Me again: Water Question?

[nest9]

Just curious. Is it necessary to use RO water in the tank. I know we want to stay clear of pure tap water but what about using the water from your fridge that is filtered through a PUR Technology water filtration system?

PUR Technology - PURwater.com

 

[Giancarlo]

I would advise against it, drinking water and the water we use for our tanks are very much different. Get a 20 dollar Tds meter and it will show you that there are still plenty of impurities in the water that those filters clean.

 

[nest9]

Are there any options for portable RO systems? I have granite countertops with undermount sinks and have no space to drill a hole for the faucet that is required to dispense the water. I know it is more cost effective to have a system but I need one that is a bit more portable and compatible.

 

[SmokeyCFH]

If you get an RODI they have parts to add to your existing plumbing, including sinks and copper pipes:

Chrome Faucet Diverter Valve - Englishhttp://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/self-piercing-saddle-valve.html


I mounted my RODI on a board and am able to bring it outside and hook it up to the hose or when I find a more permanent place for it I'll be able to attach it to the wall with a permanent water source..

 

[nest9]

After doing a little reserach, I do see that there are counter top systems that have the filtration system and have a faucet adapter. It seems to be less complicated on the install and no need for mounting or drilling. I have also seen that lowes has a RO system that hooks up to your fridge but may not be as effective. What are your thoughts on this system found on eBay? Does it serve the same purpose as the under mount system with the tank?

OCEANIC Counter top Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter 4 STAGE-50 GPD | eBay

 

[Yerboy]

I have an old ro system i don't use you can have, will need new filters and a membrane or course.

 

[mike_dani]

if need be come by and get some RO/DI from me, at least you will have good water.

 

[BarbH]

With my rodi setup because I live in an apartment changing the plumbing around for me is not an option. For my unit I have a faucet diverter that I am using to hook up to my sink, which works well for the time being. Another possibility is if you have a utility tub, there are adaptors available to hooking the unit up to the faucet on the utility tub, I believe that it is the same adaptor that can be used to hook up to a hose.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

You don't have to have a faucet. I use a simple valve on the end of its tubing (out of a DI resin canister) for filling my water reservoir. It's very simple to do. I do have a RO water holding tank with a faucet which I use for drinking water separately.

 

[JSB]

I simply mounted mine in the garage where I have a water change station, and run the garden hose to it. The ro/di output is piped to my freshwater and new saltwater drums with a select valve and float switches (about $10 worth of fittings), and the waste water goes into my flower beds. When I am not in need of makeup water, I just put the hose away.

 

[dictionaaron]

i stuffed mine under a sink with a ball valve on the end. when i make water i set my 5 gallon jugs in the bathtub and let it go, that way i can avoid an overflow. though be warned depending on your setup you go through a lot more water than you might think. mine is a 45 with 20 sump and i probably consume 15 gallons a week between WC and evaporation....mostly evaporation

 

[dictionaaron]

you might looking into an auto top off at some point, here is the setup i made. less than 30 bucks probably. id recommend using 2 float switches in series as they do fail from time to time and that prevents an overfill.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

An inexpesive float valve like the one below will take care of your "overflow" problem:

Just drill an appropriate size hole at the top of your container and install the valve. It works great and I never had a leak. When I need to fill my ATO reservoir, I simply connect the RODI tubing to the float valve on my Rubbermaid container which sits on my little red wagon. If I have the courage to go into the (rather tall) crawl space under the house, I would install one of those on my ATO reservoir next to my sump and run the tubing to it.

 

[pickupman66]

75 GPD RO/DI 4 Stage Economy System - English

is all most people will need. get you a garden hose adapter and you are in business. the float valve tomako showed above I used for YEARS. never had it fail. just forgot to fill the bin. it does require gravity to work however so if you cannot get your top off container above your sump it wont work well IMO. I now use a system like dictionaaron drew but with a home made float switch. those pumps are good for about a year.

 

[dictionaaron]

tomoko, ive thought about that, i just keep at 4 gallonish trash can under my stand and fill it manually every 3 or 4 days. i was gonna plumb it in like you described but after my ro/di sitting for any period of time i need to run it for a couple minutes and throw that amount out(until tds is 0 or 1). so i scrapped that idea as i would always be adding that "dirty" water to my reservior. its probably not dirty enough to matter but who knows...

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I will not use the shutoff type float valve in the sump directly. I have been using an auto top off system with the Aqua Lifter pump and float switch configuration that dictionaaron showed above for years. The aqua lifter pump requires periodic cleaning since I spike the ATO reservoir with lime to counteract the pH drop that my huge calcium reactor tends to cause.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

my ro/di sitting for any period of time i need to run it for a couple minutes and throw that amount out

I periodically measure the TDS value of my water in the container, but it normally reads "0" despite the fact I use the same container for mixing salt water (I carefully clean the container after I use it for mixing salt water).

Measuring TDS is a good practice to get into since the TDS value can tell you when it's time to change out your prefilters. Although I change my sediment filter every three months and carbon blocks every 6 months, I still check the TDS values of the product water.

When the city of Madison used an extra amount of chlorine after a contruction crew raptured a water main several years ago, the excess chlorine appearently destroyed my brand new RO membrane. I did not catch the premature failure of my membrane until my SPS's started looking anemic after a few water changes. I checked all sort of things, but I did not think of a failed mambrane being the cause of it. Then, I happen to check the TDS value (I did not have an inline meter at that time) and found the value to be over 90. After I changed the RO membrane, everything went back to normal.