RO/DI Questions

[walter]

Ok, so Ive been using either conditioned tap water (added de-clorine/chlorimine) or buying distilled water.

 

It was ok at first then I started getting hair algae. Checked my phosphates and they were like 1ppm. I bought a clean-up crew to fix the situation right now.

 

So im looking at ro/di units. Ive seen one on Drs. Fos for $140 and then i looked on ebay. Ebay has everything from 35-150 gpd 4 stage to 8 stage with prices as low as $65-150.

 

So what do I buy? More for less or.......

 

This also brings up another question. If Im getting algae because of levels of phospahates and other things and i get a RO/DI unit wont this get rid of the algae that the cleanup crew is eating? Wont they starve? I dont have a problem with the algae if they are eating it.

 

Any advice would be helpful.

 

I did a search, but i didnt see what the difference was between all these units or what happens to the cleanup crew as a result of no pollutants in the water.

[blaze98]

Check out Air Water and Ice, they are a sponsor for the club and I was really impressed with my RO/DI purchase from them, easy to set up and use. They have a section under the vendor forums, you can ask any questions you may have there.

 

Your clean up crew should be fine eating the leftovers in your tank, algae is not a necessary diet for them.

[jamal]

well are you running gfo to help with phosphates? what amount of water volume you have will partially determine what you need. you should get a larger unit if you make your water on the spot and have nowhere to store it for emergencies. also if your nutrients are that low that you have no algae you can put some nori on a rock

[walter]

Ok what about the differences in prices between ebay and local / internet vendors.

[cabrego]

Ok what about the differences in prices between ebay and local / internet vendors.

 

For me, it was nearly impossible to determine which RO/DI I was going to purchase until determined a few requirements, such as:

 

Cost

Accesories(psi gauge, psi holding tank for non marine use (drinking), tds meters etc)

 

 

After you pin those down, then you can start really cutting out particular units.

 

 

In my case I wanted 100gpd, psi gauge, RO/DI, home use compatible, quality RO membrane, tds meter for under 200 dollars. This was not easy to find, but so far I am very happy with my water manfacturing company unit off of ebay. The DI resin has exhausuted rather quickly, but I was expecting that.

 

I think in general you will save money by ordering online.

[walter]

For me, it was nearly impossible to determine which RO/DI I was going to purchase until determined a few requirements, such as:

 

Cost

Accesories(psi gauge, psi holding tank for non marine use (drinking), tds meters etc)

After you pin those down, then you can start really cutting out particular units.

In my case I wanted 100gpd, psi gauge, RO/DI, home use compatible, quality RO membrane, tds meter for under 200 dollars. This was not easy to find, but so far I am very happy with my water manfacturing company unit off of ebay. The DI resin has exhausuted rather quickly, but I was expecting that.

 

I think in general you will save money by ordering online.

 

 

For me I dont need it for drinking. I just need to be able to hook it to a faucet (sink, water hose, etc) and at least produce 35gpd. I would also like to spend less than $150.

 

The problem is that on ebay there are several options from 50-150 and produce from 35-150. Do i go for most gpd for the cheapest? Why or how can these companies afford to sell units so cheaply(<$100) yet produce 150 gpd yet local shops sell 35gpd for $100

[Sikryd]

Just like anything else numbers can be fudged, and a cheaper unit that says it can produce 150gpd probably isn't going to do as good of a job as a unit that is similarly priced and says it does 75gpd.

To save myself the headache that you are going through I bought a proven unit from air water and ice that is a sponsor of the club.

I bought it a little over a month and a half ago, and am now going through a divorce and will be selling it.

If you are interested, let me know, it is just about brand new, with about 150 gallons going through it.

I have the Typhoon Compact Extreme with tds meter and all the goodies - rated at 75gpd.

[walter]

Just like anything else numbers can be fudged, and a cheaper unit that says it can produce 150gpd probably isn't going to do as good of a job as a unit that is similarly priced and says it does 75gpd.

To save myself the headache that you are going through I bought a proven unit from air water and ice that is a sponsor of the club.

I bought it a little over a month and a half ago, and am now going through a divorce and will be selling it.

If you are interested, let me know, it is just about brand new, with about 150 gallons going through it.

I have the Typhoon Compact Extreme with tds meter and all the goodies - rated at 75gpd.

 

 

Yeah man. keep me in the loop. I know how it can be going through a divorce.

[Rascal]

There can be a big difference in the quality of the RO membrane itself. I know Filmtec is a good brand. I can't remember what others are good, but I know this from personal experience buying one of the cheapo Ebay units: if they don't tell you what brand of RO membrane they sell, don't buy it. You will only end up buying a quality membrane later (good news is the membranes are interchangeable so you don't need to scrap the whole unit just to upgrade the membrane).

[cabrego]

There can be a big difference in the quality of the RO membrane itself. I know Filmtec is a good brand. I can't remember what others are good, but I know this from personal experience buying one of the cheapo Ebay units: if they don't tell you what brand of RO membrane they sell, don't buy it. You will only end up buying a quality membrane later (good news is the membranes are interchangeable so you don't need to scrap the whole unit just to upgrade the membrane).

 

 

That is a good point make sure you can identify not only the RO filter but all of the filters ratings and such. If the company does not liste the brand it is probably a shady unit.

 

Good luck!

[YBeNormal]

Someone recently mentioned that they had purchased an eBay RO/DI unit and the threads on the plastic canisters stripped out after a while. Low grade plastic and cheap parts overall--that's how they can offer such low prices!

 

Air Water & Ice (AWI), The Filter Guys and Buckeye all make very good units and stand behind them with advice and support. AWI goes a step beyond though and offers lifetime warranty on their products. Spend a little (and it is just a little) extra and purchase a quality product from AWI or another reputable company that will be around to support you. JMHO