Steven Pro
New member
I have repeatedly heard that you can't drink DI water, but have never heard a convincing argument as to why not. It could just be another myth.
DI water only
- Thread starter aiber
- Start date
Steven, I have also heard this myth, and yes it is a myth. Somewhere here on RC a doctor (if I remember correctly) responded to this question. IIRC, he said, You cannot live on this water 100% meaning everything that you eat or drink, but to just use it for everyday drinking water would not be a problem. Yes, it is deficient of minerals and those that your body gets is small amounts from drinking water is what, over time will be missing. Someone mentioned that DI water "pulls minerals" out of your body, again a myth as the water just doesn't replace minerals it's lacking to begin with. I think that he also mentioned that it just down right tastes funky too!
Edit: I did find this post and it may be in here:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=643927&highlight=myth
Edit: I did find this post and it may be in here:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=643927&highlight=myth
Unresistible Blue
New member
I never have subscribed to the notion that DI will pull minerals out of your body - considering the fact that when the DI water hits my stomach it will mix with more minerals than it can deal with.
My concern goes more to long term exposure of dental enamal to DI water. The stuff is tough on even copper pipes - I would think it would not be the best on your teeth either.
But as someone said above - this is really a non issue as DI water doesn't taste great and its unlikely anyone would make a habit of drinking it.
My concern goes more to long term exposure of dental enamal to DI water. The stuff is tough on even copper pipes - I would think it would not be the best on your teeth either.
But as someone said above - this is really a non issue as DI water doesn't taste great and its unlikely anyone would make a habit of drinking it.
E-A-G-L-E-S
New member
stevenpro....could you please send me regeneration directions, as i would like to check them against the one's i was given?
I need to recharge mine for the first time.....Red Devil Lye & Muriatic Acid are what i need correct?
Thanks - Matt
I need to recharge mine for the first time.....Red Devil Lye & Muriatic Acid are what i need correct?
Thanks - Matt
Steven Pro
New member
Send me a PM or email with your mailing address and I will send you a photocopy of the instruction book that came with my Kati-Ani.
Steven Pro
New member
I just wanted to let you all know that Kip has the Kati-Ani's now. I know because I just got my #10 set from him.
CaptiveMarine
Premium Member
Sorry, I don't know Kip. How can I get in touch with him to order one?
Steven Pro
New member
PM sent
ktani
Premium Member
I am currently in the process of re-writing the German version of the manual into English. Although they did a fine job of translation, there are some subtle nuances that can be added and modified to further strengthen the documentation.
This should help clarify any confusion and problems that some have had with the units.
Kip
This should help clarify any confusion and problems that some have had with the units.
Kip
rick rottet
reefkeeper// propagator
i still recharge my SEPARATE bed resins.
i have never used a mixed bed DI nor tried to separate them, but from what i understand, the different resins are not the same density, so in theory, you could dump both resins in water, slowly increse the specific gravity of the water, and one set of resins should float before the other. it would then be a simple matter of scooping the one that floats first off of the surface.
i have never used a mixed bed DI nor tried to separate them, but from what i understand, the different resins are not the same density, so in theory, you could dump both resins in water, slowly increse the specific gravity of the water, and one set of resins should float before the other. it would then be a simple matter of scooping the one that floats first off of the surface.
i have the kati-ani 5 unit, that suppose to generate about ~6000g of pur water, but due to my VERY HARD water ~33GH, it only last for 200g or so, and need to regenerated...
at first, i have the unit feed with AFTER water softener unit (GH=3), it also last only about 200g, and I suspected it could be due to more salt in the water? therefore causing the resin use up too quick?
then, after i regenerated it (not hard to do, just too much tedious time wasted...) i hook up the unit to BEFORE the water softener (GH=33), and the same 200g output...
is there anyway that i can do to avoid this short re-generation problem?
thx for your helps...
BEFORE SOFTENER:
- GH=33
- TDS=410ppm
- FLOW RATE=~8gh
AFTER SOFTENER:
- GH=3
- TDS=640ppm
- FLOW RATE=~8gh
RESULT: (same for both case above)
- GH= (N/A - did not check...)
- TDS=7
- FLOW RATE=~8gh
at first, i have the unit feed with AFTER water softener unit (GH=3), it also last only about 200g, and I suspected it could be due to more salt in the water? therefore causing the resin use up too quick?
then, after i regenerated it (not hard to do, just too much tedious time wasted...) i hook up the unit to BEFORE the water softener (GH=33), and the same 200g output...
is there anyway that i can do to avoid this short re-generation problem?
thx for your helps...
BEFORE SOFTENER:
- GH=33
- TDS=410ppm
- FLOW RATE=~8gh
AFTER SOFTENER:
- GH=3
- TDS=640ppm
- FLOW RATE=~8gh
RESULT: (same for both case above)
- GH= (N/A - did not check...)
