Water switch!!*&%!!

[Maybaer]

A couple of weeks ago I bought about 30 gallons of RO water like I always do. (I haven't bought a RODI system yet) I usually use the water for top-offs during the week and changes once a week on my 37g tank. I have been noticing that my green watermelon mushroom colony has looked bad, all shrunken. When I went to do a water change, I put 5 gallons of water in a bucket, put a heater and power head in and added the salt. I let it run all day. Last night I checked the salinity of my tank and it was way high! I then checked the water in the bucket and the swing arm went all the way to the top! So... I checked the water in my containers and what do you know, They gave me already mixed saltwater instead of RO freshwater and I have been topping off the tank all week with saltwater! I never thought to check the salinity of the water. I had to break down and treat tap water last night to bring down the salinity. I hope that my mushrooms recover! Everything else seems okay.

So, if you buy RO do you check to see if you get what you ask for? I definately will in the future!

 

[TrojanScott]

Sorry to hear that happened. If I'm buying Catalina water from my local, and happen to need RO, I will check it when I get home. (containers marked, but it's only a quick finger taste test to know if it's RO)

But, most of the time I get my RO from a water store that sells nothing but RO and RO units. (cheaper, and conveniently next to my home.)

I have an RO unit in a box that I paid $200 for and haven't even opened. I debate every other month if it's worth the hassle to set it up. I'm lucky to be in CA to have Catalina water nearby, and an RO joint right up the street. Not sure if I really need the RO unit at all.

 

[integlikewhoa]

Whats so hard with a R/O unit? Takes like 5 min to install. 2 lines to hook up plus your output. After that you got months of free water and no driveing anywhere to pick it up. I bet you can install in the time it take you to make only 1 trip to the store and back.

 

[Maybaer]

Integlikewhoa,

I suppose like every other newbie, I have a lot of other stuff I need to buy first or want to buy first. If you have an extra one lying around, I could email my address and you could send it to me. Or you could just send me $150. Why be condesending?

 

[integlikewhoa]

So if you had one you would install it rather then going to buy water?

 

[integlikewhoa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6801016#post6801016 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TrojanScott
I have an RO unit in a box that I paid $200 for and haven't even opened. I debate every other month if it's worth the hassle to set it up.

Because that message was in regards to this quote by trojanscott. He already has one and just has to install it. That's why I didn't say anything about buying one. I merely was suggesting he should install the unit he has and it will save him time and money in the long run. And that its not as hard to install as he thinks. If hes like me he just needs some encouragement to get off the couch and do something that he originally planed on doing anyway.
So im sorry if I didn't say who I was talking to, but please don't get your panties in a bunch. It wasn't meant for you.

 

[Maybaer]

Integlikewhoa,

My bad! Not knowing you weren't addressing your comments to me, you came off pretty harsh. Good panty comeback though.

 

[Maybaer]

BTW... Yes, I would rather have my own RODI unit instaed of buying at the LFS. I'm sure that it will be one of my next purchases after I buy some better powerheads to upgrade my flow on my 100g and my skimmer on my 37g.

 

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6801120#post6801120 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by integlikewhoa
After that you got months of free water

I don't know where you live but water sure isn't free around here. Remember that you will waste about 4g of water to get 1g of RO/DI water. Yes its still cheaper then buying RO water plus you get the benefits of the DI but it is still not free water.

 

[TrojanScott]

Just for the record, I didn't take offense to the response.

But, is it really cheaper? I'm serious, it takes me 10 minutes to make the trip to buy RO water at .25 a gallon.

so, 5 gallons of RO water at home is how many gallons total?
25 total used?

I don't have a sink outside, well, in my garage, (which is where I'd set up the unit) so where does my waste water go? Grass?

You're probably right, it's probably easy to set up, and no big deal to do. I just wonder how much I'd really be saving.

 

[SCR]

Maybaer
Are you using a swing arm to check your salinity ? The one I first used was way off from being correct, it read much higher than it actually was. You might want to double check it if you haven't already.

 

[codybug]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6803618#post6803618 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TrojanScott
Just for the record, I didn't take offense to the response.

But, is it really cheaper? I'm serious, it takes me 10 minutes to make the trip to buy RO water at .25 a gallon.

so, 5 gallons of RO water at home is how many gallons total?
25 total used?

I don't have a sink outside, well, in my garage, (which is where I'd set up the unit) so where does my waste water go? Grass?

You're probably right, it's probably easy to set up, and no big deal to do. I just wonder how much I'd really be saving.

Where do you buy water from in Lake Forest?

 

[TrojanScott]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6806460#post6806460 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by codybug
Where do you buy water from in Lake Forest?

El Toro and Trabuco are the cross streets nearest.... Vons shopping center, it's right next to a cleaners.

 

[TrojanScott]

For the RO water only... not salt. For that I go to Coral Oasis in Irvine.

 

[Joshthenosh]

i was buying 2 containors of RO water n what id do is fill one up with salt so when they put ro in id have ready mixed water for chages n one for top up

 

[integlikewhoa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6801670#post6801670 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dubbin1
I don't know where you live but water sure isn't free around here.

Sorry. I swear i forget that cuz im in an apartment. Im young and never owned a place of my own where i have to pay for water and trash. So water is free for me.
I have mine hooked under my kitchen sink with a line run to the tank and into my garage where my 55g drum is. Beacause i too dont have a sink or water line for that matter in the garage. If you have a washer in the garage your golden. It will have both a drain and water line in there. So you can come off that. And waste water for me goes down the drain. I dont bother saving it.