Diy Ro/di

[Tigger240]

umm thats good for you - just like mine is good for me.. different people have different needs - hence you paid for a complete unit - and i diy'd my own. this thread was about diyin a ro unit and thats the information i was offering... and like ive said before different people have different needs - and no sorry i wont take back anything i said either.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8582444#post8582444 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
You can say what you want but the quality is vewry different between units. Pick a few of them up and feel the physical weight for one. Better housings and brackets have more plastic in them and are just plain beefier.

Umm... Who cares?


Mine got screwed to the wall the day I bought it, and hasnt come down since. Its NOT going to get broken.


AZdesertrat, its nice to have the best, but for most of us, it makes absolutely no real difference in water quality.

 

[TropTrea]

I will disagree with you there. Even buying the components on a wholesale level the cost of all the components together well exceeds the wholesale cost of the unit as one peice plus now you also have to invest the assembly time, and give up your warrantee.

Many years ago there was an artical about car parts. An individual actuially priced out all the parts needed to build a car exactly as it came off the assembly line. The final cost of the car would have been almost 5 times what the dealer sticker price.

WQhile I['m a firm believer in Do it yourself I must say there are certain areas where it just does not pay to go the do it yourself route. I think this is one of those areas.

Dennis

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8574383#post8574383 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RandalB
Dave,
The problem with DIY RO/DI is getting the parts cheap enough to save money. It's wholesale vs. Retail. The guys who will sell you the parts will do so at retail making it almost impossible to put a unit together cheaper than they are selling them for.

If you can find a wholesaler who will sell you the parts, sure, you'll save money.

RandalB

 

[RandalB]

Dennis,
You're not seeing wholesale from a Water Treatment distributor. You're seeing prices from a pet or other wholesaler. Believe me when I tell you there is a DRAMATIC difference.

When I was buying wholesale parts, I could easily build a 5 or 6 stage Filmtec RO/DI unit, include shipping, A hanna instruments TDS meter,flush valve, pressure gauge, Refillable DI cartridge and use top quality parts (John Guest, Filmtec, Omnipure, Slimline,etc) for well below RO unit wholesale. I sold these units for $150 and still made enough $$ on 'em to make it worth my while. It's all a matter of finding a decent wholesaler. RO units don't cost much to make. I believe my cost was in the $70-85 dollar range for what I described above.

What frosts my can is that the Ebay cheapoff artists could easily use top grade parts and still sell at their prices and make money. They cut corners for esentially no reason other than to gouge a couple of extra bucks out of their buyers. I mean we're talking an extra $2-3 dollars cost for a filmtec membrane vs. desal or generic here.

I'll get off my soapbox now....
RandalB

 

[RandyStacyE]

Daveverdo originally started this thread because he is in the market for an RO/DI unit not to build 50-100 of them. He wants to either buy one or piece one together. It sounds like all of us here at the very least own one.

Many say buy one and others say piece them together. I tell you what everyone wants at the very least high quality replacement elements for the best price wouldn’t you all agree. Daveverdo wants to not only know which way is cheaper (assuming quality is still there) but I’m sure also where to get it. I’m sure all who read this thread would agree.

So far I see these merchants listed:
www.melevreef.com = approx $200.00
www.thefilterguys.com = High quality varying in price from $124.00 â€"œ $240.00
There are actually a few more mentioned earlier including eBay

I’m just curious, if anyone knows where to obtain much cheaper parts/pieces other than the tiny list above without sacrificing quality … please list some links. I used to get ripped on replacement elements big time now I started buying them from thefilterguys and get much more for my hard earned dollar. They may not be the cheapest, but I am not an expert or extremely knowledgeable on the differences in the parts either.

Not to sound rude and it is not my intention, links help ‘if parts can be cheaper’ and the prices/quality will do the talking.

 

[AZDesertRat]

On a per each or couple at a time basis I don't think you can get much cheaper than the RC sponsors for RO/DI components. I sponsored a couple of group buys on DI resin and even buying several hundred pounds at a time, which is 3 or 4 cubic feet, the best we could get it to figured out to be $5.00 per 24 oz refill exact cost. Some parts and pieces are still pretty inexpensive but most pieces have risen in cost due to shipping for one and a rise in petroleum costs which is what creates plastics which make up 99% of an RO/DI system.
Maybe when you buy 100 at a time you can get a significant break but most of us can't sit on that kind of inventory.

RandalB, I agree with you, in the quantities the e-bay vendors buy and sell they could produce a unit quite superior to what they sell today form probably less than $10 to $15 more. You would think one of them would see the light! My gripe more than the membrane is the cheezy DI systems they all try to pass off.

 

[Russ Braaten]

I did a LOT of research on pricing and quality. I got the Maximis unit from Aqua-safe in Canada, on Ebay for UNDER $100. That is with a 4.4 gallon tank and all. Their parts are good, better than most. If you want more parts on it they will do what ever you want and you can not beat their prices or service. They stand behind their stuff!

 

[AZDesertRat]

Out of curiosity how much more did they want for a true refillable DI filter, an installed pressure gauge, a 75 GPD Dow Filmtec RO membrane and a 1 or 0.5 micron Chlorine Guzzler carbon block in place of the GAC? I seriously doubt they would be competitive if they upgraded because thewy buy them by the boatload preassembled in China or Taiwan unlike the RC sponsors who build them one off out of quality components the first time.
Do you think they would answer my inquiries? I doubt it.

 

[RandalB]

It sounds like Russ had a good experience with the ebay guys. That's great and I'm glad he's happy.

As the local guy who helps out the local hobbyists here in Chi-Town, I've delt with more than a couple of dozen who didn't have such a good time. Like the guy who got one with the membrane half way inserted backward into the housing who was told to hit it with a hammer to make it work. That's just one example. Most of them were just ignored when they had a problem. Oh well...

This is not really on topic, so enough already about the Ebay stuff. Like I said, do a search and see what people's experiences are and make your own decision.

I wish I could provide a wholesaler's link who would sell to the individual hobbyist, but I just don't think there is such an animal. Until there is, I stand by my statement about DIY...
Filterdirect, Buckeye fieldsupply, etc will have good stuff at decent prices and you can always shop around to look for good deals.

I'm out,
RandalB