RODI Selection Based on my CCR Help

Carpathian

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Hello, first post here, longtime lurker. I have been struggling to decide which ro unit is best for me. I was hoping someone can narrow down my choices based on my local ccr. I like the idea of all the goodies included brs packages(which are currently priced 10% off). I also have been weighing the idea of a refurb spectrapure. I don't know the TDS of my tap nor can I provide an estimate of my water pressure. Ideally I'd prefer to find a bargain and fund future purchases with money saved. However if this means sacrificing water quality or overall cost of maintenance later on then I'd much rather spend the money now. Here is what I would like to do in the next month. Please advise if this is doable, convenient, efficient, yada yada yada. Setup two storage bins, one for fresh(10+tanks), one for salt(1 tank), and have a splitter before DI to occasionally fill up some drinking water. Setup would be downstairs in the laundry and I'm not looking for a "under the sink setup" with a tank and faucet. Sorry for the long post, hope you made it this far. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.

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Maine Reefer

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Hello, first post here, longtime lurker. I have been struggling to decide which ro unit is best for me. I was hoping someone can narrow down my choices based on my local ccr. I like the idea of all the goodies included brs packages(which are currently priced 10% off). I also have been weighing the idea of a refurb spectrapure. I don't know the TDS of my tap nor can I provide an estimate of my water pressure. Ideally I'd prefer to find a bargain and fund future purchases with money saved. However if this means sacrificing water quality or overall cost of maintenance later on then I'd much rather spend the money now. Here is what I would like to do in the next month. Please advise if this is doable, convenient, efficient, yada yada yada. Setup two storage bins, one for fresh, one for salt, and have a splitter before DI to occasionally fill up some drinking water. Setup would be downstairs in the laundry and I'm not looking for a "under the sink setup" with a tank and faucet. Sorry for the long post, hope you made it this far. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.

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I'm not really an expert on RO/DI units, but I definitely do not suggest the AquaticLife RO Buddie if there is CO2 in your water. I bought that because it was very cheap compared to other units, but I went through an entire DI cartridge in only 50 gallons.
 
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Carpathian

Carpathian

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Did my picture not show up? I didn't see any co2 in my water. I do however inject my planted tanks with pressurized co2 for optimal plant growth
 
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Carpathian

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Awesome thanks. I sent this info to BRS and spectra to see what they want to sell me..
 

Chef Tommy

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I have the buddy RO unit too & blew through d/i in one fill but got new resin from brs & it lasts much longer. Feel like the first resin was just opened too long to air.
 
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Carpathian

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I have the buddy RO unit too & blew through d/i in one fill but got new resin from brs & it lasts much longer. Feel like the first resin was just opened too long to air.
It's it really worth it to cheap on the unit when the replacement filters will most likely factor into the original purchase price?
 

DLHDesign

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You're dealing with chlorine, not chloramine - which is good; chloramines are harder to remove with an RO/DI unit. You do have some nitrates, however. The nitrate levels aren't particularly high, but they aren't zero either. None of your numbers seem particularly high, really (the "MCLG" column is the "totally safe to drink" target, so the closer you are to this number, the worse it is).

If it were me, I'd still get a 6-stage unit in order to have two DI stages. This would ensure that the nitrates are removed (important), but also allows for better value in DI resin. With two DI stages (assuming both are running mixed color-changing resin), you can let the first chamber fully utilize before you swap it out. You'll know this is the case because the second chamber will start to show a color change. With only a single chamber, you would have to swap out the DI resin at some point before it's totally depleted (generally when it's around 80% changed in color as you need some contact time for the DI to work).

If you were looking to save money, you could very likely get 0TDS water using a 4-stage and piece-meal upgrade the kit as/when needed.

In terms of the "water saver" package or not; this is more a factor of your available pressure. If your pressure is too low, the extra membrane won't do you much good and you would either be wasting your money or need to spend more on a booster pump. If you have a smaller tank, the only advantage would be lower water bills (which are offset some by the extra membrane costs). If you have a larger tank (say in the 75gal+ range), then the ability to produce water faster (and with less waste) really becomes a no-brainer upgrade, IMO.
 
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Carpathian

Carpathian

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Wow, excellent write-up. With a total of 276 gallons split between the 13 tanks I'd say it would be wise to get the water saver upgrade. I'm only setting up my first salt tank and having the convenience of no longer using a dechlorinator for the fw tanks would be an added bonus. Thanks again for the responses
 

Chef Tommy

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I wish I had purchased a larger unit, interested in the 5 stage brs sells. I just ordered a tds meter though because I'm really curious what our readings are and what the buddy actually removes.

I'll post the results soon as the meter arrives.
 

Chef Tommy

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Update on the r/o d/i 50 gpd buddy filter. It produces 0 tds from 216 at the tap.

Excited to know it is working great.
 
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Carpathian

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Just an update. I purchased the BRS 6-stage water saver with an extra two 3-ways so I can divert tds creep/provide drinking water and another to split my water between fresh and salt bins. Very satisfied with the ease of install and overall performance so far. The extra $$ spent was worth it for me.
 

Gene Ashton

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If anybody is running the six stage do you have to have the booster pump. My house pressure is right a 82psi
 
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Carpathian

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My pressure came in @ 95 and I don't run a booster pump.I was running the exterior hose and noticed today that my pressure was at 80 while making a batch of water. I didn't see a change in how long it took. I always flush my tds creep and run a constant 1 TDS going into my di resin. I saw no adverse effects from running today at 80psi. Some more experienced may chime in and tell you that you may have a slightly higher waste water ratio. Nothing to really be very concerned about. Simple answer you should be able to run the 6 stage with the water saver option
 
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