RODI from water softener?

[nmbeg]

Should my rodi be hooked up to softened water from the water softener, or hard water?

"soft water" sounds nicer, but is there a catch?

 

[teesquare]

Only that "softeners" work by ion exchange. They use salts to exchange calcium and magnesium for sodium.
So - you will have to remove more sodium and less other minerals.

I don't see an advantage to feeding softened water to the RO.

T

 

[reef_doug]

RO/DI should be plumbed after the softener. It's much easier on the membrane and prevents scaling. Membranes can remove chlorides easier than other minerals.

 

[teesquare]

Doug - where can we find info on this? Has me curious now.......
T

 

[reef_doug]

Doug - where can we find info on this? Has me curious now.......
T

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1735397
The question comes up frequently on the Spectrapure sponsored forum.

 

[teesquare]

Thanks Doug!
I like it when I learn something new!
T

 

[nmbeg]

hmm... thanks for the info.

so, are there salt brands that are better for my membrane and tank than others?

Should I use Reef Crystals Pro in my water softener?

 

[bertoni]

You just use a softener grade of salt in the softener itself. An aquarium salt wouldn't work all that well.

 

[nmbeg]

i know, i was joking about the Reef Crystals Pro.

but are there differences in the softener salts?

 

[HighlandReefer]

The two salts primarily used to soften water seem to be sodium chloride and potassium chloride. There are different methods used to acquire these salts: rock, solar, and evaporated. The different methods used to acquire the salts result in a different purity. Regular salt (sodium chloride) is the cheapest type. As far as drinking the softened water, many claim that the more expensive potassium chloride salt may be healthier. The potassium chloride is usually around 4X more expensive then sodium chloride. The sodium chloride tends to leave a saltier taste.

 

[bertoni]

For the aquarium, either one is fine. You might want to do a taste test for consumption.