RO water

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7939940#post7939940 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
With RO and RO/DI cheap is not good. You give up things that are very important. You either get cheesy filters that don't last and shorten the life of the membrane or you get a cheesy membrane that will never perform as well as it should. When you go cheap you end up either being totally disgusted with it or you spend much more upgrading it. About the cheapest you can go and still get quality is soething like the Optima series from www.purelyh2o.com or the regular Typhoon from www.airwaterice.com. There are a few other good ones in the $150 range from www.thefilterguys.biz and www.buckeyefieldsupply.com . None compare to the Spectrapure unit I linked to earlier though.
The one someone above suggested is on the very bottom of the totem pole as far as quality, it uses cheap components, is assembled poorly and will never get the water quality the others I have suggested will due to its poor design and poor filters.
Click to expand...

hah - you type a lot faster than I do, and you gave more info:rollface:
 
Micron ratings are just for the pre and carbon filters. The RO membrane will get it down to sub micron range (less than .001)as evidenced here. Don't settle for a cheap membrane when a Dow Filmtec or better yet hand tested Spectrapure Select membrane will get you 98+% rejection rate and their dual DI will turn out 18.2 megaohm water that nobody else can even come close to.

http://www.gewater.com/pdf/1117987- Lit- Filtration Spectrum.pdf
 
i orginially bought this locally for around 200, it was giving me 0 TDS for around 8months, decided to change out the filters anyways since i was also using it for drinking water.

i thought that there was only a few companies that actually make the ro membrane, GE and http://www.appliedmembranes.com/ (that;s the one i have). just did some research applied membranes are distributors of Dow Filmtec RO membrane

anyways i'm happy with mine, my TDS meter seems to think it;s a good unit.
 
Applied membranes ar NOT made by Dow Filmtec. Dow makes the membrane fabric and sells it to others that wind their own membranes. Some are good most are not as good. Notice both Applied and GE water require higher pressures to obtain the same flow as a Dow and at about 2% less stabilized efficiency. There is also a difference among the same brand of membranes even Dow Filmtec. Companies like Spectrapure buy only membranes that are stored and shipped wetted in a pickling solution and they test out better than dry membranes consistently. For the difference in efficiency its worth the few $$$ more as it greatly extends DI life.
 
Re: How important

Re: How important

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7937428#post7937428 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jfbhd4
I already started my90 gallon reef tank and cycled it with tap water. I dechlorinated it. How important is it to have the filtered water from now on? Do I need to start over with the filtered water?

thanks
Click to expand...

I started my 50 in exactly the same way, I had lots of hair algae/diatoms etc. I bought a RO unit after a few months, I use it for all water changes and top up now. The algae slowly went away and never returned. I wish I had started with one, all the experts recommend it and I can only agree.
 
is that the only difference is a few percent of efficiency? my di beads were still good, i measure before and after RO stage. i was getting 5ppm before DI and 0ppm after DI this is after 8 months of use.
when u say efficiency is that the amount of water it produces or how well the RO membrane filters the water?
 
How well it works. My tap water averages 630 ppm TDS my RO only gets that to about 9 TDS and DI gets it to a true 0 unlike what most vendors claim is 0. They use meters that are not capable of measuring 0 TDS on their best day. I have this new meter from HM Digital that is at least 10x more accurate and sensitive a any other hobbyist meter available. No other hanheld meter even comes close. It measures down to about 10 megaohms resistance.
http://www.tdsmeter.com/products/com100.html
 
wow that's some nasty water u got there in phoenix, my tap water is 70ppm.

jfbhd4 oops i don;t have that one that u linked too, i have the aquasafe unit, i wouldnt buy that one that u linked to
 
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Its a worse unit than the FD one. It uses a Chinese membrane that they won't even tell you the name of, granular carbon and cheap filters. It uses a hollow tube stuffed with a little bit of resin and is made up of low quality fittings and components. The e-bay units are cheap for a reason, don't try to cut corners or you will be sorry guaranteed. Those who tell you these are good units have never seen a good high quality RO/DI to compare it to. If you set those side by side with the ones I have mentioned you can see the differences without even having to make water with it.
Expect to pay between $150 and $250 for a good quality RO/DI or you are not getting one that will give you high quality water for a long period of time or that will last you more than a couple of years.
 
It's not even all that cheap. Shipping is $32, so it's about $100, total. They claim the membrane is from the US, though.
 
I have e-mailed the vendor numerous times requesting information and they won't return my requests. The part numbers they show on the membrane do not match up with any US manufacturer. I did track them down to a company in China and Taiwan though and they are not even NSF/ANSI approved in the US for drinking water if they are the ones I think they are. Typical of lots of e-bay vendors, they import a container load of a knock offs and sell them cheap then disappear.
 
I unfortunately bought from the 2nd guy, and i regretted it. My boats RO/DI water-maker system uses an Applied membrane, and i have found it of very good quality. The ebay unit i got is wearing fast, and the pressure switch broke requiring me to hammer the seller with emails to get a replacement. I will be replacing my membrane with a Dow or applied membrane very soon, along with the 1st 3 stages as they make water for my fridge. I have 2 of the DI stages turned vertical for bottom to top flow, and get 0 on my TDS meter but i use up resin pretty fast.
 
does anyone know about the Kent Marine Hi-S RO Unit 60 GPD ?
I have an offer to get it for 110 shipped... anyone with experience with it, please let me know asap!!
 
Anyone

Anyone

Anyone know about the Coralife Pure-Flo II RO Units from Dr. fosters and smith?
They are cheap for the small one (all I need)
I trust coralife, they are a solid brand.

JB

thanks
 
WHats the difference between the ones with just RO compared to the ones with DI also?
Do you need both?
Thanks
JB
 
Yes you need both RO and DI unless you have very pristine water to begin with. All the vendors I have suggested have RO/DI units for less then $150 complete. You will also need a TDS meter if it does not come with one so you can determine how well it is working and when to change DI resin.
 
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