davelin315 October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 Not yet, but I've been saving my old resin to do it. Bruce York (bbyatv) was going to do this before as well, not sure if he ever did.
Brian Ward October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 I'm also saving my old resin to do this. I'm thinking maybe at a frag fest, we can put together a demo and have everyone bring their used resin and recharge it and split up the costs of chemicals.
Origami October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 Same here. Saving up my old resin as well. I've done two changes thus far, so I have two ziplocs. After I exhaust this next charge, I may be giving this a try.
reefhunter October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 What is the enviromental impact of throwing this resin in the landfill?
Origami October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 What is the enviromental impact of throwing this resin in the landfill? Interesting question, Hunter. I searched for an MSDS on a mixed bed resin and came up with this one for Purolite (a pretty big name in resins): http://www.systematixusa.com/products/down...C100_3E_USA.pdf According to the sheet, it's not biodegradable, but is still has limited environmental impact. That's for the raw (unused) resin, of course. I think that the concern would be for what's trapped in the resin at the time of disposal (after it's been used). For example, if the resin were used in an industrial setting, it might hold some harsh stuff that you would not want to release in concentrated form into a landfill where it might pollute groundwater. However, in our case, where we're removing impurities from municipal water supplies, I think this would be less of an issue.
reefhunter October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 (edited) Also, on another note... We use muriatic acid sometimes in masonry cleaning... This stuff is bad news... I would MUCH MUCH rather buy new resin cartridges than mess with those chemicals... Maybe I am a wimp and will pay more money... but I wont risk burning a hole through my floor or arm (especially since it doesn't harm the enviroment)... lol Edited October 28, 2009 by reefhunter
extreme_tooth_decay October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 What a pain! +1...I am a big DIY-er, but this one just doesn't seem like it is worth it.
magnetic1 October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 +1...I am a big DIY-er, but this one just doesn't seem like it is worth it. Agreeed... new resin package is cheap.
hlem October 28, 2009 Author October 28, 2009 Agreeed... new resin package is cheap. where do you get it?
reefhunter October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/RO/DI-Filter...9_12/index.html
Origami October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 +1...I am a big DIY-er, but this one just doesn't seem like it is worth it. It might not be. But heck, I'm going to try it just to say I did. If it works well, and is easy enough to do, maybe we can recycle the stuff as a group rather than individually.
Brian Ward October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 It might not be. But heck, I'm going to try it just to say I did. If it works well, and is easy enough to do, maybe we can recycle the stuff as a group rather than individually. This is the only way I can imagine it's economical and worth the time.
extreme_tooth_decay October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 It might not be. But heck, I'm going to try it just to say I did. If it works well, and is easy enough to do, maybe we can recycle the stuff as a group rather than individually. If it is about the fun and experience of doing it, and being able to say you did it, then that is different. BTW: Have you tried hikaru dorodango to be able to say you did it yet? Now there is something that really isn't worth the time for any other purpose than the enjoyment of doing/having done it.
reefhunter October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 ok I will start saving my old resin to donate to the wamas resin recharge...
Origami October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 This is the only way I can imagine it's economical and worth the time. That's why I'm saving up spent resin. I couldn't see doing it for just a couple of refills. At $9-$10 per resin change, it's one of the smaller expenses that we endure. I can save a lot more from just changing over to a more energy efficient system pump without having to handle caustic lye and strong acids.
sen5241b October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 I know somebody that has replaced the DI resin in their RODI filter anbd the water goes from 50 to zero TDS.
extreme_tooth_decay October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 I know somebody that has replaced the DI resin in their RODI filter anbd the water goes from 50 to zero TDS. If it is getting to the DI with 50 TDS, there is likely something wrong with the system.
