ro/di--info sources?

[jankyjameson]

i am considering the purchase of a spectrapure ro/di unit, and am searching for good threads regarding product comparison and general use for ro/di units. anyone know of anything on hand?

reviews on this product would be appreciated, as well as reviews on the HM inline dual tds meter, which i am also considering purchasing. thanks in advance to anyone who can help!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I do not compare products, and have not seen such an article, but I describe how the different parts work here:

Reverse Osmosis/Deionization Systems to Purify Tap Water for Reef Aquaria
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/rhf/index.htm

 

[rbursek]

Go to the sponsors forum for reviews, also check out TheFilterGuys.biz. sponsors here, great CS, pricing and product.

 

[rbursek]

Go to the sponsors forum for reviews, also check out TheFilterGuys.biz. sponsors here, great CS, pricing and product.

 

[sheldibridle]

I got my RO/DI filter system from the filter guys and it works fine. They also have tds meters.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, I really like the Spectrapure system that I have.

 

[TIMMYE]

I would also check out bulkreefsupply, I jst ordered from them and got it the next day.

 

[kingsland]

I have a Typhoon III from Air Water & Ice. Works great and they have very good service.

 

[AZDesertRat]

The Spectrapure is a great choice! I would consider the MaxCap or MaxCap UHE, I owned the former and now have the latter and love it. No other units on the market feature individually hand tested and guaranteed RO membranes or custom hand blended DI resins which make all the difference in the world.
Take a look at Spectrapures Sponsors Forum and read the first 6 or 8 threads at the top of the forum to get an idea of how different their units are from others. They truly have invented a Better Mouse Trap unlike others who assemble off the shelf parts.

 

[orb]

yes, i also have the spectrapure MaxCap, and i love it!!! highly recommended.

 

[voodoody]

I agree with kingsland. Check out airwaterice.com. They are knowledgeable, provide quality products and are comparatively inexpensive.

 

[Tony Romano]

Pretty standard stuff - all about price. I have used buckeye for years, heard nothing but good about filter guys.

 

[abulgin]

I bought a 100gpd 6 stage unit off of ebay for $75, plus $35 shipping, about 8 months ago and think it does a great job. I bought a TDS meter from thatfishplace.com for $30--water coming in is 125ppm and 0pp coming out. I swapped the "polishing" final stage filter for another DI canister. The same unit I bought is now $89 plus $37.50 shipping. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a cheaper unit. You can say what you want about getting what you pay for, but 0ppm TDS is 0ppm TDS.

Go to ebay and search Item 310031261471.

He also sells replacement filters very cheap. I've replaced mine once in the 8 months of use.

He's not so great at responding to questions, but he shipped as/when promises and sent me e-mails with tracking numbers.

 

[abulgin]

I should clarify that I've changed all filters except the RO membrane, which he claims lasts 2-4 years. When I changed, I was getting 0ppm, but I did it simply as maintenance. 5 replacement filters (all but RO membrane) is $18 plus $10 shipping. A complete filter replacement with RO is $50 plus $10.50 shipping. You can't touch that anywhere. I don't know how he does it . . .

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't know how he does it . .

Low quality materials?

 

[Tony Romano]

I just went to its WWW, pricing looks in line with most internet suppliers. They seem to be a vertical like Amway...

Maybe the 75.00 was an error or close out.

 

[AZDesertRat]

In almost all cases you get what you pay for with RO/DI, cheap is just that. They may entice you with low prices but you end up paying for it on the other end.
Do not confuse 0 TDS from the DI with quality. The numbers you need to be looking at are the RO only and incoming TDS numbers, these are what will tell the tale. ANY RO/DI should get you to 0 TDS or very close to it, the difference is in how long it will do so.
Cheap units use low quality resins and very small DI filters, usually small horizontal tubes holding 6 to 9 oz of resin in a very poor configuration. Good RO/DI units use higher quality resins in a 20 oz vertical configuration with great flow characteristics since they are truly an engineered design.
The cost of replacement DI cartridges will soon surpass the initial cost of a better unit in alsmost all cases.
This does not even go into the other components like imported Chinese knock off membranes, and low quality plastic parts that fail in the middle of the night. There is a difference and Randy hit it on the head," Low Quality Materials" and poor design.

 

[Tony Romano]

Good stuff - How can you be sure to get quality? I've had zero exposure to cheap stuff, I suspect that is because I always use sources that people from this forun approve.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Exactly, stick with a reputable vendor that has a proven track record.

 

[abulgin]

I'm no RO/DI expert by any stretch, but I know that this thing has worked well for me for 8 months before having to change filters (other than RO membrane), which is in line with the life span of all other manufacturers. My post RO/DI water tests 0 phosphates and 0 silicates, so I'm convinced I'm getting a good output product. Are there better units out there? Absolutely. Is $120 a good deal for a decent 100 gpd 6 stage RO/DI unit? Absolutely.