RO suggestions....
- Thread starter dynagirl
- Start date
kaptken
New member
Hi Dyna
Before sugesting a filtration system, we need some basic info on your home water supply. It may make a big difference on what you need.
Like for instance is it a city water supply or home well? Big differences in house water pressure(may need a booster pump) and water treatment chemicals added. Municipal water from wells or from reservoirs or rivers? Big difference in the levels of nitrates, phosphates and other stuff that may be in the water. Lots of iron? Or other things that make it taste bad?
Do you live next to a leaky super fund toxic waste dump site? (I do, but fortunately my well water company, pumping station right behind my lot, runs it all thru a VERY LARGE carbon filter system first, Whew!! Tastes good now!!).. There are filters for all of these conditions.
have you tested your water for any extreme levels of bad things for reefs or drinking water?
So?
What's in your water?
Before sugesting a filtration system, we need some basic info on your home water supply. It may make a big difference on what you need.
Like for instance is it a city water supply or home well? Big differences in house water pressure(may need a booster pump) and water treatment chemicals added. Municipal water from wells or from reservoirs or rivers? Big difference in the levels of nitrates, phosphates and other stuff that may be in the water. Lots of iron? Or other things that make it taste bad?
Do you live next to a leaky super fund toxic waste dump site? (I do, but fortunately my well water company, pumping station right behind my lot, runs it all thru a VERY LARGE carbon filter system first, Whew!! Tastes good now!!).. There are filters for all of these conditions.
have you tested your water for any extreme levels of bad things for reefs or drinking water?
So?
What's in your water?
I have well water and the two main issues are a ph of 5.5 and nitrates at 4 ppm. It does not
taste or smell bad and is not overly hard or anything. I have a septic system and have read
that some RO systems give off alot of "waste" water and might cause problems.
Anybody know about that?
taste or smell bad and is not overly hard or anything. I have a septic system and have read
that some RO systems give off alot of "waste" water and might cause problems.
Anybody know about that?
I bought my RO/DI at www.melevsreef.com for $169 and I have never had any problems. It's a 5 stage 100 gallon per day unit. I have had mine for a year now. I have well water and septic with no issues from waste water which is just wasted purified water that goes down the drain. You could run the wasted water to an outside line so that it doesn't go down the drain, but I don't bother. Also if you live in Bridgeville you might want to check out Dr. Macs in Mardela Springs, MD. Great store!! there website is www.pacificeastaquaculture.com Good Luck!
Thefilterguys
.Registered Member
Your well water is not good do not buy a cheap E-bay RO/DI. Your low pH is a problem and you will have to produce RO water and airate it to get rid of the high CO2 levels and raise the pH. In your waters current stated DI resin will be exhausted in an instant. Once you have removed the CO2 you can then run the water through your DI resin. Suggest you find out what the TDS of your water is first? RO/DI systems produce a waste to product water rate of 4:1.
Jim
kaptken
New member
WOW, thats a low PH. you got some good feed back here on places to buy once you figure out the type system you need. the 4ppm nitrates is not bad, the RO membrane will easily remove that. since you have well water, you might have low water pressure. normal city water pressure is about 60-70 PSI. RO membranes need at least 60-70 psi to produce filtered water at that 4:1 waste to product ration filterguy mentioned. the lower your house water presure, the more waste and less filtered water you get. thats why some units come with a built in booster pump to bump the pressure up to like 85 psi or more, and get better results.
I just use a basic 3 stage. i micron carbon filter, 1 micron sediment filter and the 50 gpd RO membrane. it has worked fine for me. my water has a high PH from the tap ,so i dont have the same problem you do. filterguy is correct, you could aerate the RO water and then pump it thru a DI if you think you need it that clean. but then you need another pump, powerhead will do, to run thru the DI resin filter, or gravity feed if your storage barrel,(brute trash can) is elevated higher than the final storage barrel.
since you have home well water, you dont have added chlorine or phosphates water companies add to treat their water. the carbon filter will still remove any chemical pollutants from your ground water, and the sediment filter will get the fine particles, then the 75gpd filmtec membrane will remove 98% of the bad disolved nitrates, phosphates, and silicates, along with the good alkalinity calcium , magnesium and carbonate compounds.
thats pretty good. been fine for me. but next i store the filtered water for my daily makeup, in a barrel to which i added a 1/4 cup of ARAGAMITE, fine powdered araganite, to remineralize it with calcium, carbonates, magnesium strontium... trace elements etc. it raises the PH a little and is better for the reef with the added alkalinity. most salt mixes assume you have a certain level of natural alkalinity in the water to start with. or you can add an RO prep re-mineralizer, like kents. it completely disolves. the aragamite disolves some to its saturation level of about 1 or 2 DKH, then the rest sits on the bottom to disolve in the next batch. either will raise the PH of the output water. but DO NOT run the treated remineralized water thru a DI resin filter. a mixing air stone would be good too. although the aragamite might not settle and remain milky looking.
i would stick with a 75 gpd size RO . they are the most efficient. i hear the 100 gpd membrane only removes 92-94% of TDS.
