which ro system off fleabay is ok?

[AZDesertRat]

Wait until you see your home flooded due to a cheap housing shattering or cracking. I have seen this myself and luckily it was not my home. Or wait until you see your home flooded due to the failure of a cheap knockoff speed fitting. With more and more communities requiring backflow devices on incoming water lines you no longer have the pressure relief or surge protection you once had. IT used to be where if your hot water heater stuck on and you encountered thermal expansion or if your sprinkler valve slammed shut and caused water hammer it was absorbed through your connection to the city main. Those days are going bye bye and you now need a cushion and filter housings are susceptible to water hammer.

I suppose as long as you can skate by you are happy but remember my words one day when this happens to you, and the odds are against you on this one. Cheap components do not go through the rigorous testing procedures required by NSF, ANSI, IAPMO and other agencies to gain their approvals as it costs money to get certified and it cuts into their profits. Reputable vendors use approved materials and components and it shows in the quality and longevity of the units.
I will say it again "There is a difference". Mark my words.

 

[imtheonlylp]

im not so sure about all this negativity about units from ebay...i purchaed one about 2 years ago and have only changed the "green" looking sandy media on the top (the name escapes me as i'm at work right now)...but according to my tds meter, i am exporting 0-1ppm tds and my output is around 4-5gph...i purchased the unit for around $100 shipped and have never had any problem with it...it came with every available adapter i needed, saddle valves, faucet adapters, etc....so maybe its hit or miss? luckily enough i hit...

 

[heuerfan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8585090#post8585090 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Aquasafe is a perfect example of one I would stay away from.

I don't know much about ro/di units but i purchased this unit 3 years ago and it is still working very well for me. I change the filters once a year or when the TDS reads anything other than 000. Many of my friends and local reefers own this unit without any complaints.

My 2 cents...

 

[twkenny]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8594263#post8594263 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by imtheonlylp
im not so sure about all this negativity about units from ebay...i purchaed one about 2 years ago and have only changed the "green" looking sandy media on the top (the name escapes me as i'm at work right now)...but according to my tds meter, i am exporting 0-1ppm tds and my output is around 4-5gph...i purchased the unit for around $100 shipped and have never had any problem with it...it came with every available adapter i needed, saddle valves, faucet adapters, etc....so maybe its hit or miss? luckily enough i hit...

Whatever type of unit you buy you should really change the carbon and sediment filters every 6 months. They get pretty funky.

 

[AZDesertRat]

You should be replacing the prefilter and carbons at least every 6 months no matter what RO unit you have. Once the carbon removes any residual disinfectant you are opening yourself up for bacteria and virus growth inside the housings and in the membrane. Always replace filters and disinfect the housings every 6 months regardless of the amount of water run through them to lessen the chances of this happening. This is especially critical if you use it for drinking water.

 

[AZDesertRat]

jinx !!!

 

[twkenny]

You said it better than I.

 

[imtheonlylp]

still my tds are at 0, and all the tank inhabitants are happy so eh...yeah

 

[twkenny]

Your TDS meter won't pick up bacteria.
Glad your inhabitants are happy. Hope you're not drinking the water.
Think about it....the very nature of the filters is to remove impurities. They are concentrated in the filters. Water sits in this mess when the unit is not in use. So you have a nice dark, wet place for all kinds of funk to grow.
Or, swap the filters and clean it out every six months. Even the Ebay companies recomment swapping the filters...although I did see on that said a year was okay.
Prefilters are pretty cheap.

 

[heuerfan]

Come to think of it, i've only change the 4 filters on my aquasafe unit. The DI chamber is 3 years old Just noticed that aquasafe now sells a clear DI chamber that holds 16 oz. of resin. I was told the RO membrane should last about 5 years.

Do you guys think i need to change the RO membrane as well as the DI chamber?

Thanks,
Steven

 

[AZDesertRat]

If you are still getting good rejection out of the membrane then it shouldn't need changing. They are flushed when you use them so it should be clean. If you have noticed a reduction in filtering though, either a slow down in production or lower quality water it might be wise to at least remove it and inspect it. It could have slime bacteria on it which reduces output and water quality or it could just be wearing out as all membranes do, they begin to plug with solids that do not get flushed away and this is normal.
Use a TDS meter to check the incoming, RO only and RO/DI efficiency and time the flow to see if it is where it is supposed to be.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8588722#post8588722 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Y lasts a minimum of 3.5X longer than yours and I get true 0 TDS water, actually its 18.2 megaOhm true semiconductor quality water unlike any e-bay unit that I am aware of.

Does a reef tank need semiconductor quality water? Would going from my 0 tds to your 18.2 mega Ohm water make a difference?


