc. etc.. haha

 

[rtparty]

Why does everyone test TDS then if it's practically trash?

Dumb question but what's an ICP test? I watched a bunch of the BRS videos but honestly can't remember which any more, been watching so many various videos and articles and forums etc. etc.. haha

I bet we use TDS because it's easy to test and everything we use in this hobby comes from somewhere else. We repurpose things for our use. Water companies likely use TDS, so the hobby adopted it as well figuring it was good enough. TDS is good enough but it doesn't catch a lot of things. I mean, I'd rather know I have 0 TDS water than not, if that makes sense. I just know 0 TDS isn't the end all.

ICP testing is very in depth and tests for 40+ elements individually. Things like arsenic, lead, calcium, magnesium, fluoride, etc

It will tell you exactly what is in your RO water after you've filtered your tap water. I even sent in my tap water to be tested once.