RODI vs Distilled Water?

[AZDesertRat]

My tap TDS is 560-800, my RO only TDS is between 2 and 3. I replace the sediment and carbon every 12-18 months based on headloss and chlorine breakthru and DI lasts a year on the MaxCap and 3 years on the SilicaBuster. That's with a 100g display with 30g sump and a 16g nano in Phoenix with high evaporation. You figure out which system is more efficient and costs less to own. The portables are not the way to go.

 

[ruth howard]

My tap TDS is 560-800, my RO only TDS is between 2 and 3. I replace the sediment and carbon every 12-18 months based on headloss and chlorine breakthru and DI lasts a year on the MaxCap and 3 years on the SilicaBuster. That's with a 100g display with 30g sump and a 16g nano in Phoenix with high evaporation. You figure out which system is more efficient and costs less to own. The portables are not the way to go.

I may upgrade in the future. Just sounded like he was on a tight budget. Anything is better than going to the LFS or the store for distilled water.

 

[120reefkeeper]

I think the point is for just a few more pennies he could do so much more and have a top quality Ro/di system like the spectrapure is. Quality should always outweigh quantity . IMO Save yourself a lot of hassle and heart ache and save up a few more bucks and buy a system that is proven to provide exactly what you need. I did just that . Saved my money and bought a spectrapure unit and it has been flawless.

 

[AZDesertRat]

While I agree with the Spectrapure we have lost sight of the fact the OP has a 5g Pico reef. Being a water treatment plant operator for the last 40+ years I am anal about my water quality but with a 5g system a RO/DI is hard to justify for most folks. Making 100+ gallons of RO/DI a month like I do its a no brainier but for maybe 10 gallons a month it's not so easy. It is nice having ultimate control of your water quality though. Maybe the handheld ATC compensated TDS meter mght be the better investment for now and save for the future.

 

[mcarroll]

I would continue by adding this all depends on the water quality where @Teebo is. (No location given, so I can't guess.)

If the tap water is right, then even just a carbon filter could work. But without knowing the locality, it's just as likely to be extreme like @AZDesertRat water or my water, which is somewhere in the middle.

And I agree, for a 5g tank, if the LFS isn't a long trip, I think just buying their water makes perfect sense. That's a tiny tank.

Up to a buck a gallon for RODI would be fair to me, but there are some places that sell for less than that. (If they're "too cheap" I worry that they might also be "too cheap" to replace their filters on time...) Premixed saltwater shouldn't be a whole lot more than that...buck and a quarter-ish? Depending on your willingness to carry water, I think this is an OK strategy for any tank up to about 50 gallons. Bigger than that and you're basically running your own water service - get your own filter and save gas and your back!

With a typical RODI, I think you might even be at some risk of using so little water that your filter elements might grow bacteria.

Although up-front costs are similar or more, I think I'd consider a counter-top distiller if you REALLY didn't want to make that trip to buy water.

A distiller is designed to be used to make potable water, so you automatically have other domestic uses for it - drinking, cooking, etc. Distillers run at low volume, and depending how much you pay for electricity they can be a little expensive to operate....but for a 5 gallon tank, that's not really an issue. The main upside of the distiller is that there are no replacement filters...you just de-scale the thing from time to time. (First vid I came across when I ran a search for de-scaling like this.)

 

[AZDesertRat]

My thoughts are if you have a good LFS you trust and who will test their RO/DI with a TDS or conductivity meter in your presence then go for it.
If not I would buy a TDS meter and get purple cap distilled water from Walmart. I would not recommend the countertop still route. While it sounds simple it is a PITA besides being an energy hog, it takes a tremendous amount of Watt hours to make a couple of gallons of water. Add to that, it probably will not be 0 TDS either unless you do some carbon pretreatment before distilling it. It's not much good for anything else either, steam iron makers like Rowenta and GE do not recommend distilled water as it is corrosive to the metals and it is very bland and unrefreshing to most people to drink.

