RO unit and water bill?

[ANNIESREEF]

I know a RO unit waste several gallons of water to produce what we need for our reef tanks. How much difference in $$$ amount does it make in your water bill a month? I know it will vary depending on the size of the tank so let me know what size you have and approx. the difference your water bill.
just curious.

Thanks all!

 

[simonmr]

The ratio for RO units is 6 to 1 6 waste to 1 clean water my bill went from 40 a quarter to 80 a quarter.

 

[jeffbrig]

My water bill historically has been $24-27 monthly. Since I set up my tank, I've seen as low as $27 and as high as $33. Not a significant difference, IMO.

 

[techigirl78]

It has gone up about $15 every 3 mnths - 90 gal / 75 gal sump/refugium / 125 gal

 

[old salty]

I reuse the waste water in my washing machine, so I really didn't notice much of a difference.

 

[stingers81]

just wondering...is there anything wrong with the waste water that it produces? is it just like tab water or cleaner??? i think it goes through the filters and then it gets rejected before it goes into the di resin....just wondering...can i collect that water and drink it???

 

[integlikewhoa]

This is one thing i dont have to pay for. Im in a apt. and my electric bill sky rocketed with my 125. But a plus side is i can use all the damn water i want. So free water at my house.

 

[jeffbrig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6623452#post6623452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stingers81
just wondering...is there anything wrong with the waste water that it produces? is it just like tab water or cleaner??? i think it goes through the filters and then it gets rejected before it goes into the di resin....just wondering...can i collect that water and drink it???

The "waste" water tds will be somewhat higher than the incoming water. If your rejection ratio is 5:1, the waste water will have 20% more tds than what went into the membrane. If your tds is low to begin with, there's probably nothing wrong with drinking it. It may be better than what comes out of someone else's tap.

However, the carbon prefilters essentially dechlorinate the incoming water, so I wouldn't store it for a long time if you're planning to drink it. No telling what could start growing.

 

[ANNIESREEF]

THANKS TO YOU ALL! It is not that bad at all being that I pay anywhere from $.79 to $1.19 a gallon at the grocery store. RO will be alot cheaper in the long run. How would you use it in your washing machine? A real great idea if I knew how it worked!

 

[Jamie2337]

You gotta love military housing! Can you say "Free Untilities?" I'm Lovin' It!

Jamie