RO/Di UNits
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newlyreefd
Active Member
Check out Bulk reef supply. For $350, you can get a real nice unit from them.
Mjpisanti
Community Member
i recently got the aquafx 50gpd from Dr. Foster and Smith online, 4 stage filter. It was only $160 and has proven reliable so far. I only have a 75g, 20g, 12g, and 5g so i dont need the larger units but they also don't get too expensive.
The best there is is the Spectrapure MaxCap easily. It is in your price range in one version or another. I have used one for over 10 years now and would never think about going back to any other vendor.
backpack
Active Member
I would get a middle of the line unit and a booster pump if I had a well. If I was on city water I would have to know if there are chloramines in the water. If so call whatever brand you are looking at and let them know.
lucky7
Active Member
The machines themselves are all the same basically , you can add some stuff like tds Meters , pressure gauges etc. it's the filters that make the difference . The maxcap membrane is regarded as the best so I'd use that then a 6 stage machine from your choice of vendor.
The MaxCap is more than just a treated and tested membrane, it is engineered from start to finish to last longer and work better. You can have the best membrane in the world but if the sediment and carbon filters do not protect it or the DI does not do its best job of polishing of the remaining TDS you have wasted money. RO/DI systems are not all basically the same any more than cars are all the same, there can be and are major differences in quality, useful life and cost of operation between one and another.
Forget the word stages even exists, the number means absolutely nothing, it is what each stage contains and 4 stages can and often will outperform 6 or 7 stages. It is an old ebay trick to make a cheap low end drinking water system with two cheap granular carbons and/or two or three little horizontal hollow tubes with some resin bobbing around in them sound like the best thing since sliced bread when in fact they are close to worthless for our uses.
Spectrapure has many good articles in their FAQ section explaining the differences and how one can cost you much much less over its lifetime than another supposedly similar system. They may look the same but they are not even close.
Forget the word stages even exists, the number means absolutely nothing, it is what each stage contains and 4 stages can and often will outperform 6 or 7 stages. It is an old ebay trick to make a cheap low end drinking water system with two cheap granular carbons and/or two or three little horizontal hollow tubes with some resin bobbing around in them sound like the best thing since sliced bread when in fact they are close to worthless for our uses.
Spectrapure has many good articles in their FAQ section explaining the differences and how one can cost you much much less over its lifetime than another supposedly similar system. They may look the same but they are not even close.
backpack
Active Member
+1 to lucky seven. Plastic is plastic. Anything else can be changed. You can always buy new filters or hard parts. But if you have less than 40 psi water pressure a booster is great to have.
Thats not quite accurate. There are some inferior plastic housings and fittings on the market that are very brittle so shatter or crack very easily. I have been down that road myself and the replacement costs of the sumps and lids drove the cost of the system over what I would have paid for a good one in the first place. Look for canisters with a UPC and ANSI/NSF certification meaning they have been tested Don't be afraid to ask the vendors what brands and models they are using, if they can't or won't answer or its not something like Pentek or Ametek you might be smart passing on their systems for something better.
The ANSI/NSF and UPC testing and certification process are very expensive and time consuming but the end result is you get a better product that will perform and last as it should. Plastic is not plastic.
The booster pump is a great idea if you have low pressure or cold water or even if you just want to improve the performance of your system since membranes love pressure, the higher it is the better it gets.
The ANSI/NSF and UPC testing and certification process are very expensive and time consuming but the end result is you get a better product that will perform and last as it should. Plastic is not plastic.
The booster pump is a great idea if you have low pressure or cold water or even if you just want to improve the performance of your system since membranes love pressure, the higher it is the better it gets.
AZDesertRat is the man when it comes to RO/DI, I always learn something new from him. lol
I personally run a BRS unit and like it but at the end of the day, they are all the same with different labels. It's the accessories that add up but they make things more efficient and better.
