Home RODI vs Store bough RODI water

[El Camaron]

well i just got my first bill after i installed an RO unit and though it did go up considerably i dont think it was more than what i was paying before. I guess because i was paying it right then and not on a quaterly bill i did not see how much i was overspending and even now with all that waste water i could do better. ( i smell a extra membrane to reduce waste coming soon)

 

used to be Bill = 74

 

Bill = 160 for 3 months up $86

 

I used to pay = 6 per 5 gallon jug x 2 per week

 

6x3=18x4=72x3= 216

 

216-86= $130 in savings WOW

[Happyfeet]

Man you pay a lot for water.

[rioreef]

How much water are you using? In Loudoun the rate is just less than $2 per 1,000 gallons.

 

Do you have an Automatic Shutoff Valve? If not and the RO unit is connected directly to a water source, you could be sending water down the drain constantly.

[Brian Ward]

That's a quarterly bill. I'm in DC and I pay (with a running toilet) $50/mo for water and another $20-ish/mo for sewer. And it's only me and my fiancee in the house. Back in Va. Beach, I paid about the same but used less water.

[Mando77]

Its not just the cost its the quality. Store water usually has a higher TDS. Plus when you have a RO/DI you don't have to carry around buckets. Thats all I care about.

[El Camaron]

i guess i should mention i have a wife and two daughters that dont care much since i pay that bill lol, but i do think i have a toilet that keeps refilling.

[darkcirca]

i guess i should mention i have a wife and two daughters that dont care much since i pay that bill lol, but i do think i have a toilet that keeps refilling.

 

We pay around $80-$90 for 3 months with just 2 of us, and we don't even have the fish tank over yet. Definitely glad to see it's not a big increase.

 

I take long showers, and have recently been showering 2x a day (painting/constructions/things at night require a night shower).

 

Definitely beats my coworkers $250+ 3 month water bill.. turns out he's got a leak in his front yard somewhere..

[Mountaineer]

Its not just the cost its the quality. Store water usually has a higher TDS. Plus when you have a RO/DI you don't have to carry around buckets. Thats all I care about.

 

The store may not have higher TDS, but unless you are checking it you just won't know. I run mine with inline TDS and when the output reaches anything but 0 I change the resin and/or filters. I know some will say anything less than 10 is OK, but I change at 1.

 

The hernia repair surgery resulting from carrying all of the water also has to cost more than the water.

[Coral Hind]

The hernia repair surgery resulting from carrying all of the water also has to cost more than the water.

 

I have to agree, the cost of convenience is basically priceless in my book.

[rioreef]

The original post said his bill went up $86. At $2 per 1000, that means your water consumption went up 43,000 gallons? For math sake a waste/good water from your RO unit of 4.3:1, that is 1,000 gallons of RO water in your tank or approx 330 gal per month you are replacing and your signature says you have a 70g tank. That is one heck of a evaporation rate, even if you did a 100 percent water change per month.

 

Check that toilet.

[Coral Hind]

I think a 4.3:1 ratio of 43,000g would be over 8,000g of actual RO water and not 1,000. I am sure the whole increase was not tank related. There had to be more consumption by the family as well.

 

I am no math wiz but I would guess a better way to figure this up would be to add up how many gallons of water that were changed plus make up. Then multiply that to figure in the waste water that went down the drain. That would be the total gallons used. Then multiply the rate off of the bill and I think you will see a bigger difference in cost savings.

 

Example: Say for three months you changed 33.3% a month on a 70g tank. That is basically 70g of RO water for that period. Then say 1g a day evap, 70 + 90 = 160g. Using the 4.3 waste per 1 good as rioreef mentioned that would give you a total of 848 gallons of water used. Multiple that by the rate on your bill and you will see it will be around $2 for the three month period.

 

What wasn't figured into the OP's equation was the cost of the RO unit and replacement membrane/filter/DI costs.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Coral Hind

[zantwin]

What wasn't figured into the OP's equation was the cost of the RO unit and replacement membrane/filter/DI costs.

I bought one about a month ago, so I have to wait for my first bill to see what the extra cost to the utility will be. I know there's a significant amount of waster water produced, but I don't think it'll really add to the overall usage as it relates to the house as a whole (three girls, plus me & the wife = lots of water already).

By the math for my siutation, the cost of the new 75gpd unit will pay for itself in about 4 months. That alone was incentive to get the device, and not toting 5 x 5g jugs is a big plus. As other members have stated, I can check the TDS for quality. Chalk that up as a third bonus.

[El Camaron]

well i just purchased the 150 gpd upgrade kit which will bring the waste from 4:1 to 2:1, woooo hooooo here comes an even lower bill. I do love the fact that i dont have to haul the jugs to the store or a friends house to get water anymore, it got old really fast.