I know others in the club have been very happy with systems from airwaterice, and buckeye field supply, dr. mac, and filterguys look good too. so after deciding what you need, the rest is just shopping.
so consider your TDS and water pressure next.
I just use a basic 3 stage. i micron carbon filter, 1 micron sediment filter and the 50 gpd RO membrane. it has worked fine for me. my water has a high PH from the tap ,so i dont have the same problem you do. filterguy is correct, you could aerate the RO water and then pump it thru a DI if you think you need it that clean. but then you need another pump, powerhead will do, to run thru the DI resin filter, or gravity feed if your storage barrel,(brute trash can) is elevated higher than the final storage barrel.
since you have home well water, you dont have added chlorine or phosphates water companies add to treat their water. the carbon filter will still remove any chemical pollutants from your ground water, and the sediment filter will get the fine particles, then the 75gpd filmtec membrane will remove 98% of the bad disolved nitrates, phosphates, and silicates, along with the good alkalinity calcium , magnesium and carbonate compounds.
thats pretty good. been fine for me. but next i store the filtered water for my daily makeup, in a barrel to which i added a 1/4 cup of ARAGAMITE, fine powdered araganite, to remineralize it with calcium, carbonates, magnesium strontium... trace elements etc. it raises the PH a little and is better for the reef with the added alkalinity. most salt mixes assume you have a certain level of natural alkalinity in the water to start with. or you can add an RO prep re-mineralizer, like kents. it completely disolves. the aragamite disolves some to its saturation level of about 1 or 2 DKH, then the rest sits on the bottom to disolve in the next batch. either will raise the PH of the output water. but DO NOT run the treated remineralized water thru a DI resin filter. a mixing air stone would be good too. although the aragamite might not settle and remain milky looking.
i would stick with a 75 gpd size RO . they are the most efficient. i hear the 100 gpd membrane only removes 92-94% of TDS.
I know others in the club have been very happy with systems from airwaterice, and buckeye field supply, dr. mac, and filterguys look good too. so after deciding what you need, the rest is just shopping.
so consider your TDS and water pressure next.
I was considering buying a system that contained a built in "remineralization" stage.... They
sell it for people who want to produce their own mineral water. I called and they said it would
raise the pH to about 6.5. Here are some of the details:
1 - 10†Sediment pre-filter: 5 micron bonded spun poly with high holding depth
1 - Thin Film Composite membrane - 0.001 micron ultra-fine pore, 50 gallon per day
10†Carbon filter: 5 micron granular activated carbon (coconut shell carbon)
1 - 10†Artesian filter: 5 micron granular activated carbon (coconut shell carbon) with advanced remineralization media (replaces calcium and magnesium)
sell it for people who want to produce their own mineral water. I called and they said it would
raise the pH to about 6.5. Here are some of the details:
1 - 10†Sediment pre-filter: 5 micron bonded spun poly with high holding depth
1 - Thin Film Composite membrane - 0.001 micron ultra-fine pore, 50 gallon per day
10†Carbon filter: 5 micron granular activated carbon (coconut shell carbon)
1 - 10†Artesian filter: 5 micron granular activated carbon (coconut shell carbon) with advanced remineralization media (replaces calcium and magnesium)
kaptken
New member
That's right, i almost forgot you wanted it to double as a drinking water filter too. the system you describe sounds like a normal, but lower grade 3 stage RO system with remineralizer. just make sure the TFC is a DOW filmtec 98% efficiency membrane. The 5 micron sediment and carbon filters could be upgraded with 1 micron replacements later, they should be standard size. The 1 microns will keep more and finer sediment from clogging the TFC membrane and make it last longer. and keep the reject rate lower.
