RODI system question: BRS 5 or 6 stage vs Liquigen vs Spectrapure

[Ettercap]

I think I have the gist of what I need but I do have a question on differences of the three?
BRS: 5 stage premium plus or 6-stage premium plus
I promise im not trying to offend... it sounds/looks like the standard RODI system but not popular than others? It supports the R2R site but is there really a benefit over the others?
Spectrapure: (Maxcap 90gp or Mega Maxcap 90gp
The website itself states it is having parts/delivery issues so it sounds as if it would take awhile before I were to get anything. Was looking at the Maxcap 90gp. Really expensive but Im reading that spectrapure has the "best" resins?
Liquagen: 6 stage with gauge and tds meter
Ratings are good but not as well known.

Price wise... BRS and Liquigen are about the same but as a beginner, I dont have any lore/history on which has better support and a qaulity product. Can anyone help please.

 

[CoralB]

I use aquafx from longwood florida . As far as which brand or model and how many this or that your system needs to have has everything To do with the water quality coming out of your tap . That will determine how many canisters and whether or not you need for example two carbon canisters or two resin or a combination of all . And depending how many canisters and or water pressure you have coming out of the faucet , you may need to get a pump to make it happen . I would first either get a read out from your municipality or send your water out to get tested , then take the results to any of your choice RO companies and see what they suggest .

 

[Gtinnel]

I wouldn’t worry too much about brand, because once you change out all of the filters they are all essentially plastic housings to hold filters and I doubt any brand is significantly different than any other brand. I went with a cheap aqua/fx from Amazon. I added a booster pump, tds meter, and a few extra stages and I couldn’t be happier with it. I probably didn’t need the extra stages but I had some extra canisters sitting around so I figured more stages wouldn’t hurt.

 

[Ettercap]

I use aquafx from longwood florida . As far as which brand or model and how many this or that your system needs to have has everything To do with the water quality coming out of your tap . That will determine how many canisters and whether or not you need for example two carbon canisters or two resin or a combination of all . And depending how many canisters and or water pressure you have coming out of the faucet , you may need to get a pump to make it happen . I would first either get a read out from your municipality or send your water out to get tested , then take the results to any of your choice RO companies and see what they suggest .

Pressure... that would be hard to find out unless I have a gauge of some sort...
TDS... 350 give or take +/- 10
Chloramines... yes
EDIT: I took the water quality report from the local municipality and looked at the reservoir ppb and divided by 17 for TDS.

Im confused on your last statement... is that really viable "then take the results to any of your choice RO companies and see what they suggest ."?

 

[Ettercap]

I wouldn’t worry too much about brand, because once you change out all of the filters they are all essentially plastic housings to hold filters and I doubt any brand is significantly different than any other brand. I went with a cheap aqua/fx from Amazon. I added a booster pump, tds meter, and a few extra stages and I couldn’t be happier with it. I probably didn’t need the extra stages but I had some extra canisters sitting around so I figured more stages wouldn’t hurt.

I do understand what you are saying but I question the pricing for a new person requiring a ro/di unit.
1. Aqua Fx Barracuda would go for around $180
2. Booster pump can range from $90 to $150
3. inline tds meter can range around $25-40 and the standard setup would normally have two of them ingress and egress.
4. few extra stages can vary from around $60 to $100

So there is a possibility that the delta between least is $380 and most $510. That doesnt include any of the extra resins nor carbon blocks if something specific wants to be taken out. For $510 a spectrapure that has a booster pump has more monetary value than the "piece-mealed" aqua-fx.

For North Texas (North Dallas) the standard TDS is around 350 but heavy chloramines which would normally require a 6 stage unit and that doesnt include a chloramine diffuser. I do understand that I am giving new information about TDS/chloramine and Im attempting to do the best I can afford. Obviously, I would think everyone is attempting to avoid purchasing items they would normally not need but for my context, the Spectrapure UHE seems to have everything covered except for the chloramine.

 

[chris k.]

I had to run a 6 stage. I had chloramines, and phosphates in my city water. But i had plenty of psi. I bought a aquafx baracuda but had to buy the additional stages also liked the inline tds meter, and the flush valve.

