RO/DI BASICS...please help

[deadmanh]

ok, so i've do some searching on RO/DI units, im sure the answer is in that huge wad of knowledge, but thre more i dig in somehow the more im confused. im going to jump on the RO/DI bandwagon PROBABLY. but i have a few questions first...

1) how do i hook this thing up? any SIMPLE schmatics and diagrams will be helpful.

2) i start my item searching from marinedepot.com but how come some units come with tanks (pressurized and what not) and others dont? dont you need some kind of a resevoir to hold what you produce?

3) one stage, two stage, three stage.... whats that mean? sure more the merrier... but hope you can explain to me the fundamental BASICS. ( at least i think im sure that RO water is being pushed through a thin membrane/ grate and DI is/like using the charge of ions to pulls contaminates out. but what is going on!? haha i almost want to pull my hair out.

4) and then a bit off the original topic. at costco there is a RO unit. will that one suffice? i mean price ranges seem to fluctuate between $150 and like $400. all i have is a 30g without a sump.. what to do what to do... again please DUMMY DOWN for me.

thanks ahead of time!

[David P]

hook up is easy (maybe) you have cold water going in, a waste water line goin gout (every gallon you use, you waste about 4 gallons) and your new water out. I use the waste watter to fill my pool (or water my plants) and the new water goes into a 30 gal drum.

Units with tanks are usually used for drinking. Making water is slow, if you buy a unit rated at 30 gal a day, it takes a full 24 hours to make that much water. Most RO units are made for drinking water. If you just turned on the water to the ro, it would take a long time to fill a glass, so they have the unit filling a tank all the time so water is ready when its needed.

first stage is a partiuclate filter (pulls out he chunks), second stage is carbon (pulls out chlorine and other chemicals), third stage is the membrane (heart of the unit), fourth and fifth stage is DeIonizing resin (makes water extra pure). Bare bones systems leave out second, fourth, and fifth stage, 3 stage leaves out the DI. For the small extra charge, buy the di units.

hope this helps.

[wwxc]

Check ebay for a guy that sells "Aquasafe" brand R/O units. Less than $100 for a great quality product. He's from Canada as well if that helps you find them. Highly recommended by many on these boards.

[Safado]

Look at the units on Ebay. I purchased a 75 GPD 6 stage unit for 90 Dollars (including shipping) from Aqua Safe.

Several people here have Aqua safe units are are very happy with them.

Absoulutley no reason to pay two or three hundred Dollars for a unit from Kent or other manufacturers.

[deadmanh]

here's what im also thinking,

im going to move in 5 months is it a hassle to move this unit in and out.

since have a 30g tank, thats like 5g water change every two weeks? they are heavy mofo's but i get new catalina salt water for 35-39 cents a gallon from the petstore in huntington beach, Ca. assuming that i already have the RO/di unit, wouldnt it still cost like 25 cents per gallon in just salt mix?? ( all prices are relative i just when and looked at a few 200 gal salt buckets)

where do i go to get a a reseve tank thats more than 3 gallons like they have with the drinking water units? and i will check out the ebay dude in a bit.

is buying this just another high tech gadget?
thanks.

[deadmanh]

cant find "aquasafe" or "Aqua safe" (with a space) on ebay. either he's not selling anything now or im dumb (likely the second option)

[wwxc]

hmm, I couldn't find it either. Anyone else have a current link?

[David P]

no it is not just a gadget! True for a small tank it is pretty cheap to by Natural Sea Water. But what about water evaporation? You dont want to add tap water to your tank (do you really know whats in the water?) RO/DI units way....10lbs(?) You can just by a plastic trash can to store the water in. I have 2 30g drums, one for fresh water for top offs, and one for salt water. I have a heater in both drums along with a power head.

[wwxc]

and you're still going to need top off water for the tank, where were you planning on getting non-tap for that?

R/O water is one of the best things you can have for a reef. I wouldn't consider it a "high tech" gadget at all.

