Need some help and direction about RO/DI units

[SIJoe]

Hello all I am new to this site but have been in the reefing hobby for 5 years now. I have kept all types of corals and currently have a 40 breeder sps dominated tank. Everything is looking happy and healthy however I am finally ready to invest in an RO/DI unit. I am not looking to break the bank and would like to keep it at a ceiling of $200. I have been looking at BRS because I am a long time customer but I am open to other suggestions. I live in NYC and more specifically Staten Island. Is there a better system than the BRS 5 stage plus unit? And can someone give me some guidelines of what pieces of ro/di units I should look for I.E sediment block #, carbon block micron #, and brands. I am very new to this. Thanks for the help!

 

[Palting]

I have the BRS 5 stage Plus unit. I'm very happy with it. You can get the details of the filter elements themselves at their website. Now, I found something funny when I was doing this research several years ago. The filter elements and membrane themselves are similar if not the exact same across several brands. So, it's really more about the filter canisters and how they are put together. My first unit looked sleek but was poorly made. The BRS 5 stage Plus is well made and solid.

 

[Z-man]

Following along for the ride. I am looking too. I have heard of two that are recommended, but one pricier than what you list.

 

[SIJoe]

Thanks for the feedback Palting. Thats interesting about the membranes I did not realize they were the same. Is this the first and only ro/di unit you have used? And what micron number would I need to use for the sediment and carbon blocks.

 

[seamus2050]

I just installed this system 4 weeks ago.Premier Reverse Osmosis Water System 100 GPD Ionizer Alkaline Filter ORP NEG | eBay It did not break the bank, seems to work great. the pressure tank allowed me to run an auto top off, mixing tank for salt and an additional run to my kitchen sink for drinking water.

 

[Palting]

Thanks for the feedback Palting. Thats interesting about the membranes I did not realize they were the same. Is this the first and only ro/di unit you have used? And what micron number would I need to use for the sediment and carbon blocks.

The first unit I had was made by AquaticLife. Sleek and enclosed, looked good. But could never get 0 TDS out of it, not even after replacing all the filters. Finally gave up on it and bought the BRS 5 stage Plus unit. Worked like a charm from the get-go. It comes with a 5 micron sediment filter, a 5 micron carbon block, a 0.6 micron carbon block, the 75gph Dow filmtec membrane, and the DI resin.

You need to call your city water department and ask whether they use chlorine or chloramine for water treatment. Several cities have gone into using chloramine, and you'll need the chloramine capable units if you live in such a city.

 

[Eienna]

I hear the BRS units are good, and I see some prominent reefers using them.

Since for some reason my Dad didn't go for that company and I needed his help to get it (I needed one ASAP), I went with the Air, Water and Ice Typhoon III unit. Works a treat. I needed a 150GPD unit, and it costed about $280 (they might still have their free shipping promo going on, too) but you might be able to get away with a slightly lower GPD and thus a lower price.

I believe their website url is airwaterice.com if you want to check it out.

 

[Chameleon]

spectrapure is the way to go in my opinion. They make a refurbished unit for 130 or 140 with about everything you would need except a tds meter. If you want to spend 200 you could get their unit with a dual inline tds meter. comes with a warranty and has some of the best carbon and sediment filters out there. BRS doesn't use the same quality prefilters as spectrapure. buckfield supply is another good option.

 

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[SIJoe]

Has anyone used the Buckeye Field Supply premium ro/di units? They seem to be better than the BRS because of the micron pre filters. Any users/input?

 

[Palting]

Buckeye Field supply has excellent service. Their premium units are 4 stage units. Good ones as well, so I've heard. I wouldn't be too fixated in prefilter numbers, though. Your actual workhorse is the RO membrane. And they are all the same Filmtec brand by Dow. My membrane has been running over 3 years, and TDS out of the membrane is still 2, and the DI resin does minimal work to get it down to 0 TDS.