So I recently acquired an AquaticLife twist on 4stage RODi for practically free. I want to start doing my own RODI water at home. I have some concerns though, my first RODI was a cheap clean water club or something of that nature and I had to replace the cartridges every month and got really expensive. Before I spend money on a new setup I need some help to see if it's worth it. I have city water what questions should I ask the company to know the quality of water coming in? Also this twist on system I have, is it worth it? My tank I'm building is 25 gallons plus a 29 gallon sump so it's not huge by any means.
RODI and water quality
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I have never seen an RODI system only last for a month. I am not sure what you purchased before, but the Aquaticlife 4 stage unit should last a long time with new cartridges, how long depends on the quality of the incoming water and the amount of RODI water you make. The only thing you will burn through a lot faster is the Di resin and that depends on how high the TDS is coming out of the RO section.
First thing you need is a TDS meter and a pressure gauge to check the quality of your city water and the available pressure. You can find TDS and pressure gauges on Amazon, BRS or Marine Depot for about $20 each. It also goes without saying that you have to change the cartridges unless you know they are new.
You can get your city water tested if you want to know if anything out of the normal is in your water but that is up to you. I think you can find online info from your water company if you want some ball park figures.
If your water pressure is below 40 PSI. I would seriously consider getting a booster pump as the efficiency of the unit will suffer if the pressure is low. I would aim for about 60 PSI as a good pressure going into the system, but 40 will work ok.
Some people have incoming water that has a TDS of less than 20 but most people have a TDS that will be nearer to 100-250. The higher the number is the more dissolved solids that will get past the RO stage and have to be removed by the DI stage. The goal is to have zero TDS coming out of the system but if your city has a high TDS level the RO section will only remove so much of it and will burn through the DI resin to remove the rest.
There are lots of videos and posts on the subject. I suggest you do some reading to find out the best practices for getting the most life out of your filter material.
Update:
I just looked at the prices for the filters for the Aquaticlife Twist and I think they are over priced.
You might want to just buy a regular system that allows you to buy bulk resin and cheaper filters.
The initial outlay may be more but it will save you money in the long term. This is very dependent on your municipal waters TDS. If it happens to be low like under 50 then you will probably be fine with the system you have now. If it is in the 200 range you might want to switch to an RODI system that has cheaper filter media available.
First thing you need is a TDS meter and a pressure gauge to check the quality of your city water and the available pressure. You can find TDS and pressure gauges on Amazon, BRS or Marine Depot for about $20 each. It also goes without saying that you have to change the cartridges unless you know they are new.
You can get your city water tested if you want to know if anything out of the normal is in your water but that is up to you. I think you can find online info from your water company if you want some ball park figures.
If your water pressure is below 40 PSI. I would seriously consider getting a booster pump as the efficiency of the unit will suffer if the pressure is low. I would aim for about 60 PSI as a good pressure going into the system, but 40 will work ok.
Some people have incoming water that has a TDS of less than 20 but most people have a TDS that will be nearer to 100-250. The higher the number is the more dissolved solids that will get past the RO stage and have to be removed by the DI stage. The goal is to have zero TDS coming out of the system but if your city has a high TDS level the RO section will only remove so much of it and will burn through the DI resin to remove the rest.
There are lots of videos and posts on the subject. I suggest you do some reading to find out the best practices for getting the most life out of your filter material.
Update:
I just looked at the prices for the filters for the Aquaticlife Twist and I think they are over priced.
You might want to just buy a regular system that allows you to buy bulk resin and cheaper filters.
The initial outlay may be more but it will save you money in the long term. This is very dependent on your municipal waters TDS. If it happens to be low like under 50 then you will probably be fine with the system you have now. If it is in the 200 range you might want to switch to an RODI system that has cheaper filter media available.
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If the freebee is pretty new and was not left unused for too long I would hook it up and see what you get coming out. If it sat for too long then the ro membrane might be shot.
