Ro water
- Thread starter paul01
- Start date
- Tagged users None
RO without DI is 90-98% more pure than tap water. RO basically acts as pretreatment for DI in our hobby. If the system is in good shape and has an efficient RO membrane that is functioning properly it may be worth picking up and adding a DI filter to.
One thing I will caution you on though is often it costs more to upgrade a used system to reef quality than it does to purchase a new reef quality RO/DI for around $112. You can almost guarantee the used system will require a new sediment and carbon block filter at a minimum and in many cases a new RO membrane also if it has been sitting around for long or has not been taken care of properly. Thats close to $75 for high quality replacements right off then add an inline pressure gauge and add on DI and you have probably exceeded the new cost.
If you have more info on the system it would help you make your decision. What brand and model, how old, has it been maintained properly, the tap and RO only TDS numbers it has been producing historically and how long it has been out of use. Was it stored with water still in the unit to keep the membrane wetted and was it exposed to temperature extremes and bright direct lighting?
One thing I will caution you on though is often it costs more to upgrade a used system to reef quality than it does to purchase a new reef quality RO/DI for around $112. You can almost guarantee the used system will require a new sediment and carbon block filter at a minimum and in many cases a new RO membrane also if it has been sitting around for long or has not been taken care of properly. Thats close to $75 for high quality replacements right off then add an inline pressure gauge and add on DI and you have probably exceeded the new cost.
If you have more info on the system it would help you make your decision. What brand and model, how old, has it been maintained properly, the tap and RO only TDS numbers it has been producing historically and how long it has been out of use. Was it stored with water still in the unit to keep the membrane wetted and was it exposed to temperature extremes and bright direct lighting?
Ok_cowboy1
Active Member
I'm very new to this hobby and I just ordered a bulk reef RODI plus 150GPD! I am not one to give advice, but this seemed to be the best for the money IMO!
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
Gonna add my 2¢ to this as well. Make sure to determine if your city uses Chloromine. Chloromine is being used in more and more municipality's as opposed to straight Chlorine. A correct carbon block designed to filter Chloromine is needed to prevent premature wear/failure of the RO membrane.
BRS did a very good video explaining it much better than I could here.
BRS did a very good video explaining it much better than I could here.
Spectrapure refurbished for $112. They don't come any better.
Don't fall for the chloramine scare tactics. Carbon DOES NOT remove chloramines. Any good high quality 1 micron or smaller carbon block is more than capable of removing the chlorine portion of chloramines and breaking the bond with the ammonia which is mostly removed by the RO membrane and polished off by the DI. The membrane and DI are the workhorses not the carbon whose sole purpose is to protect the membrane.
Don't fall for the chloramine scare tactics. Carbon DOES NOT remove chloramines. Any good high quality 1 micron or smaller carbon block is more than capable of removing the chlorine portion of chloramines and breaking the bond with the ammonia which is mostly removed by the RO membrane and polished off by the DI. The membrane and DI are the workhorses not the carbon whose sole purpose is to protect the membrane.
