RODI system questions

c0mfylove · Feb 20, 2014

Ok so I have a couple questions...

I have a Coralife 4 stage RODI system.

#1, I accidentally ran hot water through it one day when I turned it on, and was told that that ruins the whole thing so now I have to replace every filter/cartridge. Is this true??

#2, with that being said, if/when I DO need to replace them, do I have to get specific brands? Or can I get any kind from anywhere? I bought this used so I'm a little clueless as to knowing about replacing the stuff, lol.

Thank you in advance!

AZDesertRat · Feb 20, 2014

The only way to know if the hot water ruined the RO membrane is with a TDS meter, you cannot troubleshoot or even own a RO or RO/DI system without one.
I highly recommend a handheld meter such as a HM Digital TDS-3, TDS-4TM or AP-1. All can be had for around $25 and are ATC or temperature compensated so very accurate compared the meters like their TDS-EZ handheld or the inlines which are not ATC.

Do you know the history of the system? Did it still have water inside the RO housing and the DI filter when you bought it? Are the filters 6 onths old or older or been sitting for any length of time?

Without knowing how old the system is or how well it has been taken care of its hard to know the conditions of the filters except to say the sediment and carbon block filters should be changed every 6 months, the entire system should be disinfected at least annually, the membrane and DI must stay wetted at all times one in use and you should make water at least every 10-14 days to keep the system flushed and usable. Try to get ahold of a TDS meter and take your tap water TDS, RO only TDS before the DI and final RO/DI TDS. This will tell you the membrane condition and the DI condition. You will probably need a sediment and carbon block regardless and you cannot tell their condition with a TDS meter.

That system uses standard 10" replacement filters but shop wisely, there are a myraid or filter qualities and most are not suited for reef quality water and do notdo a good job of protecting your membrane and DI which is their purpose. I would shop at places like Spectrapure, Buckeye Hydro or PurelyH2o which use high quality filters, membranes and resins and very competitive prices. Avoid places like Lowe's, Home Depot or Sears since they are more drinking water quality replacements in higher micron ranges.

c0mfylove · Feb 21, 2014

I'll have to look into getting one of those.

I don't :/ I know at least 2 of the cartridges are NOT 6 months or older, because we replaced two of them, since we didn't know when they had been replaced last. And we run water through it at least once a week, if not more.

How do you disinfect the whole unit?