This is my RODI station in my basement. It's split off the washing machine hot & cold water and they combine together into a blue, food grade garden hose, which connects to the RODI. The unit itself sits in a plastic rimmed tray in case any water ever leaks it'll stay in the tray and won't damage stuff below on the shelf. My unit is on a middle shelf and the stuff above and below it are not aquarium related.
The unit has an auto shut off when the pail gets full. I would HIGHLY suggest getting one. If you forget to turn the unit off, you won't flood your place like I did (before I installed it). You should also make sure you have a glycerin or gel filled pressure gauge so you can tell when the prefilters need replacing.
There's a heater and pump in the 42 gallon Brute pail and a thermometer mounted on the wall above the pail. That's just straight water, no salt.
This is how I mix salt. I line the buckets up in a row and fill them all with water, then fill them with salt (only the buckets standing on each other, not the ones inside each other). All the buckets are made of food grade plastic and I use those twist-on Gamma Seal lids. Gamma Seal lids are indispensable. They keep the water from leaking out as I clumsily drag them upstairs. Plus they have a cushioned handle, which is huge. The bucket with the yellow top on the right is filled with salt and those lids keep any moisture out from being in the basement.