Origami October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 (edited) If it is getting to the DI with 50 TDS, there is likely something wrong with the system. Maybe he needs to be replacing his RO membrane. Excessive pressure and exposure to ammonia (coming from chloramines passing through pre-membrane carbon stages) can damage membranes. If he's getting 50 ppm out of his membrane, it's not doing a very good job for him any longer. He's also going through resin pretty quickly, I'll bet. Edited October 28, 2009 by Origami2547
hlem October 28, 2009 Author October 28, 2009 Maybe he needs to be replacing his RO membrane. Excessive pressure and exposure to ammonia (coming from chloramines passing through pre-membrane carbon stages) can damage membranes. If he's getting 50 ppm out of his membrane, it's not doing a very good job for him any longer. He's also going through resin pretty quickly, I'll bet. how long should new resin last (approximately how many gallons)?
Origami October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 how long should new resin last (approximately how many gallons)? Resin has a capacity. How long it will last depends upon how many ions are present in the water that's feeding it. It's sort of like filling a trash can with a steady flow of garbage: The more you put in, the faster it fills. See this link at AWI.com: http://www.airwaterice.com/category/z.2/ This is the info provided at that link: DI Life? How long will it last? First of all, there are two kinds of DI filter cartridges; vertical and in-line. Both can filter out the TDS down to zero (or very close to it), but they have different filtering capacities. To figure how long they'll last is simple math. Take the capacity of the DI filter and divide it by the TDS of the water feeding it. The lower the TDS feeding it, the longer the DI will last. This is why it's good to have a RO membrane to remove most of the TDS before using a DI. For Example: The vertical DI has a capacity of 6,800 ppm. The in-line DI has about half that capacity, so around 3,400. Let's say that the RO is reducing the TDS down to 20. This is what the equation will look like for each DI: Vertical DI: 6,800 (ppm) divided by 20 (ppm) = 340 (gallons of pure [-0- TDS] water) In-line DI: 3,400 (ppm) divided by 20 (ppm) = 170 (gallons of pure [-0- TDS] water) There are some exceptions to this equation. Higher than usual levels of some TDS can cause the DI to exhaust faster. It's also important to know when to flush the membrane before starting to make RODI water. Some examples of elements that, if in high levels, can cause the DI to exhaust faster are: phosphates, nitrates, silicates, salt, calcium, etc. The RO membrane can remove most of it, but the DI would have to work harder than usual to remove it all from the water. If the unit has sat inactive for more than one day and you do not flush off the membrane before making RODI water, it can cause the DI to exhaust faster as well. Make sure to flush off the membrane for one minute per day of inactivity. This doesn't really apply to those who use their unit every other day or every day. However, if you use it that much, you should still flush the membrane off once a month for about 30 minutes or so. (Most of our DI beds on AWI systems are of the vertical type and therefore have 6800 ppm capacity. Thus, your friend's probably exhausting his DI resin after only 136 gallons of production.)
reefhunter October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 I replaced my RO once and my DI resin depleted much faster than it had before I changed the RO. The RO membrane rejection rate is important... they vary greatly from RO to RO... http://www.spectrapure.com/faq_p0.htm#rorejection so you can get a RO that rejects 98% and that RO will make your DI last twice as long as one that is 96% rejection... or that is how I taught myself to understand it anyway...
ctenophore October 28, 2009 October 28, 2009 My dual DI cartridges give me about 1500 gallons between them, so 750 each. I am careful to flush the membrane for several minutes before running it each time, which has significantly extended the time between resin changes. TDS creep is a big problem. I think the recharge station at the meeting is a fun idea, I will save my resin from now on.
davelin315 October 29, 2009 October 29, 2009 I've gone to a quad DI system. I have my RO unit with the prefilter stage, then some carbon block filters and GAC, then the RO membrane which reduces it down to 13 TDS for about 95% rejection. I then run it through 4 stages of DI resin before it hits my top off. I just switched over to this as I was getting tired of constantly switching my DI resins. Anyway, I figure I have about 5 loads of DI right now. The chemicals aren't expensive (in fact, the muriatic acid is used for swimming pools, too) and I figure if I'm outside I can do a bunch of it at once. If anyone wants to try it at my house, we can get together at some point to do it. I just need the lye right now.
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