Need to replace discontinued API Tap Water Filter unit

[Bananafish]

So, I've been using the API Tap Water Filter to make DI for a very long time, probably more than 20 years. API has discontinued making the filter and replacement cartridges, and I'm now on my last cartridge and need to replace the whole unit.

I was thinking of getting a set of Aquatic Life RO/DI add-on cartridges like these Aquatic Life 540008 to use instead. RO is not an option for me because I do not have the capacity to dispose of the waste water besides not being willing to throw 85% of it away from making 20-25 gallons/week. I can only do DI, and while looking for options I realized I might be able to set this up instead.

Does anybody have a better solution to this problem? I was thinking of getting clear in-line cartridges and packing my own resin/charcoal, but I'm sure this will be around a very long time and cartridges are available online everywhere for a reasonable price.

Ideas? Thanks all!

 

[ericarenee]

i would call email or message on here either buckey or spectra pure and ask them what is the best solution for your situation.. Di resin alone is not the right solution.


I think your best option is a multi stage unit with micro filters and Carbon filters . then maybe di after..But i do not think you can use DI Resin without membrane first cost effectively DI resin is to polish the water.. the higher TDS Input the quicker its spent..

only a Guess

 

[mcgyvr]

Lets do some math for fun..
How many gallons of water did you get out of the API filters?
What is the cost of those filters?
What is the per gallon cost for your water in NYC?

I am quite positive that you could save a decent amount of money actually dumping water down the drain with a regular RO/DI system..

And where do you live that doesn't have a drain? (no toilets? no sinks? no shower?..)

 

[bertoni]

The add-on cartridges should be fine for your purpose, although you might need to add a flow regulator. I agree that a sediment or carbon phase might save on resin.

 

[Bananafish]

Lets do some math for fun..
How many gallons of water did you get out of the API filters?
What is the cost of those filters?
What is the per gallon cost for your water in NYC?

I am quite positive that you could save a decent amount of money actually dumping water down the drain with a regular RO/DI system..

And where do you live that doesn't have a drain? (no toilets? no sinks? no shower?..)

I'm not in NYC. We don't have municipal sewer systems here, so whatever goes down the drain will run into septic tanks. I live in a 100+ year old house, and we have no idea what the situation is because plumbing was done before the town kept records. If I need 20 gallons of DI per week, that's going to dump about 200 gallons of waste. I usually get about 150 gallons per API cartridge and toss it before it colors up. The tap water here is really good, and what I get out passes muster very well.

 

[Bananafish]

i would call email or message on here either buckey or spectra pure and ask them what is the best solution for your situation.. Di resin alone is not the right solution.


I think your best option is a multi stage unit with micro filters and Carbon filters . then maybe di after..But i do not think you can use DI Resin without membrane first cost effectively DI resin is to polish the water.. the higher TDS Input the quicker its spent..

only a Guess

Yes, I had planned to use a carbon cartridge in addition to DI resin. I had also looked at in-line refillable cartridges so I can fill them with whatever I want. AquaticLife makes them, but I have not found them for sale anywhere. May need to buy them direct.

 

[Bananafish]

The add-on cartridges should be fine for your purpose, although you might need to add a flow regulator. I agree that a sediment or carbon phase might save on resin.

Definitely carbon, yes! The API unit is designed to hook up to the sink, but I don't do that because it's a pain in the neck to get the flow right. Instead, I fill a bucket and allow it to siphon through the cartridge so I get a very slow rate.

 

[thegrun]

Any two or three stage unit will be fine as far initial filtration goes, but I agree with the above post that DI resin usage would quickly pay for the RO unit. If you are concerned with dumping water into your septic tank simply run the waste line out through a window and dump the water into a flower bed. I have a 55 gallon drum outside to collect the waste water and use it to water our patio plants.

 

[Bananafish]

Any two or three stage unit will be fine as far initial filtration goes, but I agree with the above post that DI resin usage would quickly pay for the RO unit. If you are concerned with dumping water into your septic tank simply run the waste line out through a window and dump the water into a flower bed. I have a 55 gallon drum outside to collect the waste water and use it to water our patio plants.

I already have in-ground sprinklers for that, hehehe.

 

[mcgyvr]

If I need 20 gallons of DI per week, that's going to dump about 200 gallons of waste.

The common rejection ratio is 4:1 (and you can do better than that with some modifications to get it down to 3:1/2:1 or less)
Making 20 gallons will only waste 80 gallons and your septic can easily handle that..

But its your decision.. I just not the best one IMO.

There is really nothing "fancy" or proprietary about water filter canisters.. They are standardized..
You can just buy a few standard canisters and put them in series and run sediment/carbon/DI or whatever..
But an RO stage will reduce your DI costs and will pay for itself in time..

Many fill their washing machines with the waste water too... Flower beds (yes you have a sprinkler but you are paying for that water too), dog bowls, water grass,etc...

 

[homer1475]

Not sure about refillable cartridges from Aquaticlife, but I had an RO Buddie and I would burn through their DI cartridge in about 200G of water. My incoming TDS is only 24 and 1 going into the DI stage.

In the 2 years I've owned that unit, I've replaced the carbon and sediment filters 5 times, and the DI cartridge more times then I can count. That entire unit is garbage IMO. While it works, what you spend in cartridges over the course of a year, you can buy a brand new RO/DI water saver plus unit from BRS which has a rejection rate of 2:1.

 

[Bananafish]

The common rejection ratio is 4:1 (and you can do better than that with some modifications to get it down to 3:1/2:1 or less)
Making 20 gallons will only waste 80 gallons and your septic can easily handle that..

But its your decision.. I just not the best one IMO.

