tap water

[sayn3ver]

Ideally, go have your tap water tested somewhere or by a local hobbyist. My inline tds meter says my tap water is roughly 116 TDS.

That's not as crazy as those with 250-300+ tds but I still wouldn't use it for a reef tank.

If you are concerned with the waste water, setup a holding tank/trashcan/etc and fill it with the RO wastewater and use it to water flowers, do laundry, wash cars, etc. ofcourse, the smaller the tank the less water you will need to make.

You could try cutting down on your morning shower too, if you are concerned about water usage. Don't forget all the electricity you'll be burning as well with a tank.

These things are truly double-edged swords to us who care about the planet.

 

[MTB]

My tap water seems to stay constant around 85 tds. Never had an algae problem while I used tap water for over year. I still bought an RO/DI though a few months ago.

 

[michaeldaly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11329243#post11329243 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Refrigerator filters do very little for removing TDS, probably 1% at best. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids with the key word being Dissolved. Rferigerator filters trap TSS or Total Suspended Solids or what is know as sediment and particulates. Thye als occontain some carbon for taste and odor control which removes some of the chlorine. The do absolutely nothing for dissolved solids. Do not believe anyone who tells you a Pur or Britta type filters is as good as an RO/DI as it just is not anywhere near true.
Nothing is a close substitute for an RO/DI system.

I'd imagine distilled water would be as good if not better than RO/DI.

Even just a DI filter would work as well but would need frequent replacing.

 

[skiguy411]

I currently live in an apartment, so a RO system isn't really possible for me.

What options do I have other than going to the store and buying RO water?

 

[Sk8r]

If you have a kitchen sink or a washingmachine in the apartment, ro/di is very possible---the washing machine makes it particularly easy. A Y connector, waste line down into the washer.

 

[dsn112]

I ran one in an apartment before with a faucet connector in the kitchen. Nice because waste water can go right in the drain.

 

[NirvanaFan]

I live in an apartment and put it under the sink in the kitchen. All I did was unscrew the cold water line, screw it on the RO/DI unit's line and run another flex line to the faucet. It was like $5 or something like that. I just open up the cabinet doors under the sink, put the drain line into the sink drain, and put the other line into my bucket. I'd like to set up something more permanent, but can't do it until I get a house.

 

[skiguy411]

Hmmm, I never thought about the washing machine idea. The y connector would make that pretty easy.

Thanks!

Off to do some research.....

 

[nmhs2]

After reading this thread im actually read glad i just sripped my whole tank down a few days ago due to copper. When I started my tank i used tap water and had algae problems withing 2 months. Now i have a ro/di water and am happy as hell!

 

[derge]

i just got my ro unit but i have been buying ro water from the lfs i have seen a change in the amount of algae that grows and it is a lot less, how ever my tds reading for my tap water is 49 ppm today doesnt sound so bad! any way as my 5 gallon containor is filling i did a tds reading on it and its 0 ppm so all looks good for the morings water change.

i only want to use my ro unit once a week are they alright disconnected for a week?

 

[AZDesertRat]

Yes as long as you keep water in the housings. Don't let the membrane or the DI dry out completely and it will be OK.

 

[Nereaga]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11335278#post11335278 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NirvanaFan
I live in an apartment and put it under the sink in the kitchen. All I did was unscrew the cold water line, screw it on the RO/DI unit's line and run another flex line to the faucet. It was like $5 or something like that. I just open up the cabinet doors under the sink, put the drain line into the sink drain, and put the other line into my bucket. I'd like to set up something more permanent, but can't do it until I get a house.

I also live in an apartment. I do the exact same thing.... EXACT... The girlfriend HATES it! lololol oh well.....

Brad