Installing RO/DI in small apartment

[djorijun]

Hey everyone,
I'm running a 28g tank in my apartment and am thinking about getting an RO/DI unit. One thing that has always concerned me about this is that I never had the space to have a giant drum of water to sit in a room, and I still don't. But could I potentially just fill my 5g jugs with water make my salt water one and my ro/di one and stop the RO/DI unit after I'm done? Or does it need to fill a giant trash can before it's ok to stop it?

 

[steelwrap]

Hey everyone,
I'm running a 28g tank in my apartment and am thinking about getting an RO/DI unit. One thing that has always concerned me about this is that I never had the space to have a giant drum of water to sit in a room, and I still don't. But could I potentially just fill my 5g jugs with water make my salt water one and my ro/di one and stop the RO/DI unit after I'm done? Or does it need to fill a giant trash can before it's ok to stop it?

That would be ok. I run mine to fill up 5 gal buckets for a water change and a gallon jug for top off

 

[djorijun]

That would be ok. I run mine to fill up 5 gal buckets for a water change and a gallon jug for top off

Awesome!
Do I really need a 5-6 stage unit or can I get away with a 4 stage? I live in Los Angeles where our tap water is drinkable.

 

[MaddyP]

That would be ok. I run mine to fill up 5 gal buckets for a water change and a gallon jug for top off

I was doing the same, with my RODI installed under my kitchen sink. It took my system 50 minutes to fill a 5 gallon jug. I set a timer on my watch and turn water off when filled.

 

[steelwrap]

I'm no expert but mine is a 4 stage. BRS value system

 

[MaddyP]

Awesome!
Do I really need a 5-6 stage unit or can I get away with a 4 stage? I live in Los Angeles where our tap water is drinkable.

If you can afford it, 6 stages is more efficient. The BRS 6 Stage Universal Plus is a great value.

 

[cwalton00]

4 or 6 stage really depends on what they use to treat your water with. Get a chlorine/chloramines test kit and that will tell you what to get.

As far as hooking up goes mine is under my bathroom sink. I bought a adapter for the lines coming into the sink and then put a saddle clamp on the sink drain. When it comes time to fill the buckets I throw them in the bathtub and fill what I need.

 

[djorijun]

I was doing the same, with my RODI installed under my kitchen sink. It took my system 50 minutes to fill a 5 gallon jug. I set a timer on my watch and turn water off when filled.

50 minutes?? Is that normal for these devices?

 

[MaddyP]

50 minutes?? Is that normal for these devices?

The rate really depends on the system rating and pressure from the feed water line. When I had it installed under my sink, my 6-stage 150gpd system fed with 35psi would fill a 5 gallon jug in 50 minutes. Now that I have a booster feeding at 75psi, I can fill 25 gallon reservoir in about 3 hours.

 

[USMC 4 LIFE]

I also live in an apartment in LA and I have been using a 4 stage RODI unit by Spectra Pure.

I use it weekly to make 15 gallons of water. The unit came with a tds meter which allows me to check my water coming in (~218) water coming out of the membrane (~2) and water coming out the DI (ALWAYS 0). I’ve had the unit since Aug 2016 and have yet to change any filters.

 

[djorijun]

I also live in an apartment in LA and I have been using a 4 stage RODI unit by Spectra Pure.

I use it weekly to make 15 gallons of water. The unit came with a tds meter which allows me to check my water coming in (~218) water coming out of the membrane (~2) and water coming out the DI (ALWAYS 0). I’ve had the unit since Aug 2016 and have yet to change any filters.

How does your water bill look? From my understanding it uses up a ton of "waste" water. The unit I bought drops about 3.5g of waste per gallon of RO/DI

 

[bblumberg]

Back when I lived in apartments, I connected RODI unit to bathroom sink and then collected water in 5g jugs in the shower. I bought inexpensive plastic airline valves and used these to distribute the water to 4 jugs so in the morning I had 4 x 5 g jugs. Being in the shower prevented floods.

Bruce

 

[SandJ]

We have a house, not apartment, but I did not have a great way to set up the water storage (and the husband has issues with me drilling holes in the walls/floors or it would be set up better ).

I have the rodi unit under the kitchen sink. It is mounted to one side of the cabinet and only takes up a small amount of space (and I have a booster pump under there also. It is T-ed into the cold water line. And the waste line is tied into the sink drain.

I roll the Brute into the kitchen to fill it up. I just turn off the valve and remove the water line from the Brute. Then it is stored in a corner of the dining room with a tablecloth over it so it just looks like a table (as is my salt water container).

 

[USMC 4 LIFE]

How does your water bill look? From my understanding it uses up a ton of "waste" water. The unit I bought drops about 3.5g of waste per gallon of RO/DI

I don’t pay for water. Landlord does!

 

[Opus]

How does your water bill look? From my understanding it uses up a ton of "waste" water. The unit I bought drops about 3.5g of waste per gallon of RO/DI

How are you billed? Everywhere I've lived it has been in 1000gal increments so there is no change in the bill. If you want an all in one solution, the Icecap looks like a good system. It has all the bells and whistles and has normal filters which is a must unless you want to pay more for non-standard filters. Only downside is the price. BRS is good if you are looking for cheap price.

http://www.coralvue.com/icecap-ro-di-smart-water-filtration-system

You also don't have to have a container for your saltwater, just make it in a bucket for your water change. That way you can store more fresh RO water.

The timing for filling a bucket for me is around 80 minutes with a 75gpd membrane. Water temps can change the time. Colder water will make the process longer.

 

[djorijun]

How are you billed? Everywhere I've lived it has been in 1000gal increments so there is no change in the bill. If you want an all in one solution, the Icecap looks like a good system. It has all the bells and whistles and has normal filters which is a must unless you want to pay more for non-standard filters. Only downside is the price. BRS is good if you are looking for cheap price.

http://www.coralvue.com/icecap-ro-di-smart-water-filtration-system

You also don't have to have a container for your saltwater, just make it in a bucket for your water change. That way you can store more fresh RO water.

The timing for filling a bucket for me is around 80 minutes with a 75gpd membrane. Water temps can change the time. Colder water will make the process longer.

I'm in California so we get into trouble using a ton of water. I wish I had a yard or something.

 

[MaddyP]

I'm in California so we get into trouble using a ton of water. I wish I had a yard or something.

I'm in California and haven't had an issue so far. My BRS 150gpd 6-Stage with booster pump runs 2.1:1 waste to product water at a membrane rejection rate of 97%. This is a little more efficient than the average. Some of the spectrapure units can approach 1:1 waste to product water but the membrane rejection suffers.

 

[Water Dog]

Yeah, the normal ratio is about 4:1 waste to oroduct ratio. If your incoming TDS is sub 300 and water pressure is above 65psi, get the BRS 150gpd water saver upgrade kit. It will reduce your waste water by half down to 2:1.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-150-gpd-water-saver-upgrade-kit.html

 

[Xclusive Reef]

I live in NYC and in an apartment, I keep mine in a closet when not in use. when I need it I take it out and connect it to the bathroom sink. I keep 2 5 gallon bins filled all the time in case I need rodi water. Salt tales about 15-20 mins to mix so in a pinch I have tank water in 20-25 mins. I would get the 5 stage with a booster.