Buying an RO/DI System

[roypersson]

Hello,

Working towards building my reef tank and I understand - water quality is king.

Obviously an RO/DI is an important tool.

To someone who have never bought, installed, or worked with RO/DI the world of buying it only leads to more questions.

4 stage vs 5 stage?
RO alone?
DI alone?
or combo RO/DI unit?
Can I buy one that plugs into the tap of the sink?
How long can I store freshly made water before it goes bad?
Brands I should stay away from?
I read that the DI stage should never be "on its side" - is this true?
I read that its possible to over filter out things from the water that coral needs - this true too?
Whats a good micron level I should be seeking in the filter?
Does gallons produced per hour even matter if I have a small tank (55 gallon)?

So many questions - good god - what do I do?!?!?!?!

I envision being in this hobby long term. Wanting to get some hard coral. And even taking on challenging things like clams etc. So ... buying the right RO/DI now is important - but its also important not to buy an RO/DI that is NOT way too expensive in terms of getting what I really need out of it.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks,

Roy

 

[jrobbins]

4 stage vs 5 stage? Doesnt really matter.
RO alone? Fine if your source water is clean enough
DI alone? You can totally do this. It wont pull out as much as an ro, but depending on your source water it can work fine. I use just DI in NYC but my water has an incoming tds of about 10-12ppm.
or combo RO/DI unit? Best bet
Can I buy one that plugs into the tap of the sink? Yup, you just need a 2 dollar adapter
How long can I store freshly made water before it goes bad? A LOOOOOONNNNNG time
Brands I should stay away from? All the same
I read that the DI stage should never be "on its side" - is this true? Yup. You dont want to make channels through the DI beads. I try to make mine flow from the bottom up.
I read that its possible to over filter out things from the water that coral needs - this true too? Never heard of that.
Whats a good micron level I should be seeking in the filter? I use the 5 micron ones.
Does gallons produced per hour even matter if I have a small tank (55 gallon)? Depends on how patient you are.

So many questions - good god - what do I do?!?!?!?!

I envision being in this hobby long term. Wanting to get some hard coral. And even taking on challenging things like clams etc. So ... buying the right RO/DI now is important - but its also important not to buy an RO/DI that is NOT way too expensive in terms of getting what I really need out of it.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks,

Roy

 

[noobzy]

Hard to add anything after Jrobbins' detailed answer

Check out Air, Water and Ice (MR vendor, currently offering a free TDS with purchase I believe) and Bulk Reef Supply.

 

[roypersson]

wow solid comment there. I guess I know EXACTLY what to do now.

Thanks so much guys and gals.

Roy

 

[reeftools.com]

many hobbyists set up two brute containers (with float switches) so that they always have both fresh and mixed saltwater on hand. I keep a small maxijet in each (and of course cover it).

 

[shark32]

Also check out the Filter Guys. Their customer service is great and they respond really quick to any questions. Good luck!!

 

[rkaragozler]

+1 what shark32 said

 

[noelskii]

"I read that the DI stage should never be "on its side"

where'd you see that from?

 

[trivan]

I don't think all RO/DI units are the same. 2 years ago I was on a budget and went with an eBay version, I have never been able to get 0 TDS, best was 10 after the RO. After spending some money on new filters, DI, etc. I finally gave up and went with a unit from BRS. Once it was hooked up, 2 TDS after the RO and 0 after the DI. I would say stay away from the " budget" eBay ones and go with ones people recommend here, they aren't that much more expensive.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

jrobbins i could not agree with you more on your comments very dead on and solid , beautiful information , and yes airwaterandice.com is a nice place to get your rodi from, the also have a very awesome warranty and have excellent customer service and also ship very fast!! what more can use ask for?! one other thing i would like to add is that i purchased the typhoon compact model and it came with all the water attachments and a free meter to test your water quality, over all jrobbins sums it up perfectly and i second the airwaterandice.com fitration, i highly recommend it.

 

[InfernoST]

Gallons per day depends on the temperature and pressure of the incoming water. If the pressure is too low and you are using a 75 gpd ro/di unit you may only end up producing only 40 gpd of useable water and 120 gallons of waste where as if the correct pressure is maintained you will produce more useable RO/DI water and less waste water. They sell pressure booster pumps to make up for the lack of pressure. The reason is the RO element is designed to work at a specific pressure. You will also produce less water if the incoming water temp is very cold but it won't be as bad as having too low of a water pressure.

 

[fishman1069]

I bought a unit from filterdirect.com a little more then 2 years ago. Its a Water General 110 gpd 6 stage unit with pressure gauge and a float switch for $150. I havent changed ANYTHING on it and Im still getting a low TDS reading of 1. I plan on changing the sediment filters and DI rez as soon as I can but Im just sayin dont knock the cheap ones!