 

[mcarroll]

My thoughts are if you have a good LFS you trust and who will test their RO/DI with a TDS or conductivity meter in your presence then go for it.

I agree this is the best route if possible.

BTW, be nice when you're going to make a special request like this....call ahead if possible, or at least show up when they aren't busy.

You would never pull a "do this for me now, in my presence" test on online vendors becuase you can't, and you don't do it to Walmart because...???maybe you should??? So be at least as courteous to your local store when you ask them for something special. Measuring TDS every time you sell water to a customer is not normal, nor even required at all if you keep to a filter replacement schedule. Which a store should, since they should be using their own water for the same purpose as you.

That said, is it fair to ask for.

While it sounds simple it is a PITA

I've never used one, but cleanup looked simple in that video.

And (I think?) most people already use a Brita or PUR filter anyway...so just feed the distiller with that. Unless you have bad source water....again all goes back to testing the tap water or reading (and trusing) the municipal water report.

Not the best option, perhaps. But it doesn't sound like a bad option for a 5 gallon tank.

How much can it cost to distill a half-gallon of water per week for water changes plus some extra for evap and other uses?

 

[AZDesertRat]

Look up the wattage and gpd info on distillers, you might find it interesting.
25-30 years ago before buying my first RO system I used to purchase from a local staffed water and ice store. The owner bent over backwards to please the customer and pulled the conductivity meter out all the time. His business depended on word of mouth. With RO only they get 560-800 TDS unsoftened 20-25 grain tap water down to 10-13 TDS without DI. That's not bad at all for a large system like that and he was proud of it.
I have no problem asking my LFS for the same service, after that is their business and again they oblige every request. The customer comes first.

 

[Teebo]

Hmm I have a bit to think about here, regarding the TDS meter I was told to go with a $25 unit although you get one free with a $15 pH meter on eBay.

Also, about the refractometer you posted for $65 whats wrong with the $25 refractometer on eBay?

The distilled water I was referring to was indeed from Walmart in gallon jugs. The whole point is if I do not like this pico reef than I have a lot of wasted money invested here in water processing equipment. I can get a Zero water pitcher and feed it distilled water from Walmart....

I am located in MA, we have a multi-million dollar water treatment plant with some of the best water in the state according to the water report. However this is an old city and by the time it gets to me it passes through a lot of piping. I will get a TDS meter and test my tap water I need to start somewhere.

 

[FlyinBryan]

If you can't afford a solid well known brand for rodi, I will say. Have you thought about Gold Fish or guppies? Seriously

 

[AZDesertRat]

The cheap TDS meters are not ATC or auto temperature compensated. The $25 HM Digital models I mentioned all are, they have cheap ones that are not too but they lack accuracy as temperature plays a huge part in water conductivity. They also lack the digital thermometer, do not have 2% accuracy and some don't read in 1 TDS increments.

Use the distilled and you won't have any need for a still.

 

[Teebo]

I would not run a still anyway, electricity is expensive here. FlyinBag totally misses the point of spending so much on a system I need 10 gallons a month out of max...

How about this?? It is 2% accurate TDS-4

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HM-Digital-...588521?hash=item3efd1e3869:g:9akAAOSwa39U0uxM

 

[mcarroll]

I will get a TDS meter and test my tap water I need to start somewhere.

+1

As long as you get a pretty close match to the TDS of your report, then you can reasonably expect your water to match the report. (TDS can natually vary with the seasons in most places, so don't expect an exact match.)

I think any TDS meter is better than none, but if the budget allows, @AZDesertRat makes a pretty good case for the (still inexpenisve) $15 $25? meter.

As for filters...

From memory, zero water pitchers and the filter replacements are not cheap.

Before I spent any significant money on hardware, I'd seriously consider the LFS-water option.

Buying water by the 1-gallon might be okay once or twice, but soon you'll wonder why you didn't invest in one nice 5-gallon container and just take it to the LFS two or three times a year?

