ro/di.How it works

[Ricky1066]

Ok This is going ot sound really stupid And I am fairly smart But I am having a hard time understanding how the ro/di thing works .I know it cleans water .But does it have to hook up to the sink from underneath ? I am trying to read on it and it says it feeds through sink lines and I am wondering if I turn it on in one place will it just give me clean water ionstantly on the other end?

I am looking at ths one on ebay for my tank which is 75 gallon os it any good?

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-6st-100GPD-...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

 

[jubjub]

i've seen both some people hook it up right to the faucet, me personally since i dont wanna keep moving it around i hooked it up right under my kitchen sink, basically where your line comes in should be a valve unhook that plug in the adapter and reconnect the feed to the faucet.
then you drill a hole in the drain pipe and attach the coupler piece

 

[jubjub]

also i might stay away from fleabay RO/DI units get a good one from thefilterguys very helpful they have a forum on this thread very helpful guys A+ service

 

[dileggi]

I've seen both as well. Some people perm hook them up so that they don't need to keep hooking and unhooking as jubjubrsx said.

I personally hook mine up as "plug and play" as I use it in more than one location in the house.

I also agree with jubjub....go with thefilterguys!

 

[Ricky1066]

Got all that except the puncha hole in the drain pipe why would I want a hole in the old water dran pipe

 

[an411]

thirds for filter guys I have mine hooked up in a permanent location figure I dont want to move and hook it up everytime I need it. Now I hit a vavle and here comes the water.

 

[Ricky1066]

OK Emailed the filter guysThanks

 

[cardiffgiant]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11667833#post11667833 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ricky1066
Got all that except the puncha hole in the drain pipe why would I want a hole in the old water dran pipe

To let the waste water drain. If you plan to install it in a fixed area, you'll want to do this (after you test your unit and make sure that your product to waste ratio is acceptable), but not if you plan on moving it around and using it on different sinks.

I use a tee to connect it to my cold water line, right between the shut off and the hose that connects to my faucet. I use one of those plastic pressure clamp knobs to turn the water on and off for the RO/DI unit. I connect the waste line to a bypass that allows me to periodically rinse the membrane by avoiding the flow restrictor. Then I use a drain saddle to connect the waste line just above the trap under my sink.

Parts:
-tee from HD
-pressure clamp knob from HD
-bypass from marinedepot
-drain saddle from marinedepot

 

[D&KSac]

another one that myself and alot of others have is the typhoon III from airwaterice.com. check this one out too.

 

[AZDesertRat]

RO/DI units have a number of ways to hook them up from ultra portable to permanent. An easy way is if you have a laundry sink next to your washing machine is to get a brass wye at the hardware store and split the washers cold water line into two lines, one for the washer and one for the RO unit. Another option is to use a screw on faucet adapter to feed it. A more permanant option is to use the self piercing saddle that comes with most units and pierce a small hole in the cold water line under the sink, it can be any sink in the house where you have room to put the unit. Another better way is to use an adapter that screws onto the cold water valve coming through the wall that is basically a tee or side outlet so you feed both the faucet and the RO unit and can be reomoved at a later date with no permanent damage.

For the flush or waste side you can let it go down the drain, fill the washing machine, water the grass or plants, fill the pool, the possibilities are almost endless. For a permanent installation you again use a saddle that clamps on the sink drain pipe above the P trap and you drill a small hole through it so the 1/4" drain line goes into the sewer system.

If you decide to go portable always keep water in the housings so the membrane abd DI do not dry out. Try to use the unit at least once a week if possible and don't let it sit any longer than two weeks or so without using it or water can go bad in the housings. Always keep the unit climate controlled and out of direct sunlight to prevent any unwanted growth in the filter housings.

Stay away from the "one size fits all" e-bay quality systems, they will end up costing you more to make them work right than if you had spent the extra few bucks upfront on a true reef quality system. Expect to spend right at $150 for a good basic system with most of the things you will need and upwards of $250-$300 for the top of the line systems.

 

[classclownfish]

The RODI unit has a drainage tube on it for the bad water. A good RODI unit with ideal temp and pressure will produce 4 gallon of waste water from the membrane for every 1 gallon of clean water it produces. (YMMV)

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11667833#post11667833 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ricky1066
Got all that except the puncha hole in the drain pipe why would I want a hole in the old water dran pipe

 

[qfrisco]

I was one of the ones that got an RO/DI system from Ebay - specifically, from FilterDirect. They sell a WaterGeneral brand which, from my research, quite a few folks were happy with. The one I got was one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/WaterGeneral-DI...yZ20756QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem, except it didn't come with a pressure gauge when I got mine. I have it hooked up to my kitchen sink, and with the reservoir and faucet, it dispenses drinking water as well - this was part of the negotiation with "the boss" as we can now cancel our purified water service. This past weekend, I ran some tubing from the reservoir to my fridge so now the fridge icemaker and water dispenser are fed with RO water as well.

I was definitely nervous until I got it and started using it. So far - after roughly 50 gallons of RO/DI water, I'm very happy. I check the TDS after each batch just to make sure, and I'm getting 6-7 TDS after the RO filter, and 0 TDS after the DI stage.

