Question about RO/DI units

[Mr.Tan]

I am finally in the market to pick up a RO/DI unit to start making my own water, i've been using store bought RO water but i know its not as pure as I want it to be/can be... My main question is about whether or not the deionizer is a crucial part of the unit. CAn i get away with just running a Reverse osmosis unit without the deionizer? I don't have any coral in my tank right now after my tank crashed from a snow storm and loss of power, and don't plan to have any for awhile until i get things stable. Could i just run a RO unit and eventually add the deionizer to it when i plan to run corals?

I thought about buying the Spectrapure Maxpure 90gpd RO unit, and then when i get the money buying the Maxcap deionizer system as an add on for it...does this seem like an ok thing to do? I mean, using the RO unit itself without the deionizer seems atleast better then buying store bought water


Sorry, im just a bit confused on this topic...


:beer:

[Techne]

I'm not sure about the DI question. Spectrapure is offering refurbished Maxpure RODI 90 gpd (http://www.spectrapure.com/St_RODI-REFURB.htm) units for $120 right now (costs $199 new). I just bought one of these yesterday.

[thegrun]

Without running a chemical analysis of the water that has been through your RO filter, you cannot tell if it is safe or not, but most likely you will need the DI filter.

[lordofthereef]

I can almost guarantee you won't get 0TDS without the DI. You mentioned wanting the water be "as pure as it can be". Get the DI.

[briankmarsh1980]

Just get the RO/DI
you will be glad you did later down the road.
I would also recommend spectrapure.

[cloak]

Make sure to add a TDS meter to your Christmas list as well. You'll need to know when those filters are exhausted & need replacing.

[ryeguyy84]

If theres one thing I learned in this hobby it's don't buy things twice. Get the di it's not that much more.

If you're the salesman type sell some of the rodi. I sell some to a guy at work. He was driving an hour a week for water and paying $.75 a gallon. I charge him $.50 a gallon and deliver it to work. I make $10 a week he doesn't have to drive anymore. Win win

[Leafer]

As the original poster researches RO setups he might be also value some discussion of configuration and this brings me to a question I have as I reevaluate my filtering.

I live in a rural area with a deep well as a water source. My current RO unit, a Seachem Pinacle + model, which includes a 100 GPD membrane a sediment filter, carbon filter and KDF/GAC filter. I have been getting near one TDS long term.

I’m thinking now of adding DI and would like to ask what the community would recommend without creating redundancy. My options are

1) Swapping the KDF filter with a DI
2) Adding a single stage DI to my system - http://www.marinedepot.com/SpectraPure_MaxCap_1_Stage_Add_on_Assembly_System_Cartridges_Membranes_for_RO_DI_Water_Filter_System s-SpectraPure-SP1751-FIRORAAD-vi.html
3) Adding a dual stage DI to my system (is the “Silica Buster” redundant with my KDF filter?) http://www.marinedepot.com/SpectraPure_MaxCap_2_Stage_Add_on_Assembly_System_Cartridges_Membranes_for_RO_DI_Water_Filter_System s-SpectraPure-SP1753-FIRORAAD-vi.html

Is there any other configuration of cartridges you would recommend or I should investigate?

thanks,

[j86miu]

I also have a question regarding RO/DI units. I was going to purchase one based on all the research I did online and how Tap water shouldn't be used. But then I spoke to two Pet/fish store owners who seemed pretty knowledgeable about saltwater aquariums, who said they just use tap water and the salt mix.

They never encountered any issues and said tap water should be fine. I live in NYC and my understanding we probably have the highest quality of tap water in the states.

Does this make a difference? Would I able to get by with just the RO or DI unit alone at least?

[disc1]

I also have a question regarding RO/DI units. I was going to purchase one based on all the research I did online and how Tap water shouldn't be used. But then I spoke to two Pet/fish store owners who seemed pretty knowledgeable about saltwater aquariums, who said they just use tap water and the salt mix.

They never encountered any issues and said tap water should be fine. I live in NYC and my understanding we probably have the highest quality of tap water in the states.

Does this make a difference? Would I able to get by with just the RO or DI unit alone at least?

It really doesn't matter what they do at your LFS. Remember that your pipes can leach enough copper to kill a tank quickly.

But more than that, no one here is ever going to tell you that tap is a good idea. We can't. We know that RODI water is safe, but no one knows what is in your tap water. And even if you have it tested, you can't know what will be in it tomorrow.

It's like this, my Grandmother smokes two packs a day and she is about to turn 90 years old. Would you take that info and stake your reputation advising me that it is OK for me to smoke? Of course not. She got lucky, but that doesn't mean a hill of beans about anyone else. Might I get away with it? Sure, I might smoke for a hundred years. But I wouldn't want to bet on it.

[RubberFrog]

Local stores don't keep anything long term.

[Techne]

Plus when things do go wrong, if you are using RO/DI water you have a lot fewer variables to worry about.