Best RO/DI system?
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Currdawg12
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Is the water hose adapter metal or plastic?
JoshH
Tank Status: Wet...ish, growing things....
Depending on what production rates you would like I would go with one of these 3 options..
https://spectrapure.com/RO-RODI/RODI-SYSTEMS/CSPDI-Manual-Flush-90-GPD-RO-DI-System
https://spectrapure.com/RO-RODI/ROD...Removal-RO-DI-System-w-SilicaBuster-MaxCap-DI
https://spectrapure.com/RO-RODI/RODI-SYSTEMS/MaxCap-Manual-Flush-180-GPD-RO-DI-System
Contrary to what's posted above, using Spectrapures 99% membranes on 271 TDS supply water I am producing 0-1 TDS after dual membranes. Now in my case I have very good water pressure ~85 PSI and if you don't have water pressure in this range I wouldn't go the dual membrane route unless you're willing to buy a booster pump. All the systems I posted above come with the membrane I mentioned earlier. Your membranes will function perfectly fine on 60 orso PSI but any lower and you will see performance loss.
JoshH
Tank Status: Wet...ish, growing things....
But are they Guaranteed 99% rejection, looking at your website, None of them guarantee 99% in fact most are spec'd for 96-98%...
Hopefully you can elaborate on this for me Russ
All Filmtec BW60-1812-75 gpd membranes are factory spec'ed at 99% rejection.
Sometime back, when Filmtec 75's were spec'ed at 98%, we offered the MAXR 75 gpd membrane. It was a tested membrane that had 99+% rejection . But then Filmtec changed the standard spec to 99%... so we stopped doing the testing needed and no longer offer the MAXR. In other words, the spec for the standard BW60-1812-75 gpd membranes improved to match the MAXR membrane.
Also be aware there are still vendors selling the old 98% 75 gpd's. It's a case of buyer beware. I think some vendors don't know better 75's are available, some don't care, and some have so much of the old stock they just need to sell them off.
Sometime back, when Filmtec 75's were spec'ed at 98%, we offered the MAXR 75 gpd membrane. It was a tested membrane that had 99+% rejection . But then Filmtec changed the standard spec to 99%... so we stopped doing the testing needed and no longer offer the MAXR. In other words, the spec for the standard BW60-1812-75 gpd membranes improved to match the MAXR membrane.
Also be aware there are still vendors selling the old 98% 75 gpd's. It's a case of buyer beware. I think some vendors don't know better 75's are available, some don't care, and some have so much of the old stock they just need to sell them off.
Another fun fact to know and tell - there's no such thing as a 90 gpd membrane. It is simply a relabeled 75 gpd membrane where the vendor tells you to run it at 60 psi - 10 psi over the factory spec (50 psi).
Any Filmtec 75 will produce 90 if you run it at factory spec conditions plus 10 psi. See our calculator to check this out: https://www.buckeyehydro.com/calculator/
Russ
Any Filmtec 75 will produce 90 if you run it at factory spec conditions plus 10 psi. See our calculator to check this out: https://www.buckeyehydro.com/calculator/
Russ
I am still using my Airwaterice 5 stage Typhoon from 2005, with a few upgrades added as tank size increased.
First I added a booster pump from BRS. Highly recommend this as others have mentioned as well. Its increased production tenfold.
Second, I added an additional membrane from BRS. This in conjunction with the booster have been a great improvement.
Lastly, I added a second DI canister. I placed a TDS meter between the two DI canisters. When the meter reads 1-2 I know its time to replace the DI in the first canister. I take the final canister, move it up in line and put fresh DI at the end of the line. This way i know for sure I'm always getting zero TDS product.
All in, this probably runs around $400. This setup can fill two 50G Norwesco containers in about 12 hours.
First I added a booster pump from BRS. Highly recommend this as others have mentioned as well. Its increased production tenfold.
Second, I added an additional membrane from BRS. This in conjunction with the booster have been a great improvement.
Lastly, I added a second DI canister. I placed a TDS meter between the two DI canisters. When the meter reads 1-2 I know its time to replace the DI in the first canister. I take the final canister, move it up in line and put fresh DI at the end of the line. This way i know for sure I'm always getting zero TDS product.
All in, this probably runs around $400. This setup can fill two 50G Norwesco containers in about 12 hours.
AquaticLifeProducts
Valuable Member
Please let us know what part as we will take care of that, just send me a PM or an email at [email protected]
reefiniteasy
Check me out on IG!
I have a 4 stage Barracuda from Aqua FX. It works very well for me. Quality seems great and no leaks. I added additional valves to make it more efficient and I'm actually going to upgrade it to 100gpd as soon as I have to replace filters. The only difference I have found between the manufacturers is the fittings. Mur-lok fittings have a double o-ring and John Guest and other generic fittings have one o-ring I believe. Quality of fittings is what I found to be the major difference between the manufacturers.
I used a 3 stage kent marine for about 15 years i think. I retired it for a six stage brs. I really like the brs reactor and reccomend it. Great value for the money. Way under 500 and built with solid parts.
PatW
2500 Club Member
The tds in my water is similar to yours. My pressure is about 65 psi. I have a BRS 6 stage: 1 sediment filter, 2 carbon filters, RO membrane 75 gpd, followed by 2 DI canisters.
