how important is RO/DI?
- Thread starter memorysan
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AZDesertRat
In Memoriam
Get a handheld TDS meter and test the tap water. It will not speciate what is there but it will give you a good indication that there are electrically charged ions present. Generally the higher the TDS the worse the water. Average in the States is about 250 TDS with some areas being below 50 and others above 1000.
Britta and Pur type filters do not even begin to make water what most would consider reef quality, they are in no way a replacement for RO/DI.
Britta and Pur type filters do not even begin to make water what most would consider reef quality, they are in no way a replacement for RO/DI.
nattarbox
New member
This is what I do, its very easy to setup. I keep the filter under the sink, and when I need to make some water for topoff or a change I just bring out the hoses and hook it up to the faucet. Stick the waste tube down the drain and clip the pure water hose into a bucket in your sink and its good to go.
suzimcmullen
New member
To just add to the other responses.. Have you been following my saga?
I just found out that there is 1.0 ammonia in my tap water. At first when I had Culligan put an RO unit in, it still read 1.0 even from that. But after a couple of days it's reading .50 now and of course that's still bad for the fish. I don't want to have to use amquel everyday. Culligan has added another filter today and in a few days they will add the DI part to it if they need to.
It's one thing to be able to do big changes. But what's the point if we are changing with bad water?
Suzi
I just found out that there is 1.0 ammonia in my tap water. At first when I had Culligan put an RO unit in, it still read 1.0 even from that. But after a couple of days it's reading .50 now and of course that's still bad for the fish. I don't want to have to use amquel everyday. Culligan has added another filter today and in a few days they will add the DI part to it if they need to.
It's one thing to be able to do big changes. But what's the point if we are changing with bad water?
Suzi
AZDesertRat
In Memoriam
If your utility uses chloramines in lieu of free chlorine a very good RO/DI with top quality filters is a must. Culligan is probably not using the very best matrix Chlorine Guzzler carbon block in the 0.5 or 0.6 micron range and its the one you want. RO by itself will not remove ammonia so you will also want a good full sized 10" vertical canister type DI filter and not the smaller less efficient horizontal low capacity type.
Make sure Culligan provides what you need or get it from one of the RC sponsors who understands the needs of reef keepers.
Make sure Culligan provides what you need or get it from one of the RC sponsors who understands the needs of reef keepers.
suzimcmullen
New member
They said they are committed to getting the reading right for me. I trust they will. It's just going to take some tweaking. They said they work a variety of different industries and are always asked to make changes. They also do all the water treatment at our zoo and I'm sure they have some varying needs.
I think it's tempting to think of Culligan as just water softeners. But they have grown a long with the changing water industry.
Suzi
I think it's tempting to think of Culligan as just water softeners. But they have grown a long with the changing water industry.
Suzi
AZDesertRat
In Memoriam
The manager for Industrial and Commercial sales for Culligan in a big part of the Iowa and Minnesota area was visiting me in Phoenix the last 5 days and we had some long conversations. Thye do understand some things but don't have much knowledge of others like reefkeeping. I really opened his eyes with some of the things I showed him when it comes to a reef.
How permanent is up to you...
How I connect to the plumbing:
Where there's a will, there's a way...
LL
suzimcmullen
New member
That's a pretty cool set up. It wouldn't be very convenient for the average family though. I know in my house I have so many things always in the way. But it's nice to know if a person really needs to do something temporary they can.
Suzi
Suzi
lloydkeller
New member
believe me without it problem after problem, its cheaper in the long run
Duff Man
New member
I have this hooked up to my sink in the utility room. It can be easily hooked up to any sink in the house. It could be hooked up to the toilet in a bind, I guess....It has quick connect John Guest fittings and I still get 65 to 70 PSI. All it took was a wrench to disconnect the supply and connect the fitting to the adaptor. No punctures required.
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