RO/DI buying advice, SpectraPure or BRS?

M

maysorum

New member
I'm trying to decide which unit to purchase. I'm thinking about these units:

- SpectraPure MaxCap UHE 100 (Ultra-High Efficiency 100 GPD 5 Stage)
- SpectraPure MAXCAP RO/DI Systems (90 GPD)
- BRS 300 GPD TDS Spartan (Water Saver)
- BRS 75 GPD RO/DI 6 Stage *DELUXE* System

Since I'm on well water now, conserving water seems like a good idea. My water tests somewhere in the 265-280 (TDS) range. I'm attracted to the UHE and Spartan efficiency, but I'm not attracted to the price tag. And in general, I'm always happy with BRS's quality. So...

Are SpectraPure's products worth the extra expenditure?
Do you have any experiences to share about the UHE RO/DI?
Are happy with your BRS RO/DI?
Would you buy the same unit all over again?

BTW, I have three systems for a total of 230 gallons. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!
 
I think you'll be fine with any of these.
If you have high CO2 in your well water, the maxcap won't deliver the full longer DI cartiridge life they advertise, but it still makes a good guard column for a second DI cartridge.
 
Look at it this way. All the ro/di units simply house the cartridges which will need to be changed every 6 months or so. Best place for cartridges is BRS so just make sure the unit you buy has refillable and/or standard cartridges. This way it is relatively cheap to maintain them. Personally I have a Spectrapure proplus 90 which uses the standard stuff. I would not hesitate to purchase the BRS stuff at all. Actually didn't know about them when I purchased the unit or I would have.
 
I'd go with Buckeye Field Supply. Russ is a member here with his own 300 gallon tank, prices are amazing, insane quality, customer service and filters are the cheapest I've found anywhere. I'll also add that Russ builds each unit to your personal needs/wants. You don't get a mass produced unit you get a unit he builds just for you.

I have a BFS unit and here is an example of quality. I was stretching out my line to fill up some buckets in the bathtub (unit is on the top shelf of our utility room) and what do I hear to break the silence, my $170 ro/di unit crashing straight until the linoleum floor. bent the metal frame, two hoses got disconnected and 2 rivets snapped off. I bent the housing back, reconnected the lines, checked for leaks and it's perfectly fine. If I chose to fix the bent bracket and plate that took the rivet hit, Russ has the parts to make it brand new again for about $15.

You won't find that anywhere else in this country.
 
Spectrapure / maxcap system is awesome.

After initial purchase, I recommend...
- Sticking with Spectrapure select membranes in the future for the longest life you can get out of your DI stages.
- Sticking with the maxcap catridge & silica buster cartridge in the future
- Buy your carbon & prefilter from another source. Spectrapure seems to sell me a different brand every time I go in so it is my feeling they use whatever they can get cheaper on these items and are NOT worth the $25 a set they charge for the .5 micron sets. Just my opinion however. And in fact, the set they sold me yesterday is different yet again than what they sold me last time so they cannot deny it *LOL* So I will buy these else ware from now on.

The maxcap system is excellent for long life / insane pure water. They really know there stuff on purification and have done an outstanding job with this unit.

One investment you will not regret, that is for sure!
 
I would go with the SpectraPure MaxCap UHE 100 (Ultra-High Efficiency 100 GPD 5 Stage). It is the top of the line. The best in my opinion!
 
You can get similair results from dual membranes with a booster pump at half the price of the Spectrapure- that goes for any system from BRS, Buckeye, TheFilterGuys, AirWaterIce, etc.

I would get in on the weekly group buy deals with BRS. Buy either the water saver system or a build your own with the water saver added on. Get a booster pump from them, and you have water saving performance at a very good price.

TheFilterGuys have a "Reef Miser" system that has the 2 membranes with 4 other stages for $265....the booster pump and its accesories would add anpther ~$150 to that. Still several hundred less tahn SpectraPure. You can't go wrong with Spectrapure, but I think they are very pricey, especially that UHE system. The filter guys posted results they got under 3 scenarios with dual 75 GPD membranes(60 psi, 65 psi, and 96psi booster)....not bad water savings:

http://www.thefilterguys.biz/test_results.htm
 
FWIW. I have a BRS 7 stage system, which I reduced to 5 stages. I am about to re-do the enitre thing with the dual membrane to save water and speed production. I would buy anything RODI from them again in a minute....nost RODI stuff is very similar anyways.
 
I'm a big fan of spectrapure membranes. How can I say no to >99% rejection rate? I've never gotten a membrane that good from anywhere else.

An entire system though? I might be tempted to price systems at BRS and BFS and then swap in a spectrapure select membrane. If that is cheaper than buying a spectrapure system, I might go that way, otherwise I'd just buy the system from spectrapure.
 
James77 said:
FWIW. I have a BRS 7 stage system, which I reduced to 5 stages. I am about to re-do the enitre thing with the dual membrane to save water and speed production. I would buy anything RODI from them again in a minute....nost RODI stuff is very similar anyways.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Do you manually flush your BRS RO/DI on a regular basis? Is it difficult?
 
I've never flushed any of my membranes, and I've seen mixed info on whether it helps or not. IMO, membranes are cheap enough- 30-35 bucks- to replace every 2 years or even every year.
 
I got a 4 stage setup from BRS a few years ago and never had any kind of problems with it so I would def buy the same unit again. I like ordering things from BRS, I've always had a good experiance with them.
 
i give another vote for spectrapure maxcap, ive had mine for about a month now, so i havent had prolonged experience with it, but so far its been very easy to deal with and made some great water. one of my best investments yet
 
maysorum said:
Why?
Click to expand...

Because I think it uses better filters than the BRS unit. The customer service from Russ @ Buckeye Filed Supply is excellent, that's why I also mentioned them. Great products at great prices. The good thing is all are nice units so you will end up with good water no matter what.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mr31415
5 stage generic RO/DI unit - valve and drain question
Replies
5
Views
117
griss
griss
Mr31415
RO unit: DI resin depletes quickly
2
Replies
25
Views
436
Mr31415
Mr31415
cgarr017
Choosing RO/DI system
Replies
11
Views
630
m4gts
M
CaptiveReef
Florida tap water and using an RO DI system to prepare water for use
Replies
2
Views
327
jason2459
jason2459
plancton
Recommend a RO system (please read)
Replies
9
Views
170
wvned
wvned
Back
Top