Any carboy is better than a bucket (or 1-gallon jug) for several reasons, but this carboy is perfect and only costs $13:

Link is to US Plastics and is a very good price, but I have found these other places at times too.

I have six of these.

Here are my favorite features:

• It's graduated to the .5 gallon on two sides so the scale can be read with it standing up or laying flat.
• The fat handle makes it super-easy to grip and carry even when full. (Water is heavy..ugh!)
• The three different openings make it extremely versatile. You can get water out by just about any method you could want - the tap even directly fits standard 1/2" tubing.
• It comes with a cap for the valve - so the valve is optional! Great if you need to throw it in a trunk full and heavy without worrying about breaking the tap off!!

$13 + (5 x .99 for water) = $17.95​

I don't know what shipping will add to that, but even at $18+, five gallons of water would potentially last you a very long time - almost a year if used just for 10% monthly water changes, LOL - and be very, very cheap. About $0.05/day, at that rate.

If you're considering spending more than $18+ on hardware, after all that's been said, I really think I'd look around for a full-sized RODI system you can afford.

I like the discount options people usually link from Spectrapure, Air Water And Ice as well as a few other vendors - usually less than $150 for brand-new. But, even a used RODI may fit the bill.

Watch the equipment sales forum here on R2R and post on the Wanted To Buy forum as well.

 

[Teebo]

Well for one Zerowater will blast out like 200 gallons or more if your using distilled water (just a guess) but once your feeding it distilled water the replacement cartridge is no longer expensive lasting 10X longer.

I surely will be doing more than a 10% monthly change, try 25% weekly this is a pico no skimmer, etc, this is how you control it is massive water changes based on my research.

 

[Chibils]

If you can't afford a solid well known brand for rodi, I will say. Have you thought about Gold Fish or guppies? Seriously

The guy is setting up a five gallon tank as his first entry into saltwater. A 6 stage Spectrapure would cost more than his whole set up so far.

 

[mcarroll]

even at $18+, five gallons of water would potentially last you a very long time - almost a year if used just for 10% monthly water changes, LOL - and be very, very cheap. About $0.05/day, at that rate.

I surely will be doing more than a 10% monthly change, try 25% weekly

It was not a suggestion. I'm sure you'll use it for more than water changes too, but I wasn't trying to write the book for you all in one post! Just an example to demonstrate that it's a very economical way to acquire water for such a pico tank as yours. How long will 5 gallons last at the rate you think you'll use it for water changes?

I'd at least try to hear from someone already using it or who is at least willing to recommend "zerowater" before you spend money on it just for this purpose. (Is it a deionizer? Do you know how it works?) But if you're done asking and are set on "zerowater", then go for it! We'll be curious to hear your experience!

 

[Cory]

Distilled is my first choice. It should always produce 0tds. No filter to worry about.

 

[graham_kyle1]

I used store bought distilled water for 6 months on my old 36 bow.... Worked great.... 2 5g just a week one for change and one for top off. On a 5 gallon that's absolutely the way I'd go! No need for an Rodi on that small of a system. Just make sure the tds is 0. I've since upgraded to a 90 and have the spectra pure 90gpd unit and got it refurbished. The pressure gauge has since stopped working and I cracked the casing trying to fix it by screwing it RODI filters are best used when making a lot at once. I only make 5 to 15 gallons at a time and my unit is 7 months old spitting out 2 tds water. EBay tds meter. Tap water is about 170.

 

[AlexStinson]

I only need about 5gal a week of water and found it more economical to buy an RODI unit. I was buying the purple cap distilled from walmart, and I hated the fact it always smelled like the plastic it was in.

 

[mcarroll]

I only need about 5gal a week of water and found it more economical to buy an RODI unit. I was buying the purple cap distilled from walmart, and I hated the fact it always smelled like the plastic it was in.

+1

One to be old-fashioned, two because it needed to be said twice!

Including all uses, the OP could be at 5 gallons per week as well....depending how things go.