- TDS=7
- FLOW RATE=~8gh
rick rottet
reefkeeper// propagator
i had extremely hard water in the location i ran my greenhouse. a typical sodium-based water softener did not help in my situation. as you stated, the softener just swaps one substance (iron/calcium/magnesium/manganese) for another (sodium). the deionizer still gets used up just as quickly.
the two things that greatly improved my deionizer performance was to 1) run an RO unit before the deionizer. i know this defeats the whole idea of running a DI only to conserve wasted water, but in my case, it was a necessity. BTW, an RO membrane will function much better at removing sodium than it will trying to remove soluble iron, so a typical softener benefits the membranes. 2) installed an iron removal system. this system was a 2-tank system that injected high amounts of air into the water, thereby oxidizing the iron (turning it from soluble iron to particulate rust). then the water flows thorugh a sand-type filter to trap the rust. it also removed other substances like the calcium and manganese as long as they can be oxidized. the benefit of these aspirated removal systems is that the unwanted substances are removed from the water, instead of swapped for something else. the DI will last much longer.
in my case, i was using the 10 series. originally i was producing about 300+ gallons of useable water through the DI (my memory is a little rusty, but i believe that to be an accurate number). after i installed the iron removal systema and the RO membranes, i was able to make somewhere over 6,000 gallons.
i also received some advice that there is another way to remove the iron from source water. that is to have your tap water spray in a fine manner...almost a mist... into a large vat. this will also oxidize much of the hardness and let it settle to the bottom of the vat. if the vat is in an elevated position, the DI can be fed from the middle of the vat to avoid the settled particles. feeding the vat with ozone seems to me would also likely accelerate the oxidation of hardness.
i have also talked to people who think that some sort of flocculent would help. these flocculnets would be mixed into the vat and bind themselves to specific atoms/ molecules/ ions and force them to settle out of solution.
most of these methods will involve some cost, so that has to weighed against the time/ cost of recharging the DI.
the two things that greatly improved my deionizer performance was to 1) run an RO unit before the deionizer. i know this defeats the whole idea of running a DI only to conserve wasted water, but in my case, it was a necessity. BTW, an RO membrane will function much better at removing sodium than it will trying to remove soluble iron, so a typical softener benefits the membranes. 2) installed an iron removal system. this system was a 2-tank system that injected high amounts of air into the water, thereby oxidizing the iron (turning it from soluble iron to particulate rust). then the water flows thorugh a sand-type filter to trap the rust. it also removed other substances like the calcium and manganese as long as they can be oxidized. the benefit of these aspirated removal systems is that the unwanted substances are removed from the water, instead of swapped for something else. the DI will last much longer.
in my case, i was using the 10 series. originally i was producing about 300+ gallons of useable water through the DI (my memory is a little rusty, but i believe that to be an accurate number). after i installed the iron removal systema and the RO membranes, i was able to make somewhere over 6,000 gallons.
i also received some advice that there is another way to remove the iron from source water. that is to have your tap water spray in a fine manner...almost a mist... into a large vat. this will also oxidize much of the hardness and let it settle to the bottom of the vat. if the vat is in an elevated position, the DI can be fed from the middle of the vat to avoid the settled particles. feeding the vat with ozone seems to me would also likely accelerate the oxidation of hardness.
i have also talked to people who think that some sort of flocculent would help. these flocculnets would be mixed into the vat and bind themselves to specific atoms/ molecules/ ions and force them to settle out of solution.
most of these methods will involve some cost, so that has to weighed against the time/ cost of recharging the DI.
Rick,
thanks for the great advice...
i tried to search the web for the "iron removal system", and they are tons of them, some for the whole house, and some only work for 60g then need recharge...etc. I am confuse which is the right one for my case... do you have a link to something as recommend?
thx
lechee12,
did you mean the recharge of the Cati-Ani (the instruction would comes with the unit)? or you referring to something else like the DI unit from Kent-Marine...etc.? (the Kent-Marine one's instructions can be found here - http://www.kentmarine.com/assets/004/8639.pdf
good luck.
rick rottet
reefkeeper// propagator
it would totally depend on your expected use per day (or week or month...) AND how often you want to go through the flushing process. some work on an ion exchange process (recharge needed) and some work on an oxidation/ filtration process (backflush needed)
i used--> http://www.marlo-inc.com/product/klear_flo.htm
there is also a link under the picture that says "literature". there you can view the .pdf documents alll about the unit itself. and i guess i was wrong about it removing calcium and magnesium... it only removes iron, sulfides, and manganese, and maybe some organics.
it has a 1,000 gallon per day capacity. the one i had was set up to automatically back flush every night. if your consumption is less, the back flushing can be done on a different schedule, or be done manually. keep in mind that the automatic backflush will consume a dramatic amount of water... i think it was around 8 gallons per minute and ran close to 2 hours to flush both tanks!!!! where i lived, my water bill was around $120 every 3 months for the greenhouse, that included all the backflushing plus RODI water for the tanks, plus all the cleaning duties, plus evaporative cooling systems.... water was cheap, but it was crappy which was why i had to use all the filtering equipment LOL.