 

[KStatefan]

I do understand what you are saying but I question the pricing for a new person requiring a ro/di unit.
1. Aqua Fx Barracuda would go for around $180
2. Booster pump can range from $90 to $150
3. inline tds meter can range around $25-40 and the standard setup would normally have two of them ingress and egress.
4. few extra stages can vary from around $60 to $100

So there is a possibility that the delta between least is $380 and most $510. That doesnt include any of the extra resins nor carbon blocks if something specific wants to be taken out. For $510 a spectrapure that has a booster pump has more monetary value than the "piece-mealed" aqua-fx.

For North Texas (North Dallas) the standard TDS is around 350 but heavy chloramines which would normally require a 6 stage unit and that doesnt include a chloramine diffuser. I do understand that I am giving new information about TDS/chloramine and Im attempting to do the best I can afford. Obviously, I would think everyone is attempting to avoid purchasing items they would normally not need but for my context, the Spectrapure UHE seems to have everything covered except for the chloramine.

I think @Opus is from that area and has lots of knowledge on water treatment systems.

 

[CoralB]

Pressure... that would be hard to find out unless I have a gauge of some sort...
TDS... 350 give or take +/- 10
Chloramines... yes
EDIT: I took the water quality report from the local municipality and looked at the reservoir ppb and divided by 17 for TDS.

Im confused on your last statement... is that really viable "then take the results to any of your choice RO companies and see what they suggest ."?

You can buy a pressure gauge or most likely when you buy your RO system it will have one installed on it

 

[Ettercap]

I think @Opus is from that area and has lots of knowledge on water treatment systems.

Thank you. I hope he replies! Very much appreciated!

 

[Opus]

Thank you. I hope he replies! Very much appreciated!

At your service! Lots of ground to cover when you say "north Dallas". I'm up in the Frisco area. Our water comes from the North Texas Water District, they provide water to a lot of the cities around here. The other big water provider is Dallas, not sure of the official name. Always seemed strange i live a few miles from a lake but our water actually comes from a lake 50 miles away because Dallas has the water rights to the lake near me.

Anyway, we do not have chloramines in our water so I don't really worry about them. I do have low pressure so I invested in a booster pump several years ago which really helped water production. I can't really comment to much on brands. I'm still kind of using my Kent Marine system I bought almost 30 years ago. Of course I've changed filters many times and I added an extra canister and DI, since no one did DI back then. My water will range from 350 to 450 tds and after my RO I'm usually running around 4 to 5 tds. I run a .2 micron sediment filter, 2 .5 micron carbon filters and a 99% rejection rated spectrapure 90gpd RO membrane. I've had the membrane for probably 3 years and still getting 99% rejection.

To bad of all the price increases over the last couple of years. You used to get a entry level spectrapure unit on their site for around $130 if you were willing to buy a "scratch and dent" model. If you want entry level, then you can skip the pressure gauge unless you are going to use it to determine when to change your filters. You also don't have to have an inline tds meter, that is strictly for convenience. I've never had one. I prefer the handheld ones. You also don't need the "fancy" flush kits on them. I'm not a believer in the flush kits, there is evidence to backup the statements made by those selling them. You do want to setup a way to bypass the DI when you first turn on your unit so you can get rid of the tds creep in the unit. Basically some of the tds will "creep" out of the RO membrane while it is off and can be on the high side when you first turn it on. By bypassing the DI in the beginning you aren't using up your DI prematurely, though this is not a requirement, just a money saving thing. Some RO units can be bought with the bypass included or it is an easy diy project.

 

[Ettercap]

Lots of ground to cover when you say "north Dallas". I'm up in the Frisco area. Our water comes from the North Texas Water District

Im also in Frisco so this makes it much easier!

we do not have chloramines in our water

I read the water reports for 2019 to 2021 and Im seeing chloramine usage from the facility. That is to say that Im not testing my water for chloramines on the tap but the report definitely show chloramine usage is in effect. In fact, the 2021 report showed heavy chloramines "highest recorded entry" was in the late-20s.

