New or Used RODI system? Which would u buy

[Buckeye Hydro]

what is "Buckeye Hydro" is that a RODI company?

Lol. Yep - we've been serving the marine aquarium trade for over 20 years. We were a Reef Central sponsor for most of that time, and about a year ago switched to R2R sponsorship. Buckeye Hydro is a water treatment company - so we don't sell fish/corals/lights and the like. About half of our work is commercial - water treatment for public aquariums, zoo's, manufacturing facilities, hospitals and the like. Water softeners, media tanks for treating chlorine, chloramine, iron, manganese, sediment etc, big RO and RODI and DI systems, etc. The other half of our business is the smaller residential-scale RO and RODI systems and filtration used in the marine and freshwater aquarium trade, and residential whole-house and undersink units.

Russ

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

I would add another membranes and replace the old membrane also

Unfortunately, "adding another membrane" in this hobby typically means blindly plumbing in a second membrane - in series. This is common on commercial RO systems, but those systems are run at higher pressures and require 0 gpg feedwater hardness - meaning a water softener. Over-restricting a low pressure residential RO system without adequate hardness treatment - and calling it a "water saving" approach always makes me roll my eyes. You'll not see this done by anyone in the know in the water treatment business. Neither water treatment company that are prominent in serving your hobby (Buckeye Hydro and another company in Tempe Arizona you know do it).

Russ

 

[Ray668]

Well adding a second membrane and a pressure pump reduced my di consumption in half so I guess it is all about what works

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

It sure is. You have multiple variables at play there. Feedwater quality, membrane life, and recovery% are other issues at play as well.

 

[Super Fly]

ok, so I recvd the BRS rodi last night and connected it to my booster pump and after flushing it for an hour hastily made some water this morning but was kind of disappointed... there was definitely less waste however wasn't that much faster in production than the compact Aquatic Life Buddie that it replaced. I'll try again tonight and see.

Question - this time I connected a PSI gauge (as per BRS video) to monitor water pressure and help determining when to replace cartridges. The RODI is connected to a booster pump and when the RODI is initially turned on the PSI goes over 100 for maybe 5-10 seconds then settles down to around 95-98 PSI... is it normal/ok for the PSI to go this high when RODI is first turned on? Also is 95-98 PSI ok (seems high to me)?

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Did you plumb the booster pump in AFTER all the prefilters? If so, you're ok. If not, you need to turn that pump pressure down. If the booster pump is an Aquatec 8800, adjusting the pressure will take you all of about 10 seconds.

Russ

 

[Super Fly]

Did you plumb the booster pump in AFTER all the prefilters? If so, you're ok. If not, you need to turn that pump pressure down. If the booster pump is an Aquatec 8800, adjusting the pressure will take you all of about 10 seconds.

Russ

Ok, thanks. Yes, it's plumbed after prefilters and before membrane as per your instruction. Was concerned the gauge may burst when pressure went above 100 during RODI startup

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

When installing a pressure gauge, select a gauge with a range such that the expected pressure is near the center of the gauge's range. If putting a gauge just downstream of a pressure pump, use a liquid filled gauge.

Russ

 

[Super Fly]

had no idea pressure gauge went higher, BRS only sells up to 100psi... Now I see on Amazon gauges up to 150 psi... do u think I should replace my current gauge to higher reading?

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

When/if your gauge needs to be replaced:
https://www.buckeyehydro.com/pressure-gauges-1/, or we can get one that fits your needs precisely.

When dealing with this sort of issue, expect more from a water treatment company.

Russ

 

[powers2001]

I have a used RODI system for sale PM me if interested.