By the way, the vertical DI canisters are more efficient than the horizontal ones, and the WaterGeneral unit comes with the latter. Six months to a year down the road, I will probably just replace it with a vertical canister from AirWaterIce, FilterGuys, etc. But for now, the horizontal one is perfectly fine. Plus, it's refillable, so I can top-off/replace the resin myself when needed.

Good luck!

 

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11669034#post11669034 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by qfrisco
I was one of the ones that got an RO/DI system from Ebay - specifically, from FilterDirect. They sell a WaterGeneral brand which, from my research, quite a few folks were happy with. The one I got was one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/WaterGeneral-DI...yZ20756QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem, except it didn't come with a pressure gauge when I got mine. I have it hooked up to my kitchen sink, and with the reservoir and faucet, it dispenses drinking water as well - this was part of the negotiation with "the boss" as we can now cancel our purified water service. This past weekend, I ran some tubing from the reservoir to my fridge so now the fridge icemaker and water dispenser are fed with RO water as well.

I was definitely nervous until I got it and started using it. So far - after roughly 50 gallons of RO/DI water, I'm very happy. I check the TDS after each batch just to make sure, and I'm getting 6-7 TDS after the RO filter, and 0 TDS after the DI stage.

By the way, the vertical DI canisters are more efficient than the horizontal ones, and the WaterGeneral unit comes with the latter. Six months to a year down the road, I will probably just replace it with a vertical canister from AirWaterIce, FilterGuys, etc. But for now, the horizontal one is perfectly fine. Plus, it's refillable, so I can top-off/replace the resin myself when needed.

Good luck!

Sorry, looks like the Ebay link doesn't work - try this one instead.

http://cgi.ebay.com/WaterGeneral-DI...hZ002QQcategoryZ20756QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

 

[AZDesertRat]

I would not go that route. it works but does not work well compared to true reef quality systems. You will find its more expensive to buy a drinking water type system and upgrade it to reef quality than it is to buy a true reef quality system and add a drinking water kit. No offense but it not all that great a system when compared to others.
Look at indicators like it does not tell you the brand or micron rating of the carbon filters, it only holds 6 oz of DI resin in a horizontal tube instead of 20 oz or resin in a vertical standard 10" canister, the prefilter is 5 microns instead of 1 micron or less, no TDS meter....... It all adds up.

 

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11669160#post11669160 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
I would not go that route. it works but does not work well compared to true reef quality systems. You will find its more expensive to buy a drinking water type system and upgrade it to reef quality than it is to buy a true reef quality system and add a drinking water kit. No offense but it not all that great a system when compared to others.
Look at indicators like it does not tell you the brand or micron rating of the carbon filters, it only holds 6 oz of DI resin in a horizontal tube instead of 20 oz or resin in a vertical standard 10" canister, the prefilter is 5 microns instead of 1 micron or less, no TDS meter....... It all adds up.

Agreed, but exactly what makes a "reef quality" system? That it is marketed that way? In my opinion, the "cheapo" systems are just as "reef quality" as the others as long as they give you 0 TDS water - and in my experience, the cheapo unit I got has been giving me just that. Yes, the filters may not last as long, but they are not a bad deal if you happen to stumble upon one at a good price.

 

[Ricky1066]

Well I will wait for the filter guys to get back to me ..They have afew around that price range on ebay..What is that tank on the right of the oneon ebay?

 

[bertoni]

The tank in the background is for collecting the output.

Zero TDS is probably good enough for "reef quality", but the cheap units will cost a lot over the long haul due to filter cost. The 100 gpd membranes don't clean the water as well, and chew through DI more rapidly. The horizontal DI cartridge has the same issue, due to channelizing. The low-quality prefilter likely will let the RO membrane clog up more rapidly. I wouldn't buy any of those units.

 

[AZDesertRat]

My definition of a reef quality system is a total package that gets the most out of the filters, membrane and DI. By that I mean high quality prefilters and carbon blocks in the sub 1 micron range so they do the best possible job of protecting the membrane for maximum membrane life. Its not unheard of for membranes to last 7+ years or more even in high TDS areas like Phoenix at 835 TDS. Some factory installed filters are about as efficient as screen door and do very little towards protecting the membrane or removing the chlorine and volatile organic chemicals.

Next is a good membrane in the 98% rejection rate range or higher, not a 90% rejection rate nanofilter or somewhere in between. It is well know that for every 2% you increase the RO membranes efficiency you DOUBLE the life of your DI resin. Better water coming from the membrane means better water entering the DI resin and better quality finished water for much longer periods of time.

What you may think is 0 TDS water very well may not be so. Some weakly ionized substances like phosphates and silicates don not always register well on a normal hobbyist grade TDS meter. It takes a good meter and/or a conductivity/resistivity meter to measure accurately.

Longer membrane life means a long term cost savings. Longer DI life as a result of the more efficient membrane means a big cost savings almost immediately plus you get better quality water.

There really is a difference in the quality and longevity of units so what appears to be a good deal often times is not. You have to look at the total package.