PatW
2500 Club Member
I make quite a bit of water over 1000 gallon per year. My sediment blocks and carbon blocks last over 6 months. I Am still on my original RO filter. I get about 200 gallons of RODI from one DI canister and I pack them myself. For a tank of your size, one of my DI canisters would probably last you a year. I use a 6 stage BRS system.
There are advantages making your own RODI. You control the quality and do not have to rely on others. You can have it on hand. You can make it when you want. And you do not have to tote large containers of water around. Also, it comes out being cheaper.
There are advantages making your own RODI. You control the quality and do not have to rely on others. You can have it on hand. You can make it when you want. And you do not have to tote large containers of water around. Also, it comes out being cheaper.
Hi to all, new into reefing! Sorry if this question has been asked before. Do I really need a filter with 4-5-6-7 stages ? Or a system with 3 stages will do the job? I'm in a budget and current filters are overpriced (unfortunately for me) thanks in advance for the help.
Live in Kingston, Canada. Just soft corals. Results from tap water annual report in my City are :
nitrite: <0.1 mg/l
Nitrate: 0.3 mg/l
Chlorine residual: 0.39 - 2.7 mg/l
Live in Kingston, Canada. Just soft corals. Results from tap water annual report in my City are :
nitrite: <0.1 mg/l
Nitrate: 0.3 mg/l
Chlorine residual: 0.39 - 2.7 mg/l
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BeejReef
2500 Club Member
Most municipalities publish a water quality report... Google your city or county's name, water quality, drinking water... that sort of thing. They'll list the contaminants and it should indicate if they disinfect with chlorine or chloramine. I'm not enough of a scientist to truly uderstand it all, but if you see a lot of chloramine, you might opt for a a fifth stage add on.
Basically, I'd grab an in-line tds meter and see where you're at
Basically, I'd grab an in-line tds meter and see where you're at
Very essential piece of equipment. You can control what goes into the tank by using a RODI 3/4/5/6/7 stage filter. I recommend studying how much you will consume on a weekly and monthly basis. It also depends on what kind of corals you are going to keep and how picky you are with your parameters. To each their own. Plenty of posts about using it and not using it. Good luck !
3 stages are better than no stages. 4 is a lot better.
stage 1 sediment to remove sediment
stage 2 carbon to remove chlorine
stage 3 RO to remove 98% of anything else
stage 4 DI resin to remove anything left after the ro membrane
PatW
2500 Club Member
I would suggest a 4 stage For reasons given above.
My own system has a sediment filter because who wants sand and grit? Next is a carbon block to remove chlorine because it destroys the RO membrane. Next is another carbon block because one cannot be too careful. Next is the RO membrane. The RO membrane takes my water from about 140 tds to 2 tds. I also have a manual flush valve. I flush the RO membrane before use every time I use it. Next I have a tds meter. Then I have a canister with DI resin to remove the last bit of stuff giving me 0 tds. Then I have another tds meter. Finally I have another DI cartridge. Then the line goes to a 44 gallon Brute trash can and it has an automatic shut off valve because otherwise I would flood the place most of the time. When my number 2 tds meter reads more than 0, I move the second DI cartridge to the number 1 spot. I empty the number 1 cartridge, repack it and put it into the number 2 spot. But my system would be over kill for you.
My own system has a sediment filter because who wants sand and grit? Next is a carbon block to remove chlorine because it destroys the RO membrane. Next is another carbon block because one cannot be too careful. Next is the RO membrane. The RO membrane takes my water from about 140 tds to 2 tds. I also have a manual flush valve. I flush the RO membrane before use every time I use it. Next I have a tds meter. Then I have a canister with DI resin to remove the last bit of stuff giving me 0 tds. Then I have another tds meter. Finally I have another DI cartridge. Then the line goes to a 44 gallon Brute trash can and it has an automatic shut off valve because otherwise I would flood the place most of the time. When my number 2 tds meter reads more than 0, I move the second DI cartridge to the number 1 spot. I empty the number 1 cartridge, repack it and put it into the number 2 spot. But my system would be over kill for you.
