TDS specs??
- Thread starter EZMAC114
- Start date
- Tagged users None
EllisJuan
Active Member
Ask your local fish store. I am sure they have an idea of what you can expect out of your tap.
Contact your water utility, they are bound by law to provide each bill paying customer with an annual water quality report.
It may or may not include TDS since it is not a EPA required test but they should know what it is in your area if you ask.
Most Municipalities have their water quality reports available online. A quick search should bring it up.
It may or may not include TDS since it is not a EPA required test but they should know what it is in your area if you ask.
Most Municipalities have their water quality reports available online. A quick search should bring it up.
Here's yours from 2012 (probably the most recent).
A TDS meter is still necessary for aforementioned reasons.
A TDS meter is still necessary for aforementioned reasons.
Just call the Utility and give them your general location if you want a ballpark estimate. They will have a pretty close number. When I managed utilities I used to geta lot of calls and referrals from customers who either knew I was an aquatic hobbyist or from other City departments or employees who did so I could help answer enquiries. I even kept a reef tank in my office and had a small reef display in my admin assistants office for the public to view.
Do not fall for the water saving claim. If you are not using softened water and have lower than normal TDS then always keep your waste ratio at 4:1 if you expect your RO membrane and DI to last. Membranes must be flushed via the waste ratio, there is no getting around it. BRS would not be my choice either due to their use of high micron, bery coarse sediment filters which do little to protect the carbon blocks pores from plugging or fouling rendering it useless for adsorbing chlorine. They use a 5 micron filter when it should be 1 micron or less and absolute is better than nominal rated. You might want to reconsider your purchase until you have done more research on RO/DI systems and your needs.
What is your tap TDS and your calcium carbonate hardness? This will determine what systems you should be considering. There are things you need to know before buying and installing a system. Never rely on a LFS recommendation alone.
Reverse Osmosis General Info
"Why should I switch vendors and go with SpectraPure?" - Reef Central Online Community
What is your tap TDS and your calcium carbonate hardness? This will determine what systems you should be considering. There are things you need to know before buying and installing a system. Never rely on a LFS recommendation alone.
Reverse Osmosis General Info
"Why should I switch vendors and go with SpectraPure?" - Reef Central Online Community
ReefMadScientist
Valuable Member
My LFS was over 600 and mine was around 200. Every area will mostly be different.
The LFS may have the same water utility but it could be from a different well or treatment plant.
I would cancel the order, do more research then decide on what you need. Impulse buys always seem to bite me in the butt. I look at a good RO/DI like a fine tool, buy the best and only buy it once as it should last a decade or longer. Look at systems from Spectrapure, Buckeye Hydro, PurelyH2o and others and compare each component, filter micron rating, feature like inline pressure gauges or type of flow restrictor and the DI resin and RO membrane they use.
Again, going back to my previous posts, contact the utility and tell them you are a reef hobbyist and very interested in water quality. They will probably put you in touch with someone that can answer your questions with some authority, they probably have reef hobbyists among their ranks. You need to know your water pressure, TDS and hardness at a minimum before picking a system.
I would cancel the order, do more research then decide on what you need. Impulse buys always seem to bite me in the butt. I look at a good RO/DI like a fine tool, buy the best and only buy it once as it should last a decade or longer. Look at systems from Spectrapure, Buckeye Hydro, PurelyH2o and others and compare each component, filter micron rating, feature like inline pressure gauges or type of flow restrictor and the DI resin and RO membrane they use.
Again, going back to my previous posts, contact the utility and tell them you are a reef hobbyist and very interested in water quality. They will probably put you in touch with someone that can answer your questions with some authority, they probably have reef hobbyists among their ranks. You need to know your water pressure, TDS and hardness at a minimum before picking a system.
Last edited:
Spectrapure MaxCap UHE but it is my last system I will ever buy. I worked up over 20 years to get it and it is my 6th RO or RO/DI, upgrading each time. I researched my tail off. Go to their website and read the articles in their FAQ section then maybe get on Reef Central and read all the stuff in their Sponsors Forum going back about 15 years or so. There really is a difference. Many companies have jumped on the RO bandwagon in the last few years with little background or experience to back them up and certainly no research and develpment or engineers, chemists and scientists on staff. Spectrapure is actually a very small company and listed as a Small Business but they do a phenominal amount of research and are huge in the deionized water field for the building of hydrogen fuel cells and such. They have been doing RO/DI for about 30 years.
Please do not take my comments as badmouthing or dissing BRS, that is not the case at all. I have a closet full of their chemicals and supplements and love them. Their service is fantastic and they have good products, its just they have little knowledge of RO and DI.
Please do not take my comments as badmouthing or dissing BRS, that is not the case at all. I have a closet full of their chemicals and supplements and love them. Their service is fantastic and they have good products, its just they have little knowledge of RO and DI.
Last edited:
OP
OP
EZMAC114
Well-Known Member
I will look on spectrapure's website and I didn't think you were bad mouthing at all..just giving me advise on what's best. I don't know much about RO/DI's and I appreciate the advise and help.
OP
OP
EZMAC114
Well-Known Member
Some how I put this in the wrong thread lol.
All of the spectrapure RO/DI systems say they have a 2:1 waste ratio and you said that I should have a 4:1 ratio if I'm not using softened water...so what should I do? Sorry if that's a dumb question lol
All of the spectrapure RO/DI systems say they have a 2:1 waste ratio and you said that I should have a 4:1 ratio if I'm not using softened water...so what should I do? Sorry if that's a dumb question lol
From my answer in the other thread.
Certain Spectrapure systems are now low waste, not all. The ones that are come with test strips or kits to measure your water hardness and two flow restrictors one close to 3;1 and one close to 2:1 you then trim and install based on your test results. They also recommend softened water and warn you not to use low waste if you do not have soft water or it will shorten the life of your membrane driving the cost of ownership up. Others do not provide or even mention test kits or strips and softened water and do not include adjustable capillary tube flow restrictors so you get what you get. Again, lots of research and development and working with your clients to walk them through the process and educatae them on the subject. RO and RO/DI are not "one size fits all" if you expect good performance and good life.
Certain Spectrapure systems are now low waste, not all. The ones that are come with test strips or kits to measure your water hardness and two flow restrictors one close to 3;1 and one close to 2:1 you then trim and install based on your test results. They also recommend softened water and warn you not to use low waste if you do not have soft water or it will shorten the life of your membrane driving the cost of ownership up. Others do not provide or even mention test kits or strips and softened water and do not include adjustable capillary tube flow restrictors so you get what you get. Again, lots of research and development and working with your clients to walk them through the process and educatae them on the subject. RO and RO/DI are not "one size fits all" if you expect good performance and good life.
Last edited:
