What kind of R/O system should i get?

[Nirvana]

I was wondering what kind of R/O system should i get for my 34 gallon nano. Also is there any other supplies that i need with it such as additives to add things back into the water after the reverse osmosis?

[AZDesertRat]

There are several good vendors here on RC who also help sponsor this forum.
Look at
www.buckeyefieldsupply.com
www.spectrapure.com
www.thefilterguys.biz
www.purelyh2o.com

Look at the units that cost between $149 and $199 and up for the best features and long term costs. Those should all include refillable DI cartridges which will save you money in the long run. I really recommend a handheld TDS meter and a pressure gauge to go with it to help troubleshoot the system.

There are less expensive systems but you sacrifice things like water quality, filter life, membrane quality and lifespan and overall quality of the components themselves. People will try and tell you they are all the same but that couldn't be further from the truth, just because they may look similar on the outside doesn't mean they are the same.

[Nirvana]

ok thanks any other suggestions.

[PatMayo]

I use the Typhoon III. You can google search it and find the supplier.

It has worked very well for me and the service is good.

It has all of the features that AZDesertRat talked about.

Mine came with the pressure gauge, a handheld tds meter and all cartridges are refillable.

Regards,

Pat

[mg426]

Listen to AZDesertRat !!

[drummereef]

The 5 stage at www.thefilterguys.biz is nice. Make sure, what every you do, get a DI stage.

[gbtrain]

I also have the Typhoon III with the pressure gauge and hand held TDS meter. It is one of the best investments I made for my fish tanks.

[Nirvana]

i like the typhoon III, but do i need a faucet adapter for it or does it come with one.

[Alexxn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9405520#post9405520 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
The 5 stage at www.thefilterguys.biz is nice. Make sure, what every you do, get a DI stage.

+1

[AZDesertRat]

The Typhoon III is a nice unit, the only reason I don't recommend it is they are no longer an RC sponsor for some unknown reason. I try to support the businesses who support this hobby and forum in particular.

[starsbravo]

ok, I have a question regarding RO/DI units. I kinda understand the methodology behind the units, but what is this waste water I keep on hearing about?? Some people have said they waste more water than what actually gets used as pure water. Can someone take me through the process from the moment tap water comes though the facet to when it actually becomes RO/DI water. Thanks

[AZDesertRat]

An RO unit passes water through a semipermeable membrane under pressure. The membrane is a tightly wound thin film composite plastic that is extremely thin and has microscopic holes or openings in it that are so small only 90 to 98% pure water molecules pass through and leave the contaminants behind. These contaminants build up on the exterior of the membrane and need to be constantly flushed away or they will harden and ruin the membrane surface. For every one gallon of good water you make you flush about 4 gallons to waste in a normal system. There are systems that do a little better than that today but this is still the standard. This is called the waste ratio and is expressed as 4:1.
The whole process actually comprises a poly prefilter in anywhere from a 0.5 micron up to as high as 30 micron pore size to trap debris, sediment and suspended solids, a carbon filter to adsorb chlorine, chloramines and volatile organic chemicals, the RO membrane and in some cases a final DI filter. DI filters are the final polishing filter and attract contaminants based on their electrical conductivity, they contain cation and anion resins which have positive and negative electrical properties. This is an important step since some contaminants are not dealt with well by RO alone.

[Nirvana]

http://www.purelyh2o.com/product.php?productid=16201&cat=249&page=1
if i was to get that do i need a clear membrane housing or a flush kit?

[AZDesertRat]

Clear housings are a waste of money but I would get a handheld TDS meter, prefferably the HM Digital COM-100.

[Nirvana]

what about a flush kit?

[AZDesertRat]

If used properly it "may" extend the life of your membrane but the jusry is still out on whether they have any benefit or not. By properly I mean a 2 or 3 minute flush every time after making water to flush anything off the surface of the membrane. I have a drinking water kit and my RO runs at all hours of the day to fill the pressure tank so for me it would be worthless since I would never know when to flush. They are a fairly new idea so no one has a 3 to 5 year long term documented test on them to see if they really work or not.

[gbtrain]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9406105#post9406105 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nirvana
i like the typhoon III, but do i need a faucet adapter for it or does it come with one.

When you order one you have your choice of adapters, faucet, hose or SV-6 valve

[Nirvana]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9412156#post9412156 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gbtrain
When you order one you have your choice of adapters, faucet, hose or SV-6 valve


Thanks

[jpd02]

I have a Kent Marine Maxxima 4-stage unit that I've been pretty happy with.

[xenon]

If you have deep pockets and want the best.

SpectraPure MaxCap is #1.

[wally76]

I just got a five stage from www.the filterguys.biz

I also had lots of questions and they emailed me with lots of answers

I agree with the handheld TDS meter and pressure gauge. These item will help you determine your water quality and filter status.

One thing I have not seen on this thread is to find out if your water has chloramines in it. You should order different filters for them vs the standard ones for chlorine. The filter guys helped me look up my local water report on the internet to find out.

[AZDesertRat]

Any unit which contains a 0.5 micron or even a 1.0 micron chlorine block and a good DI system will work on chloramines. To clarify thats a Chlorine Guzzler or Matrix type block and a high capacity 24 oz or larger DI with normal contact time. Lesser carbons and little horizontal DIs won't work. Catalytic carbon is not a requirement but is OK as long as you follow it up with something to trap the fines from the erosion of the granular media.

[Waterbury Guy]

>>>If you have deep pockets and want the best.
SpectraPure MaxCap is #1.

Mine should be arrivng today!!


>>but I would get a handheld TDS meter, prefferably the HM Digital COM-100.

The MaxCap comes with two meters, am I still going to need a hand held?

[AZDesertRat]

I would recommend it. The inlines are a great guide but I have not found them to be as accurate as the COM-100 especialy in the low ranges.