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Unread 05/03/2012, 10:31 PM   #1
gusmanda
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RO for beginers

Wanted to know what I need at home to be able to install a RO unit, as I want to make sure I have the proper area/connections for this to be a possibility prior to buying. I imagine I need a water outlet, and an electricity outlet. What else? A diagram would be really appreciated, don’t want anything to get lost in translation. Also, is the amount of water per day the only thing that changes with different models? Or do some produce a higher level of “purity” than others?


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Unread 05/03/2012, 10:46 PM   #2
Joel_155
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Basically just a water supply. Its really simple. Most units will come with an adapter that goea inline on your cold line from the copper line coming from the wall and between the sink. Mine has a valve that i can turn off and on whenever i need ro water. They are really simple to setup and install. As to flow rating i bought a 5 stage 75 gpd unit from filter direct and with my water pressure it does about 50.

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Unread 05/04/2012, 07:26 AM   #3
pwreef
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Cold water and drain. Basically under a sink is the usual spot You don't need electricity. If you buy from a good dealer they will have the adapters you need. Look into BRS. Are you good with plumbing?


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Unread 05/05/2012, 03:14 PM   #4
gusmanda
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I was just looking at a AquaFX barracuda diagram, it says there is a "waste line". So I need water going in, the filter pumps clean water out AND also "waste" water?


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Unread 05/05/2012, 03:20 PM   #5
macktab
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Waste is the water that gets rejected from the filter modules, it needs to be connected into your drain pipe.


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Unread 05/06/2012, 03:11 PM   #6
gusmanda
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Are there any models that don't produce waste water? I don't mind a reduction in water production, but feel uncomfortable throwing away water.


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Unread 05/06/2012, 03:20 PM   #7
hkgar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gusmanda View Post
Are there any models that don't produce waste water? I don't mind a reduction in water production, but feel uncomfortable throwing away water.
All RO units produce waste water. About 3-5 gallons of waste for every good gallon.

Several people capture the waste water and use it for watering plants or other uses.

You aren't really throwing it away. It goes through the sewage system and is treated and eventually returned to the water system as good water. Unless you have a septic system and then the ground takes care of filtering it and it is returned to the aquifer.


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 05/06/2012, 04:43 PM   #8
markaren
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Just a friendly reminder. Water does return to the Planet earth if it goes down the drain. Not being smarty here. I just have an issue with PC making us think that water we produce from the tap is forever gone. Cycle of life. Evaporation is purification...rain.


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Unread 05/06/2012, 04:46 PM   #9
CarlitosReef
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I'm pretty sure OP is referring to throwing away the waste water that you have already been charged for regardless how you use it.


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Unread 05/06/2012, 05:30 PM   #10
devildog999
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I bought mine from BulkReefSupply..... http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/...us-system.html

I like the plus system personally because it literally has EVERYTHING you would need for the hookups. Copper pipe piercer, sink faucet attachment, gardenhose/spicket attachment, extra in line valve for cutting off water supply directly at the unit, etc. Send me a PM if you want to ask any specific questions and make sure to find out if your water is treated with chloramine to make sure if it is, you get the filter for that.


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Unread 05/06/2012, 06:59 PM   #11
azjohnny
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there are now high efficiency RO/DI units that will make the ratio any where from 1/1 or 2/1 in favor of good water, but they are pricey

http://www.spectrapure.com/low_waste_systems.htm

I bought a refurbished 90 gpd unit that looked new for $128 that I also needed to buy a booster pump for since my water pressure is only 35psi, the happy range for a RO unit is 65 psi. Here is a link to the unit I have

http://www.spectrapure.com/St_RODI-REFURB.htm

I have the unit in my laundry room hooked up to the cold water pipe going to the washing machine and the waste water going into the washing machine drain pipe


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Unread 05/06/2012, 07:07 PM   #12
fireanthodge
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Gus:
I just ordered an Aqua FX 100gpd RO/DI unit that has the low waste water feature. I havent gotten it yet and I'm interested to see how it works. I am still a couple months from setting up my tankand just gathering equipment now. Let me know how it goes.


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Unread 05/06/2012, 10:47 PM   #13
gusmanda
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I can use it to water plants or something, but I'd rather not have to deal with it if at all possible. At what stage is the water rejected? If it is already slightly cleaner than tap, I might have more options as to what to do with it.

Not sure what the water supply is where you guys live, but I'm in a semi-desertic city, so sending clean water down the sewer is a big no-no.

AZJOHNY, thanks for the tip, I'll look into those models.