There is really nothing "fancy" or proprietary about water filter canisters.. They are standardized..
You can just buy a few standard canisters and put them in series and run sediment/carbon/DI or whatever..
But an RO stage will reduce your DI costs and will pay for itself in time..

Many fill their washing machines with the waste water too... Flower beds (yes you have a sprinkler but you are paying for that water too), dog bowls, water grass,etc...

You're probably right, and I'm probably making more of it than it should be. But the truth is, there is no way to reclaim most of the water. Dogs (I have 2) only drink so much. I already have sprinklers to cover the whole yard. I have a front-loading washer, so getting water in it would be a chore. I really don't want to waste it, honestly.

 

[Bananafish]

Not sure about refillable cartridges from Aquaticlife, but I had an RO Buddie and I would burn through their DI cartridge in about 200G of water. My incoming TDS is only 24 and 1 going into the DI stage.

In the 2 years I've owned that unit, I've replaced the carbon and sediment filters 5 times, and the DI cartridge more times then I can count. That entire unit is garbage IMO. While it works, what you spend in cartridges over the course of a year, you can buy a brand new RO/DI water saver plus unit from BRS which has a rejection rate of 2:1.

Thanks for sharing this info!

About that rejection rate, though... In this thread alone I've seen three different numbers besides my made up one of 10:1. I have to wonder about the efficiency/accuracy of the RO membranes. Does 2:1 let twice as much non-water through as 4:1? And if I want only water in the end, am I forced to waste 80:1? This is something I really don't know about. I have never used RO and only ever used DI. I asked a biochemist I work with, and he says the DI part is more important, so that's why I'm sticking with it.

Looks like more research, but I will check out what's available at BRS.

 

[Pittsburgh]

Not sure what your water rates are, but where I live I pay $5.34 per 1000 gallons. So a 100 gallons waste costs me 54 cents.
As for the septic tank, this is just waste water, none of it settles in the tank and all of it comes out of the tank the moment it goes in.

Rejection ratio is a confusing term in this discussion as it means something very different in RO membranes. The term you are looking for is recovery rate. Not sure where people get 20% recovery from (4:1), but Dow Filmtec routinely lists their membrane recovery rate at 15% in ideal conditions, which is more like 5:1. Realistically it would be even less (7-12%), but then again depending on your water rates, the cost may be rather negligible, especially compared to other costs in this hobby.

 

[Bananafish]

I pay about $8/1k. Folks in the next district pay almost three times that, and with the planned upgrade we're supposed to get I expect my rates will close to double. But it's not about the COST of water. It's about the WASTE of water and the burden of additional water that will fill my pools on top of rain, sprinklers, regular household drainage, etc. I'm not looking to save myself $140 today and have to spend $20k in a few months to dig up the backyard plus whatever it costs to replace the lawn and the sprinkler system. The water I throw down the drain can never be recovered for my use easily or practically, but I may need to bite that bullet. I took a look at a few RO units. I have ideas, but not too sure I will do RO. I'm actuall thinking of buying a 4-stage RODI and not installing the membrane.

Pittsburgh, I think I agree there is a lower amount of product water than what others are saying. A 15% recovery rate is about 7:1, and that's a lot closer to what I think it should be. A 50% recovery rate means, to me - a person with no experience using RO units - that most of the junk you don't want never gets removed. More research required, I guess.

Thanks to everyone for their input so far.

 

[Pittsburgh]

Well, two stage systems can get you up to 75% recovery rate. Which isn't bad.
http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDOWCOM/dh_0035/0901b80380035b3e.pdf

Also, water is a 100% renewable resource, just saying But I see what you are saying about septic tank overflow issues...

 

[homer1475]

I actually just figured this out as I got a new RO/DI unit and wanted to see if the advertised rejection rate is correct. The formula is pretty simple if you have a TDS meter.

(Tap TDS - RO TDS) / Tap TDS x 100 = rejection rate.

Example:
My Tap TDS is 24, after RO TDS is 1 = 95.8% rejection rate.

Thats how much the RO membrane rejects of the TDS, the rest or 4.2% of the TDS creeps through the membrane where the DI stage clears that up to get 0 TDS water.

BRS's water saver unit advertises 1:1, I'm getting more like 1.5:1(I measured the waste and production). So basically for every 1 gallon of RO/DI I make, I'm throwing away a gallon and a half. Not bad considering the 7:1 I was getting with the RO Buddie by Aquaticlife. My water company liked sending me a bill. lol

Depending on your TDS you could probably do a sediment cartridge, carbon block and DI. Totally skip the RO membrane where all the waste comes from. Although I would think you would burn through quite a bit of DI.

 

[DBR_reef]

You're probably right, and I'm probably making more of it than it should be. But the truth is, there is no way to reclaim most of the water. Dogs (I have 2) only drink so much. I already have sprinklers to cover the whole yard. I have a front-loading washer, so getting water in it would be a chore. I really don't want to waste it, honestly.

I understand not wanting to waste water (although we are in a relatively water rich region), but DI resin takes at least 24 gallons of water to manufacture, so my guess is you waste the water down your drain or at the plant. There are 1:1 systems available as well.

 

[ericarenee]

I just wanna add this

you can do what some lfs stores do. get a water filtration company deliver you large amounts of di water . you just buy or rent a tank and pay for the water . the larger the tank the cheaper the cost. here there are several of them who do it..

you waste nothing ..

 

[neiltus]

I would just buy a RODI unit with a pre filter, carbon, two RO membranes and two DI units.

You can also drink your rejection water. It's basically tap that has been through a pre filter and carbon (both are NSF). I do this, also use it for the garden because it's hella better than the chloramine crap from the tap.

You probably will save money on DI alone that way, you might not see it that way making as little as you do, but DI is not cheap, and the 3 filters ahead of it will save some resin.