If you want entry level, then you can skip the pressure gauge unless you are going to use it to determine when to change your filters.

I know this is probably not a popular answer but I have no problem throwing money at it. If its something I can use for my future RedSea G2... then I would prefer to make it easy on myself instead of having a trial and error phase and learn by fire.

You used to get a entry level spectrapure unit on their site for around $130 if you were willing to buy a "scratch and dent" model.

I was looking at a Spectrapure but idk how much overkill it is and I know its way over my pricepoint but if its something that can be easily transferred to my future tank... then it would be easier if I can cover the purchase now vs next year.
SpectraPure Mega MaxCap Performance Plus 1:1 RO/DI System - MMC-RODI-100-PPLUS but $800 is a hard pill to swallow. My only justification is that it has a built-in pump and 1:1 ratio. But, its just disgustingly expensive.
Then I thought the 6 stage would be needed:

SpectraPure 6 Stage Chloramine Removal RO/DI System -CR-RODI-90-6STG​

(Edit: $507 price tag)
BUT there is going to be that added cost of including a booster pump which brings it up to $700-ish. Which makes that previous one look attractive. But, Im really trying to justify the expense!!!

 

[Opus]

Spectrapure has just gotten too expensive the last couple of years. Check out Air, Water & Ice. They have a 5 stage for $169 and it looks like it is a $10 upgrade to the chloramine filter. The booster pump is a $130 addition. I don't personally worry about the waste ratio. We are charged in 1000 increments so from a financial perspective it is immaterial. I haven't looked at our newest water report so they may have switched to chloramines. I have 2 carbon filters on mine as a preventative measure in case they do start using them.

Not sure what you mean by transferring to your future tank. Do you mean from a water production standpoint? If so, you can always add a second membrane to double the performance. You can also upgrade the filters when it is time to change them out. You can also upgrade the ro membrane but they usually last 5+ years.

Also some of the other things on the BRS and other units aren't really needed. Personally I prefer a handheld tds meter vs the inline. Also, the flush kit that many places stick on theirs is really just a money grab in my opinion. I've never seen any of these places produce evidence that it truly extends the life of the ro membrane. It is up to you if you want to get the di by pass kit. This allows you to by pass the di each time you start our unit up so the tds creep does not eat up your di media. It is also up to you if you want a second di canister (6 stage). This is really just another money saving addition. The common thinking is once your tds is at 1 coming out of the di stage you need to change the di media. Now if you have a second di canister then is only having to deal with 1 tds instead a larger number. This way your first di canister is still working and you can wait longer to replace the media. When you decide to change the media, you move the 2nd di canister to the 1st slot and then make the canister with the new media the second di canister.

 

[KStatefan]

I was looking at a Spectrapure but idk how much overkill it is and I know its way over my pricepoint but if its something that can be easily transferred to my future tank... then it would be easier if I can cover the purchase now vs next year.
SpectraPure Mega MaxCap Performance Plus 1:1 RO/DI System - MMC-RODI-100-PPLUS but $800 is a hard pill to swallow. My only justification is that it has a built-in pump and 1:1 ratio. But, its just disgustingly expensive.
Then I thought the 6 stage would be needed:

SpectraPure 6 Stage Chloramine Removal RO/DI System -CR-RODI-90-6STG​

(Edit: $507 price tag)
BUT there is going to be that added cost of including a booster pump which brings it up to $700-ish. Which makes that previous one look attractive. But, Im really trying to justify the expense!!!

That is the unit I have at work and it woks very good but it was easy to purchase with a company credit card.

At home I have a hodgepodge system from Air water & Ice, Buckeye Hydro, Spectrapure and BRS.

 

[Nachopapa]

I’m a novice, so I went with simplicity and bought BRS 5 stage (paid for itself in 3 months with my LFS high water $).

I felt a bit guilty about the waste water so added an additional RO to the output and waste less.

I got the one with a TDS and pressure guage already installed.
I also buy all of my supplies from them so it made it easier to order replacement carbon and resin.

Initial price of the systems was close enough so the ongoing supplies tipped the scale for me.