[deadmanh]

ok, so i can just use my rubber maid 30g tub..... and in emergencies i can do huge water change..... does the RO/di unit use a float switch or something ( if so are these included in the package)? how does it know when to stop?
and if its going into the rubber maid tub i guess i cant use it to scoop up a cup of water in there and drink? (wierd i know)

and if i use a rubbermaid tub, then wont the DI part of the unit become useless. someone said in another post that DI'ed water will attract charged particles. (dunno how that is tho)

[deadmanh]

for top off i had thought local distilled water might be adequate. im a poor college student that wants the best.... go figure.

cheap.... quality....cheap....quality.....the fact that im an extreemist by nature dont help either.

[David P]

you can use a float level, I want to but keep forgeting to buy one. I just turn off the water when its done. Its outside so I dont care if it runs over. If this is inside, then you can mount the ro under your sink, and just a drinking tank/faucet, or put in a T going from your drinking water tank, to your bucket.

[cfh_cfl]

does anyone know anything about this unithttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2380972436&category=20756
I am wondering if it is worth it. thanks

[cfh_cfl]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2380972436&category=20756
here is the link

[Safado]

Here is Aqua Safes Web site

http://www.aquasafecanada.com/

[Sardaukar]

I too recomend the Aqua safe 75 GPD system. Although Im not getting anywhere near that much water, the system is cheap and works well. Im getting about 30 gallons per day, but I have it running off of a cold water garden hose spigot outside.

[tonyh67]

I purchased the Aqua Safe 75 GPD unit as well, had to get a booster pump to get about any RO water due to my weak well pump. I have only been running it today, and I estimate about 1 gph. Is this about all I can hope for, my well water temp is 50 degrees F?

[MichaelD]

A easy way to raise the tempeture is to take your imput line and extend it with some tubing. Coil it up into a 5 gallon bucket and drop a 50 watt heater in it. Set it for 77 degrees and you should see a increase in output.
HTH

[huggett]

I also purchased the Aquasfe 6 stage 75 gpd RO/DI filter off ebay. I am very happy with it! Great filter, great price, great customer service! When I bought it a couple of weeks ago there was a "Buy It Now" option for $75 plus $25 shipping, great deal! Although I do not see it posted with the "Buy It Now" option right at this moment. There is a phone # at www.aquasafecanada.com you could probably call them. I love it, my tap is 360 tds, after ro/di it is 0 tds.

[tonyh67]

MichaelD, thanks for the tip...that is a great idea. How long do you recommend the input line to be?

[MichaelD]

As much as possible you can always cut it if its too much. I can't remember How much i used.

[BOMPH]

About these aqua safe units..... Where do you get the replacement cartridges/membranes/DI resins from. Are they standard things you can get anywhere, or can you only get them from Aquasafe???

[beamer]

Hi, I am also new to this hobby and have been looking at the Ro/Di. At least your way ahead of me, I don't even have a tank yet. Right now I'm in the learning research mode. The one they have mentioned by Aqua-Safe has the address: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20684&item=2359923967

The co. that has been the most helpful is AWI (air water and ice)
The can be reached at www.airwaterice.com or for e-bay you would type in http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2984116070&category=1279 . This is probably the unit that I will go with. Its their home/reef unit with the little faucet for drinking water. They have several other units as well.

Good luck! I hope this helps you out.

Cindy

[beamer]

Oops! I left out one letter, sorry. Lets try again.

Aqua-Safe
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20684&item=2359923967

Air Water and Ice
www.airwaterice.com
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2984116070&category=1279

It should be right this time.

Cindy

[huggett]

Yeah, all the aquasafe filters are standard sizes, available anywhere that sells RO/DI filters. However, I plan on ordering from them when I need replacements, they have great prices on replacement cartridges too.

[deadmanh]

wow, there seems to be a general consensus on which brand to buy for less money!