RO/DI Unit recommendations?

S

Sheni Angel

New member
I am really anticipating getting my RO/DI Unit but wanted some recommendations before jumping on buying one. I would like the set up with no waste water (which I was told is how it is with the RO/DI system). I will set it up in my garage and don't have an area for waste water. Want it as clean as possible. Thinking about $800.? Is that correct and do you recommend any certain places to look or kinds? Thanks so much, Carrie :)
 
You can buy any RODI system and make it no waste water by adding a booster pump to the end of the waster line and then pumping it back into your hat water line.

Any RODI system you buy that I have ever heard of will have wate water. If you have Washing machine hook ups in the garage then you can dump the wate water down the washer drain (what I do with mine)

I LOVE my Typhoon III www.AirWaterIce.com
~Steve~
 
Right Sheni, all RO units must produce waste or the materials they remove would clog the membrane in no time flat. As funman pointed out, the ones that claim not to produce waste just take the wastewater to the hot water heater. Also, if you live in Washington then I would think you garage might cause freezing of the unit if it is unheated. You can water plants and such with the waste in the summer. In the winter you can use it for making homebrew that demand the hard water. :D

Units these day cost under $250 depending on the bells and whistles. See [rodifaq] for more.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7753291#post7753291 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by funman1
not to high jack the thread but what the heck is homebrew?
Click to expand...
Hint; it`s not related to reefkeeping, unless reefkeeping drives you to drink.:D
 
homebrew is the same thing as skimmate or "nog" -- nice and thick... and tasty! :D












jk. homebrew is beer made at home :)

BTW, I second the airwaterice recommendation. I have a Typhoon.

Jack
 
Thanks for the recommendation on the Typhoon. I'll check into it. :)

Right Sheni, all RO units must produce waste or the materials they remove would clog the membrane in no time flat. As funman pointed out, the ones that claim not to produce waste just take the wastewater to the hot water heater. Also, if you live in Washington then I would think you garage might cause freezing of the unit if it is unheated.
Click to expand...

Oh okay, makes sense. I guess I misunderstood my LFS as to the differences with the waste water and no waste water. WHY did they estimate around $800 for it to be set up in my garage to have no waste water dripping??? Big difference on what you are saying. Are those RO/DI Units versus just RO?

Waterkeeper, good point! :eek: What does it mean to be heated or unheated? Is that just tapping it back in to your water heater? And then if so................is there directions with the units as to the set ups possible and how to do it myself, or do I have to have the LFS help me?

Thanks again, Carrie
 
Here is alink to Watts Premier who manufacturers the zero waste RO unit. It has limitations one of which is it only works with RO units of 25 GPD or less. Notice it uses an electric booster pump which must overcome your house pressure to inject the waste stream back into the hot water heater. Personally I would not recommend it.

http://www.wattspremier.com/watts/s...64841755&st3=-56327310&Product_ID=121&CATID=1

The $200 is only for the conversion that is added to a RO you would already own, so its not cheap.
 
AZ Desert Rat, thanks for the help and comments! I am checking into RO Units now and learning what we are talking about here.

Notice it uses an electric booster pump which must overcome your house pressure to inject the waste stream back into the hot water heater. Personally I would not recommend it.
Click to expand...

Forgive me if this seems like a dumb question, but I'd rather ask and learn and the ads seem to make this sound like a good thing. Why wouldn't you recommend it? Thanks again, Carrie
 
Several reasons actually. One is its practical limit for some reason is about 25 GPD. I am not sure why that is but thats as big as I have seen anywhere. It probably has to do with how much hot water is normally used in a day or something. If you are putting it in the hot water side you have to allow for expansion so you are probably pushing a small amout of water back into your cold water pipes. Another is the fact that it takes power and therefore additional money to operate. And with an RO unit you are removing total dissolved solids from the permeate or good water and concentrating them in the waste stream, you can figure the waste is 20% to 50% higher in TDS depending on your RO membrane and the waster ratio you are using. Then with this unit you are dumping this higher than normal TDS right into your hot water heater where you get water for doing dishes, washing clothes and bathing. I installed a water softener and RO unit so I don't have hard water and I sure don't want to defeat its pirpose by adding TDS back.
 
Doesn't the anode or whatever in the hot water heater pull gunk out of the water too (metals, etc.), so the increased TDS in the hot water heater would end up wearing it out more quickly?
 
Actually the anode portion of the heater is sacrificial in that it erodes to reduce corrosion on the tank itself. Now if the household water is softened with a home softener there won't be that much effect on the hot water system as, even with increased TDS, sodium salts still remain soluble. However, if the TDS of the incoming water increases on something like municipal lime softened water one will often see more sludge buildup on the hot water tank's bottom. Not a good thing.
 
The anode is there for cathodic protection or electrolysis protection. It is a sacrifical metal that is eaten before the steel or copper is by any galvanic action.
 
Okay, wow. I guess I don't want to do it that way, pumping it back into my hot water heater. Okay, real newbie questions with an RO Unit.............. I have a "pretty" Tank set up in my house. I want to keep the RO Unit situation as unnoticeable as possible, so is it best to have it in my garage and run it through my hoses. Do I need to large vats like the fish store has and is it self explanatory in the set up once you buy one? I am sooooo confused and very tired of the lousy customer service at my LFS so don't want their help right now. :rolleyes:

Thanks for any RO education set up you can give me. Waterkeeper, you said that it could be a problem with freezing in the winter.. Would I just bring water in from the inside in the winter? I am still confused with this set up.

Thanks, Carrie
 
Carrie, call Bryan at Purely H2O and have a 10 minute converstation with him. You'll find out all you need to know in that amount of time. He's a RC sponsor too.

reefcentralbanner.gif
 
I have a 14 gallon pressure tank that I got from PurelyH2O so I always have pressurized RO or DI water on hand at all times. Much better than the 3.3 gallon pressure tanks the drinking water RO kits come with.
MY RO/DI is also in my garage which is attached to my house and shares a common wall with the kitchen so plumbing it to the sink was a snap. I also have a laundry sink in the garage where I also have both RO and RO/DI faucets and all my RO/DI and saltwater mixing and monitoring equipment. Much better than flooding the wifes kitchen floor like I used to do when I forgot I was filling a 5G water bottle or brute can. Now I put the bottles in the laundry sink so if I forget, which I never do..... it goes down the drain. I also invested in a $10 digital timer that I clip on like a pager to help me remember...whats this thing beeping on my side???? Oh Ya! Its heck to get old.

Is you garage insulated so temperatures are somewhat controlled during winter months? If so thats probably a good place to put it.

And Waterkeeper, I am sipping a nice Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone homebrew as I type this! I must say mine is much better than theirs.
 
Here's a link for Aquadirect they carry AquaFx RO/DI setups.
http://www.aquadirect.com/store/home.php?cat=281



I purchased the Mako it is a five stage system. It produces 50 gal a day actually in about 10 hrs. V|Becuase I live in an apt I could not very well perm install so what I do is I have a 50 gall Brute that I fill. I just hook up to the kitchen sink and fill away. Waste goes right down the drain. When I am done the RO unit gets the hoses rolled up and it stores under my kitchen cabinets.

Now you might ask what do I do with the Brute well it is concealed in a closet . I keep it covered. So when I need pure water I just pull it from the Brute. The Mako runs like a top and is only 239.00
 
Hey Desert Rat. I am an ex Phoenix resident myself. Lived in Phx/Tempe area for 20 years. Hows everything in the Valley of Da Sun. If I remember right hotter than ****

Did not mean to hijack :(
 
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