RO/DI Question

[Duff Man]

I got a TDS meter today and was playing around with it. The water in my house is softened and had a reading of about 650. I put zones in the house and tested unsoftened water with a reading of about 525. I imagine that the dissolved salt is adding to the TDS. Would it be best to put the RO/DI before the water softener and its lower TDS or is the extra salt easier to filter?

 

[BadOleRoss]

I would put the RO/DI unit before the water softener. I am sure water softener salt is much different then reef salt.

 

[Duff Man]

Do you think that the minerals that the softener takes out are rougher on the filter than the salt.

 

[virginiadiver69]

Contact the filterguys for a definitive answer.

 

[Mr. Green]

I work for a large company that sells this type of equipment, I don't sell it directly but had some training. One thing they always stress is that an RO machine is as only as good as the pre treatment. Hardness is a big killer of RO's and you are removing Calcium and Magnesium hardness with that softener. Look at it as one less thing that your RO has to remove. High TDS could just be your normal reading for city water. Try to get a sample pre softener. Also, any softener salt that gets in you system from the backwash is usually gone after the sink is run. Or, the toilet is usually the first thing that is used in the morning after a backwash.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Always put the RO after a water softener if you have that option. Softeners do much of the work for the membrane and make it last longer and work better.

 

[amike5]

If you put your RO after the softener, keep in mind that you will be wasting alot of that softened water by it going down the drain and use up alot of salt in your softener because of this.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Salt at $4 a bag and water at $1.50 per 1000 gallons is much cheaper than an RO membrane and DI resin.