DIY H2O Filter From HD?

The Shaman · #1 01/04/2000, 11:18 PM

Hi all,

I was at my favorite store tonight, Home Depot, looking around at their H2O filtration stuff. They carry the Omnifilter line. They had a clear housing($15) and several types of filter cartridges. The one that caught my eye was a 1 micron, carbon block($25-30). I was wondering just how pure the H2O would be using this arrangement? Would it be close to DI levels? Any input would be greatly appreciated. TIA

ignatz · #2 01/05/2000, 08:53 AM

Shaman,

The 1 micron carbon block is only one of the stages in an RO system. The water filtered through only this filter would not be what you want for your tank. The only thing this filter will do is remove sediment > 1 micron in size. It will not remove any of the ions that a DI filter will. You can however use the omnifilters to piece to together an RO/DI system. When I did a price comparison it was more cost effective to buy the whole unit. JMO, and HTH

~ignatz

The Shaman · #3 01/05/2000, 02:01 PM

ignatz,

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't exactly sure how well this filter alone would work. Anyhow, from a cost perspective, you're right. It is cheaper to buy a unit than to piece it together. However, I can't afford that much in one pop so I'm trying to make a system that I can add components as I go.

This is what I have in mind. My first purchase will be a TWP. Right now, my water needs are small so this should suffice. Later, I will add one of the carbon block prefilters. Then I plan to buy a housing and a 24gpd+ TFC cartridge. This will take some time, but I think it will result in a decent RO/DI setup. What do you think?

ignatz · #4 01/06/2000, 11:07 AM

The Shaman,

Since you asked, I will tell you what I think, but first some background. I bought a TWP and used it initally. The problem with this is that you are going to eat cartridges. I then added a SpectraPure RO unit, that I was able to connect to the TWP to give a RO/DI system. I am now going to buy the add-on DI unit for my RO. The reason for this is because it is so cumbersome to use. If I were you, I would find a good LFS that will sell RO/DI water. I would buy water from them until I could get the equipment I wanted. I wish that I would have bought a RO/DI unit right from the start. It would have saved me money.

HTH
~ignatz