RO units, 3 stage vs 4 stage?

[Mpthreer]

is the fourth resin chamber really necessary? I run chemi pure elite mostly, but sometimes i run phosban in conjunction with seachems matrix or matrix+phosphorous absorber.... I have a fuge and plenty of live rock and sand for extra filteration. Please let me know because I am thinking of purchaseing a higher gpd unit and want to spend my limited funds wisely. I believe I am going to go with the premium reef supply brand. Thanks!

 

[Mr. Thingdoer]

I have a 100GPD 3 stage Seachem RO unit. My city water is 150TDS, and the water out of the RO unit is 0TDS for about 6 months now. No Phosphates ever come up either.

 

[luther1200]

If I was to buy a new unit I would get at least a 4 stage.

1 sediment-1 carbon(or carbon block)- RO- DI.

If I got a 5 stage I would either do 2 sediments at different microns or 2 DI's and rotate them.

 

[addicted2reefin]

make sure u have a di. alot of the junk in water cannot be filtered by sediment/carbon or even r/o. thats where the di comes into play. ionized particles such as nitrate, slip through the ro membrane.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

For an RO system, 3 stages are typically just fine.

For an RODI, you want 4 stages.

If you are trying to address any specific water quality issue, additional stages may be needed - but don't fall into the trap of thinking "more stages is better." There are plenty of 6 and 7 stage systems on ebay that are not configured correctly but people get wowed by the low price...

Russ

 

[Mpthreer]

thanks a lot, im going to go with the 3 stage for the moment
I should really invest in a tds meter, that will be on the list somewhere down the road. Anyway i'm sure its better than the 10 gallon a day unit I have from home depot lol