Terry's idea sounds perfect. put a 3 way valve or Y fitting with a valve on each output line, to remineralizer for drinking water, and one to your tank water storage barrel. I suspect the carbon filter with remineralizer has a limited gallons capacity, and you should use that only for your drinking water supply. as i noted before its cheap and easy to remineralize your makeup water with reef osmo prep or aragamite.
if you have a basement it would be perfect to set up storage barrels down there. I have a rancher, and mine take up the kitchen and a pantry. I use a maxjet power head and 30 feet of 1/2" vinyl tubing to transfer water to and from tank , drain and barrels. works good. you would need a bigger pump though to run up from a basement. easier than carrying buckets.
mine is mounted in the utility closet above the washing machine. i often use the reject water to fill the washer rather than waste it down the drain. or in summer you can run that 1/4 black vinyl drip line tubing outside and water the garden. or top off a garden pond if you have one and keep it out of the septic system. it is filtered water, been thru a carbon filter, just higher in nitrates and phosphates. i just hate wasting the water since i have to pay for it.
so, the only thing you haven't confirmed is if you have enough water pressure in the house line. if it's less than 60 PSI you should probably get a filter sytem with a booster pump and pressure gage. many systems also include a TFC membrane back flush valving system. it cleans the crud off the membrane and it works better and lasts longer. I'm not familiar with the drinking water remin filter you mentioned. if they are sold separately, you could then buy any good RO system with pump(if needed ) and the gauge and flush system built in, and just add the remin to the output line to your tap water reservoir. that would give you more options for shopping around.
Terry's idea sounds perfect. put a 3 way valve or Y fitting with a valve on each output line, to remineralizer for drinking water, and one to your tank water storage barrel. I suspect the carbon filter with remineralizer has a limited gallons capacity, and you should use that only for your drinking water supply. as i noted before its cheap and easy to remineralize your makeup water with reef osmo prep or aragamite.
if you have a basement it would be perfect to set up storage barrels down there. I have a rancher, and mine take up the kitchen and a pantry. I use a maxjet power head and 30 feet of 1/2" vinyl tubing to transfer water to and from tank , drain and barrels. works good. you would need a bigger pump though to run up from a basement. easier than carrying buckets.
mine is mounted in the utility closet above the washing machine. i often use the reject water to fill the washer rather than waste it down the drain. or in summer you can run that 1/4 black vinyl drip line tubing outside and water the garden. or top off a garden pond if you have one and keep it out of the septic system. it is filtered water, been thru a carbon filter, just higher in nitrates and phosphates. i just hate wasting the water since i have to pay for it.
so, the only thing you haven't confirmed is if you have enough water pressure in the house line. if it's less than 60 PSI you should probably get a filter sytem with a booster pump and pressure gage. many systems also include a TFC membrane back flush valving system. it cleans the crud off the membrane and it works better and lasts longer. I'm not familiar with the drinking water remin filter you mentioned. if they are sold separately, you could then buy any good RO system with pump(if needed ) and the gauge and flush system built in, and just add the remin to the output line to your tap water reservoir. that would give you more options for shopping around.
kaptken
New member
good question. I may be over complicating the process. the answer will be known when you find the gallons of water the filter can re-mineralize. then its just a cost decision if its low and the filter costs a lot. but the other consideration is, just what does it put back into the water? and is it enough or anything not so good for reefs? i would suspect its not harmful since its for drinking water. but araganite adds a little of all the good carbonates, borates, sulphates, strontium and trace elements of the coral structure . a little better in my view.
do you have a link to the re-min filter manufacturer i can look at?
i think you are real close to picking a unit. you are right, volume may not be a big consideration for you. I keep forgetting because i use a bit more. this is good, choosing the most cost effective system for your needs. too many new reefers go way over the top buying way more than they really need. thinking thing thru up front can save time, money and problems down the road . I have some experience in this. doing things wrong the first time. that is.
do you have a link to the re-min filter manufacturer i can look at?
i think you are real close to picking a unit. you are right, volume may not be a big consideration for you. I keep forgetting because i use a bit more. this is good, choosing the most cost effective system for your needs. too many new reefers go way over the top buying way more than they really need. thinking thing thru up front can save time, money and problems down the road . I have some experience in this. doing things wrong the first time. that is.
wds21921
New member
"Why would I want to bypass the re-mineralization stage for fish water?"
Actually thats part of the reason for RO/DI dyna. Since we don't know and most likely can't test for each mineral, there's no way to be certain of how many and what minerals, contaminants, trace elelments, etc. are going back into your tank through that source water. This also includes such considerations as copper piping too.
Purely filtered RO/DI water gets all the necessary and exact minerals, etc. from the salt we mix into it.
Ideally, at that point we're introducing almost perfect water/salt mix.
Actually thats part of the reason for RO/DI dyna. Since we don't know and most likely can't test for each mineral, there's no way to be certain of how many and what minerals, contaminants, trace elelments, etc. are going back into your tank through that source water. This also includes such considerations as copper piping too.
Purely filtered RO/DI water gets all the necessary and exact minerals, etc. from the salt we mix into it.
Ideally, at that point we're introducing almost perfect water/salt mix.
