2 simple water questions

[Starkrost]

Hi all. Probably very noob questions but I’m a little cautious.
1. Can I use the waste water from the ro/di unit to water my houseplants and gardens?
2. I’m on a well with a softener system. Can I still rinse my sand with tap water and finish with a rinse of ro/di water?
Thanks!!

 

[glb]

Hi all. Probably very noob questions but I’m a little cautious.
1. Can I use the waste water from the ro/di unit to water my houseplants and gardens?
2. I’m on a well with a softener system. Can I still rinse my sand with tap water and finish with a rinse of ro/di water?
Thanks!!

Yes you can use the wastewater for your plants. I’m not sure about your second question. Maybe #reefsquad can help!

 

[Starkrost]

Yes you can use the wastewater for your plants. I’m not sure about your second question. Maybe #reefsquad can help!

Thanks!

 

[AcroNem]

You may ask any question, we've all been there and we've all had questions about absolutely everything better that you're cautious and curious about everything than just charging in and making too many mistakes and not enjoying the hobby.

A1: yes you can, I do the very same thing, although I use so much water that I only capture a small amount. We have a lot of plants, so it's a good way to use some of the waste.

A2: I'm assuming you're using dry sand here. Don't rinse "live" or wet bagged sand. I would suggest getting a handheld TDS meter to know how bad the well is, they're pretty inexpensive from bulk reef supply. But you should be fine to rinse with tap, especially if you plan on giving another rinse in RO.

 

[Peace River]

I rinse dry sand in a 5 gallon bucket with tap water and then tip the bucket of sand on its side outside so the water will slowly drain without the sand draining into the yard. If left for several hours (or overnight) then virtually all of the tap water will be gone and there should be minimal risk.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Yes to both questions! Some plants are more sensitive to higher mineral water. The lawn or trees would love the waste water.
I think it is a good idea to rinse your salt in tap water. Rodi would be the best choice but sometimes, you need to waste so much water to rinse the sand. In those cases I rinse with tap then dilute with rodi after.

 

[Retro Reefer]

As already mentioned yes to both. I do exactly what you describe with my substrate, thoroughly rinse with tap and a final rinse/soak in RO.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'll go you one better, I use the reject water from my RO/DI to do our laundry. BTW, I don't call it waste water because there is really nothing wrong with it. The TDS goes up some, but you've also filtered out some impurities with the RO pre-filters. So it's perfectly safe for almost anything.