for what its worth, i never had a moments trouble with mine once it was installed properly. it was around $1500 installed and guaranteed by my local softener company.
i used--> http://www.marlo-inc.com/product/klear_flo.htm
there is also a link under the picture that says "literature". there you can view the .pdf documents alll about the unit itself. and i guess i was wrong about it removing calcium and magnesium... it only removes iron, sulfides, and manganese, and maybe some organics.
it has a 1,000 gallon per day capacity. the one i had was set up to automatically back flush every night. if your consumption is less, the back flushing can be done on a different schedule, or be done manually. keep in mind that the automatic backflush will consume a dramatic amount of water... i think it was around 8 gallons per minute and ran close to 2 hours to flush both tanks!!!! where i lived, my water bill was around $120 every 3 months for the greenhouse, that included all the backflushing plus RODI water for the tanks, plus all the cleaning duties, plus evaporative cooling systems.... water was cheap, but it was crappy which was why i had to use all the filtering equipment LOL.
for what its worth, i never had a moments trouble with mine once it was installed properly. it was around $1500 installed and guaranteed by my local softener company.
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OMG, 8g per min for 2 hours... (let's use 100 mins for easy calculation)
8g x 100 mins = 800gals (waste water)
one of the reason for me to use the DI-only (Cati-Ani) was due to the RO water waste issue... if using DI + this flush, i would end up with the same water wasted...
:-(
8g x 100 mins = 800gals (waste water)
one of the reason for me to use the DI-only (Cati-Ani) was due to the RO water waste issue... if using DI + this flush, i would end up with the same water wasted...
:-(
rick rottet
reefkeeper// propagator
yes, very sad but true. i am in no way a fan of wasting water either, but in my case, it was a necessity. with the iron content of my water, my RO membranes would foul in about 3 months (and i mean down to the point there was so little water coming out of them, it couldnt even be called "dripping"). i ran 4 membranes that were 100 gpd each, so to replace them every 3 months was extortionately expensive. then add on the fact that i could only run about 300 gallons through my DI before i needeed to recharge ... i would have been recharging near daily (and this was the Aquatechnics 10 series. advertised to be able to process something like "9,800 gallons of very hard water"). in view of long term expenditures, it was cheaper to buy the extra equipment and pay the water bill. a location with an actual water treatment facility, probabyl couldnt have the same said for it. i know guys who pay douoble in one month what i was paying for 3 months.
the flushes could be performed manually, and just flush the tanks until the water runs clear. i never tried a manual flush, so i couldnt make a guess how much water it would take to do it.
anyway, the spray into a vat idea does have some merit. i know an aquaculturist in florida who used that method. it would be a way to reduce the iron content before running through the DI. maybe simply a tap line run into a plastic shower head that would spray into a vat??? the addition of ozone will accelerate the oxidation process, but add some cost.
the flushes could be performed manually, and just flush the tanks until the water runs clear. i never tried a manual flush, so i couldnt make a guess how much water it would take to do it.
anyway, the spray into a vat idea does have some merit. i know an aquaculturist in florida who used that method. it would be a way to reduce the iron content before running through the DI. maybe simply a tap line run into a plastic shower head that would spray into a vat??? the addition of ozone will accelerate the oxidation process, but add some cost.
ReefEnabler
Premium Member
hey guys,
I just found this thread and read through it. alot of the links from the earlier pages are bad so I'd like to kindly ask for some information to be regiven:
What are some good sources for resins?
I've seen Kent cation/anion mentioned alot, but all the links were bad. Are these mixed bed, or separate?
Does refering to a resin as cati/ani imply that its a mixed bed resin, or could it refer to two separate resins?
What kind of container is needed for the refillable resins, if you want to replace standard 10" catridges.
I have a 90gpd RODI unit. What I am thinking of doing is adding a bypass valve to produce DI-Only water for the initial filling up my tank, and possibly for large water changes (I dont want to wait a week initially for a leak test).
Is anybody out there actually recharging mixed bed resins? I read earlier back that its possible but nobody had tried it.
I wonder what the cost is if you replace the resins instead of recharging them?
I just found this thread and read through it. alot of the links from the earlier pages are bad so I'd like to kindly ask for some information to be regiven:
What are some good sources for resins?
I've seen Kent cation/anion mentioned alot, but all the links were bad. Are these mixed bed, or separate?
Does refering to a resin as cati/ani imply that its a mixed bed resin, or could it refer to two separate resins?
What kind of container is needed for the refillable resins, if you want to replace standard 10" catridges.
I have a 90gpd RODI unit. What I am thinking of doing is adding a bypass valve to produce DI-Only water for the initial filling up my tank, and possibly for large water changes (I dont want to wait a week initially for a leak test).
Is anybody out there actually recharging mixed bed resins? I read earlier back that its possible but nobody had tried it.
I wonder what the cost is if you replace the resins instead of recharging them?
Last edited:
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