I personally run a BRS unit and like it but at the end of the day, they are all the same with different labels. It's the accessories that add up but they make things more efficient and better.
lucky7
Active Member
Seriously all the top ro/di machines are interchangeable, like I said there is some bells and whistles to be added but the metal and canisters are no different in the top brands. They all function the same. Buy good filters that's what you need, keep on top of changing sediment filters and others when needed
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They are not all the same, even with name brand systems.
No other vendor treats and tests their RO membranes which is proven to increase their performance and lessen your DI replacements. No other vendor custom blends every ounce of their own DI resins in house based on thousands of hours of real world and bench testing. No other vendor subjects every type and style of sediment and carbon block filter to harsh testing to ensure they stand up to their claims. Spectrapure rejects more filters, membranes and resins than most other vendors combined sell. It is not hype it is truth. There really is a difference.
http://spectrapure.com/spectrapure.com/frequently-asked-questions-p2#99percent
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2173771
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1020296
No other vendor treats and tests their RO membranes which is proven to increase their performance and lessen your DI replacements. No other vendor custom blends every ounce of their own DI resins in house based on thousands of hours of real world and bench testing. No other vendor subjects every type and style of sediment and carbon block filter to harsh testing to ensure they stand up to their claims. Spectrapure rejects more filters, membranes and resins than most other vendors combined sell. It is not hype it is truth. There really is a difference.
http://spectrapure.com/spectrapure.com/frequently-asked-questions-p2#99percent
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2173771
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1020296
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We are just talking home use RO/DI, not sanitation use or industrial housings. We are not putting them through the ringer.
Just buy a cheap ol RO/DI from EBay, then use BRS or other for the cartridge replacements.
Just buy a cheap ol RO/DI from EBay, then use BRS or other for the cartridge replacements.
lucky7
Active Member
I think your missing something , the housings are what I'm talking about . The top machines that people use like spectrapure, brs, etc they are basically the same . The filters are not , that why I said but good filters and I recommend the maxcap membrane. Keeping on top of sediment filter changes and having a membrane flush is also needed IMO
Not all housings are the same. Make triple sure they are brands like Ametek or Puratek and meet Uniform Plumbing Code and ANSI/NSF certifications and codes. This ensures they meet 125 psi wqorking pressure ratings and are safe for contact with drinking water. There are still many well known vendors using non certified products and much of the plastics coming from overseas contains lead at alarming levels plus the plastic is brittle so develop hairline cracks where the threaded fittings fit in the lids and at the tops of the clear sumps or canisters. I can take photos of both areas for reference. Stick with name brands and ask questions. I have had to replace housings from well known vendors so they are not all the same.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission tests many products such as childrens toys imported from overseas and you would be amazed how many plastics contain lead and other toxic substances. Filter housings can be made in the same factories using the same plastic compounds. Too bad they don't test many other products or publicize the results of what they do test better.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission tests many products such as childrens toys imported from overseas and you would be amazed how many plastics contain lead and other toxic substances. Filter housings can be made in the same factories using the same plastic compounds. Too bad they don't test many other products or publicize the results of what they do test better.
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We don't run our systems at 125 psi. We run em at 65psi.
What home user has that high of a PSI at the inline?
What home user has that high of a PSI at the inline?
It happens all the time when sprinkler valves turn on and off or when the washing machine or dishwasher solenoid valves open and close. Put a gauge on your water supply and watch it. Water hammer can easily be 5 or 10 times your normal working pressure and happens a lot. There are areas right there in Glendale that have 85-90 psi all the time when you are at the bottom of a pressure zone, Peoria and Phoenix are the same.
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I've been using a cheapo EBay $99 unit for years. Never had to replace any of my canisters, or O Rings, and mine cost a heck of alot less than yours.
Initially it may have cost less but I will put money up saying mine has saved more than your in filter, membrane and DI replacements over its lifespan. How much water do you make and how often do you replace DI? There really is a difference.