My RO water comes out at 2 tds and if I am lucky 1 tds. I think the rejection rate is about 98%. I have a post RO membrane tds tester and a post DI membrane tds tester. It comes in handy. I have had the RO membrane for some time now. I flush it before use and I change the carbon blocks regularly. So far, it has kept chugging along without any loss of performance.
I was concerned that 75 gpd might not be enough, but it produces at least that and probably more. I store my water in a 44 gallon Brute trash can and I wish I had gone for the 55 gallon. But I have a big tank. As it is, my system can easily handle 44 gallon water changes day after day. But that is more than I want or need.
The Spectrapure systems are supposed to have a 1% rejection rate. So in my case, they would use half of the DI resin. DI resin the single biggest expense. Going with a more efficient RO membrane would be worth it. But I have a large tank and I make quite a bit of water. If your tank is 150 gallons or less, it might not be that big of a deal.
My RO water comes out at 2 tds and if I am lucky 1 tds. I think the rejection rate is about 98%. I have a post RO membrane tds tester and a post DI membrane tds tester. It comes in handy. I have had the RO membrane for some time now. I flush it before use and I change the carbon blocks regularly. So far, it has kept chugging along without any loss of performance.
I was concerned that 75 gpd might not be enough, but it produces at least that and probably more. I store my water in a 44 gallon Brute trash can and I wish I had gone for the 55 gallon. But I have a big tank. As it is, my system can easily handle 44 gallon water changes day after day. But that is more than I want or need.
The Spectrapure systems are supposed to have a 1% rejection rate. So in my case, they would use half of the DI resin. DI resin the single biggest expense. Going with a more efficient RO membrane would be worth it. But I have a large tank and I make quite a bit of water. If your tank is 150 gallons or less, it might not be that big of a deal.
Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
I have a BRS 5 stage system that I have upgraded to a 7 stage and been very happy with.
@anit77 makes a lot of good points in his post. RO DI systems are not complicated machines. You essentially have housings, fittings and filters strung together. Assuming the housings & fittings don’t leak then the quality of the water is determined by the quality of the filters. The sediment and carbon block pre-filters remove suspended sediment and some chemicals, the RO membrane does the majority of the rest and the DI resin(s) bind the remaining ions.
BRS did a nice video a few years ago showing the effects of water pressure on TDS and flow rates. They used the ‘standard’ Dow Filmtec membrane Russ mentioned above. Essentially pressures below 50 PSI gave slower flow rates and lower rejection rations. Above PSI gave better flow rates but did not improve the rejection ratio. The other consideration, especially in the winter, is that lower water temps will reduce flow rates. They also have a good video on removing chloramines and using separate cation/anion beds vs mixed bed DI resins.
Ultimately, what you need for a system depends on what your water source quality is, but there are several good systems out there. Look at the quality of the filters in the system and then look at the cost of replacing these filters. Finally, I would make sure any system you buy uses standard filter cartridge sizes. If you get some off brand that doesn’t use a standard size then you may have trouble replacing the filters and/or be stuck getting higher priced filters from one supplier.
As far as brands go, the majority of people here seem to use systems from Bulk Reef Supply or Spectrapure. Russ at @Buckeye Hydro is always quite helpful and knowledgable, too. I have seen very few complaints from any of these 3 vendors and don’t think you would go wrong with any of them.
@anit77 makes a lot of good points in his post. RO DI systems are not complicated machines. You essentially have housings, fittings and filters strung together. Assuming the housings & fittings don’t leak then the quality of the water is determined by the quality of the filters. The sediment and carbon block pre-filters remove suspended sediment and some chemicals, the RO membrane does the majority of the rest and the DI resin(s) bind the remaining ions.
BRS did a nice video a few years ago showing the effects of water pressure on TDS and flow rates. They used the ‘standard’ Dow Filmtec membrane Russ mentioned above. Essentially pressures below 50 PSI gave slower flow rates and lower rejection rations. Above PSI gave better flow rates but did not improve the rejection ratio. The other consideration, especially in the winter, is that lower water temps will reduce flow rates. They also have a good video on removing chloramines and using separate cation/anion beds vs mixed bed DI resins.
Ultimately, what you need for a system depends on what your water source quality is, but there are several good systems out there. Look at the quality of the filters in the system and then look at the cost of replacing these filters. Finally, I would make sure any system you buy uses standard filter cartridge sizes. If you get some off brand that doesn’t use a standard size then you may have trouble replacing the filters and/or be stuck getting higher priced filters from one supplier.
As far as brands go, the majority of people here seem to use systems from Bulk Reef Supply or Spectrapure. Russ at @Buckeye Hydro is always quite helpful and knowledgable, too. I have seen very few complaints from any of these 3 vendors and don’t think you would go wrong with any of them.
also i think it would be prudent to go ahead and get a rodi system that deals with chloramines or a little overbuilt for the water. if they arent yet, you never know until its too late when they do or if they change how they treat the water. Thats why i ended up with the brs 6 stage. Even though out of the city tap (60 tds) i thought it a alittle more protection from the 5 stage in case i accidentally have one carbon block used up or the di resin gets used up in the first cannister.
Let me provide a different perspective - we always steer people away from buying things they don't need. If you do not have chloramines in your water, no need to buy a system with a chloramine stage. An Add on Housing Kit and Chloramine Carbon Block is easy/inexpensive to add years down the road if your water utility changes course.