Not a chance.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Over time most certainly. Water changes do not remove everything so things that go into the tank are cumulative without a doubt. Look at copper for an example, we know that even traces of it left over when a tank was once used as a freshwater system appear at later dates and get into the rock and sand. If you don't put it in in the first place you are better off and the same goes with your water, salt or anything else you put in there.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8594986#post8594986 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Over time most certainly. Water changes do not remove everything so things that go into the tank are cumulative without a doubt. Look at copper for an example, we know that even traces of it left over when a tank was once used as a freshwater system appear at later dates and get into the rock and sand.

No, we dont know that, and Randy refuted that copper myth last time I asked on here.

FWIW, most of our salt mixes have way higher levels of copper than RO could add.

 

[fsn77]

Are we really arguing over $40 - $50 when we're talking about the potential life or death of well over $1000 worth of livestock?

Everyone believes what they want to believe, so this debate could go on endlessly. However, I feel this thread is missing a very big point as to what that extra $50 gets anyone. It's the reliability of the company you're buying from... knowing they'll be around tomorrow if you have a problem. Ongoing customer service in many cases from people that have actually used the unit your inquiring about themselves comes with your purchase from many of the "quality" RO/DI marketers. Any seller on eBay can sell whatever they want (in many cases not ever seeing the items) and disappear tomorrow. They all claim to have great service, but there's so many sellers that close up shop after a few complaints and start a new ID with a different e-mail address. While eBay claims to do what they can to prevent this from happening, we'd all be foolish to think they can prevent it with any real sucess.

The truth is, if you have really poor incoming water quality, a cheap unit is going to cost you more money to operate than a higher quality unit. If you have really good incoming water quality, it's unlikely you'd ever notice the difference between a cheap unit and a more expensive one.

In the end, I think it would be smart to know what you're dealing with as far as incoming water quality before looking to buy any RO/DI unit. Choose a RO/DI unit that suits your existing water conditions and your wallet.

If you think you'll buy a cheap one and then upgrade later on, don't kid yourself. Money is always an issue for the majority of us. You might actually do it... but why not keep things simple, wait the few extra paychecks, and buy the better unit right from the start?

 

[twkenny]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8595542#post8595542 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fsn77
If you think you'll buy a cheap one and then upgrade later on, don't kid yourself. Money is always an issue for the majority of us. You might actually do it... but why not keep things simple, wait the few extra paychecks, and buy the better unit right from the start?

Very good post.

That's exactly what I was trying to say early in the thread. And you are exactly right, it's only $50. In the long run, that 50 will be very well spent.

 

[AZDesertRat]

I bought my first RO unit in 1999, it was a Watts Premier drinking water system from Costco for $148. I was thinking ahead at the time and being fortunate enough to live within 1/4 mile of Watts Premiers factory I took the whole unit still in the box to them and they upgraded the 25 GPD membrane to a 75 GPD for an additional $35. Not bad. Once it was installed I was not happy with the performance so I returned the membrane to them and while I watched they hand tested a new 75 GPD Dow Filmtec membrane for me. It tested out at about 95 GPD at 74 degrees and 60 psi with an incoming water of just over 500 TDS with a 98% rejection rate. I was thrilled.
Over the years I added a standard size vertical refillable DI canister and cartridge, a new handheld TDS meter, an additional 3.3 gallon pressure tank so I could fill 5 G water bottles and additional lines to feed my garage laundry sink and ice maker.
The original membrane went 27 months before I had to buy a new one. I think that was mostly due to using Premiers replacement prefilters and granular activated carbon cartridges so the membrane eventually plugged with carbon dust even though my waste ratio was set at 6:1 due to the high TDS.
The second membrane was purchased from John at Aquatic Reef Systems along with better prefilters and carbon blocks this time. That membrane went well over 3 years and was still over 96% efficient when I swapped it out. The next membrane was still going strong when I sold the entire set up a few months ago and bought my present Spectrapure MaxCap RO/DI system.
The point of this is replacement filter quality makes a tremendous difference in the life of your membrane which in turn makes a huge difference in the life of your DI resin. Also the fact that quality components can and will last for years and years. In the time I had that system I can't tell you how many of my friends had membranes fail, housings crack and leak, granular carbon cartridges come apart and plug every thing up etc.
Quality makes a difference and it pays to go with quality the first time around. Yes I upgraded over the years but I had much more invested in the end than if I would have bought a RO/DI unit intended for reef use to begin with. The person who bought my old unit is very happy with it and it is still performing well for them and there has yet to be a failure even though most of it is over 7 years old now. Quality counts.