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Unread 05/07/2012, 12:26 AM   #14
savichus
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There is another option to purify water without producing any waste water. If ONLY you feel that you are more comfortable with chemistry than witn plumbing, you can use deionization (DI) resin to purify water and then recharge it using chemicals that you can by at walmart or any household supply store to use that resin again and again. There was a thread here on Reef Central where you can find detailed description how to do that. One of my local fish store sell water that was purified that way. TDS reader allways shows 0ppm and I used that water many times as a top off water or for mixing my own salt water. So, I can tell that it's as pure as it can only be. The owner of that LFS is former chemistry sientist and he sell that water dirt cheap like $1.00 for 5 gal. So, that might be an option for you. Just need to be really careful with chemicals which is pretty obvious of course. Good luck with your project.


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Unread 05/07/2012, 12:45 AM   #15
moshi1ry
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Easy as pie! But really. All you need is some tubing and an adapter however you want to hook it up. For instance i just got mine today and was a little worried like you probably are because in pictures it looks like a bunch of tubes and chaos. But its really simple to hook up trust me! You can hook them up just about wherever a water supply is too. The waste water kinda sucks but just a part of it i guess. It pays for itself pretty fast usually a year or under depending on how cheap you can get the unit. I got my for 50 bucks a steal. Should pay for itself in 6 months or less especially with those dam gas prices...O and not to mention water is heavy! Soon you will be like wow now i just need an auto top off so i really dont have to do anything!. Not to mention it taste pretty dam good to haha.


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Unread 05/07/2012, 12:27 PM   #16
gusmanda
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Do you guys also have de-ionization in your set-ups as well?


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Unread 05/07/2012, 01:15 PM   #17
azjohnny
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yes

the RO does most of the work, it will get the TDS down to about 10 ppm and the DI will get it down to 0

where i live our TDS levels are over 650ppm, I run my RO/DI after a water softener. It is easier on the filter to filter out sodium versus calcium


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Unread 05/07/2012, 02:24 PM   #18
hkgar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moshi1ry View Post
Not to mention it taste pretty dam good to haha.
You should not drink RO/DI water! RO is ok to drink but not RO/DI. Not sure why but I am sure someone will give us the reason. Something to with the lack of anything of value, or maybe what the resin does to the water.


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 05/07/2012, 02:30 PM   #19
hkgar
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Quality of units

Everyone worries about the quality of the various RO/DI systems. It is all about the filters. The rest is little more than canisters and tubing. I use a system with a .1 micron sediment filter, charcoal filter (block), RO membrane and DI filter. I do buy my di resin from BRS.


If your water has a lot of sediment, you might want a 5 stage with a .5 micron sediment filter and a .1 micron sediment filter.


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 05/07/2012, 03:38 PM   #20
gusmanda
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Quote:
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You should not drink RO/DI water!
Yes, someone warned me about this. Apparently people get dizzy or something. I was told that for drinking water it was best to have the outlet before the water went past the di unit.


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Unread 05/07/2012, 03:39 PM   #21
gusmanda
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so does waste water go through any sort of filter prior to being routed elsewhere? Or does it get booted right at the beginning of the process?


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Unread 05/07/2012, 03:59 PM   #22
fishpoop
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I think it goes thru the sediment and carbon filters and gets rejected by the r/o.
If you don't want to deal with the full process, this has been working well for me.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2125512


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Unread 05/07/2012, 04:21 PM   #23
Landsailor
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You should not drink RO/DI water! RO is ok to drink but not RO/DI.
It's all about electrolytes and osmotic pressure (the pressure which needs to be applied to a solution to prevent the inward flow of water across a semipermeable membrane). Deionized water is water that has all of the salt and hardness ions removed from it. For example, salt in water breaks down to the Na+ and Cl- ions.

http://www.cyber-nook.com/water/distilledwater.htm has some good info on it. There is a lot of data on there that's very interesting.

Worrying about drinking DI water is really a non-issue. Someone, somewhere (who was probably selling water filters) said "Oh, it's bad!" and that's propagated. That page explains how and why...guess what! It's related to selling something!

If you ask an RO/DI manufacturer "Is it OK to drink DI water?", what is the safest answer for them? What answer would absolutely guarantee that they can't be sued?

That's right! "NO!"


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Unread 05/07/2012, 08:33 PM   #24
gusmanda
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Landsailor View Post

Worrying about drinking DI water is really a non-issue. Someone, somewhere (who was probably selling water filters) said "Oh, it's bad!" and that's propagated. That page explains how and why...guess what! It's related to selling something!

If you ask an RO/DI manufacturer "Is it OK to drink DI water?", what is the safest answer for them? What answer would absolutely guarantee that they can't be sued?

That's right! "NO!"
I bet DI water must be great for Ice cubes, I can picture drinks tasting better if the Ice adds less of it's own flavor as they melt!!


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