"using distilled water" or "reverse osmosis water"

[Sabellafella]

Black fridayyy brs sale there usally 100$

 

[melypr1985]

Question- what is difference between a "stage 5,6 or 7"?
And I was looking on bulk reef supply and eBay- there is about a $100 difference in cost!?? Why?

So for the first question: I have a 7 stage unit and all it is is a 5 stage but with two pre filters and two DI resins. On the second, I'll let somebody else comment on that as I'm not sure.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

Question- what is difference between a "stage 5,6 or 7"?
And I was looking on bulk reef supply and eBay- there is about a $100 difference in cost!?? Why?

5 stage is usually 3 pre-filters, an RO membrane, and one DI section.

6 stage is usually same as above with 2 DI stages

7 stage might have 2 RO membranes

There are also 4 stage systems which might be only 2 pre filters, a membrane, and a DI.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-reverse-osmosis-filters-systems/reverse-osmosis-systems.html

 

[justjes45]

Wow- how do you guys know all of this!! Lol
Thanks so much for your coaching!

 

[melypr1985]

5 stage is usually 3 pre-filters, an RO membrane, and one DI section.

6 stage is usually same as above with 2 DI stages

7 stage might have 2 RO membranes

There are also 4 stage systems which might be only 2 pre filters, a membrane, and a DI.

Yeah! That's what I meant to say! lol Totally had a friend pick mine out for me and he told me that, but I have the worst memory.

 

[AZDesertRat]

You want a RO/DI unit, not just RO as it is the DI resin that does the final treatment. The RO acts as pretreatment for the DI.
Forget the word "stage" even exists, it is an old ebay trick to make 6 or 7 stages sound like the best thing since sliced bread when in fact many are next to useless, more is not better in this case. You want a 4 stage RO/DI utilizing high quality, low micron filters and a name brand RO membrane with high quality, fresh DI resin in a vertical 20 oz refillable DI cartridge.
My recommendation would be the 90 GPD refurbished RO/DI from Spectrapure, the most trusted name in the business no questions asked. Around $130-$150 depending on sales and such. Next up would be the 75 GPD Premium series from Buckeye Hydro in the same price range and finally the Optima series from PurelyH2o, again about the same price. These three are all proven systems from knowledgable, long time vendors who specialize in water treatment, not chemicals, or lights or pumps or whatever.
The average cost to make a gallon of RO/DI water is about a nickle a gallon including replacement filter and DI resin costs and water and sewer rates. Darn cheap and you alone control the water quality and don't depend on anyone else.

 

[diablomaster9045]

And I was looking on bulk reef supply and eBay- there is about a $100 difference in cost!?? Why?

its because BRS orders in crazy bulk from china on the parts and assembles the kits. thus the being much cheaper for the most part. They are also well though out systems. I have had great success with them. I need to order a chlorimine carbon block because I just checked the water reports for VA and they use chlorimines and not chlorine. So check that when your ordering so you can add a chlorimines filter if VT uses chlorimines.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

Wow- how do you guys know all of this!! Lol
Thanks so much for your coaching!

By asking questions, just like you are!

IMO though, 3 pre-filters is best, 1 membrane, 1 DI. I use 2 DIs though because of my water, tap is 500ppm TDS. So when one DI starts to look bad, I change the resin in #1 and then switch the two so the new resin is 2nd in line

 

[Feltman]

By asking questions, just like you are!

IMO though, 3 pre-filters is best, 1 membrane, 1 DI. I use 2 DIs though because of my water, tap is 500ppm TDS. So when one DI starts to look bad, I change the resin in #1 and then switch the two so the new resin is 2nd in line

A di stage is not a prefilter. Your prefilters are your sediment(usually a single stage) and your carbon block ( 1 or 2 stages, 1 is all that is needed but sometimes they run a finer block on the second carbon stage) then the actual membrane( usually a single stage but brs has some dual stage ones to increase water output and decrease waste water) and lastly the di stages (1 or 2 stages, having 2 stages does literly nothing for your final product but 2 di stages does allow u to run the first at a higher tds while the second finishes the water. This allows the first di stage to be used to completion instead of needin to be changed as soon as it produces 1 tds allowing you to go through less di resin)

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

A di stage is not a prefilter

? ? I didn't say it was?

I use it like you said in the last paragraph

 

[joeyhatch11]

http://spectrapure.com/RO-RODI/RODI-SYSTEMS/Refurbished-90-GPD-RODI-System

Best bang for the buck. Plus they offer some of the best (if not the best) filters on the market. I've tried distilled water in the beginning, never any ill effects from using it but once i switched to a ro/di and bought 2 larger tanks, I couldn't be happier.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

nvm

 

[Feltman]

? ? I didn't say it was?

I use it like you said in the last paragraph

2
Sorry misread your post

 

[Steve_Mac]

Stages refers to how many different filters the water goes through. A typical system will have several. I have 5 on mine - a 5 micron, a 1 micron and a .5 micron carbon block before the actual RO membrane and then two canisters of DI resin (ok, maybe that's 6, but to me the DI is just one stage LOL) I have well water, so the carbon block stage isn't as important to me as it would be to someone on city water, due to the chlorine/chloramine removal they offer. Water coming out of my RO is normally about 2 ppm TDS before it goes through the DI stage. So, on my system, I have 3 pre-filters, the RO and then the DI stage to give me 0 TDS (Total Dissolved Solids).

 

[AZDesertRat]

You do not need nor want 3 filters in front of the RO membrane if you are using high quality filters. One 1 micron or less near absolute or absolute rated sediment filter and one 1, 0.6 or 0.5 micron carbon block, thats it no more and no less.
The reason many vendors still use two carbons is they use a coarse sediment filter which does little to protect the downstream carbon so the first carbon is a sacrificial filter to make up for the poor sediment filter. Doesn't matter if it is free chlorine or chloramines, one 1 micron or preferrably 0.5 micron carbon is more than sufficient for our needs. Carbon does not remove chloramines, it breaks the bond with the ammonia and removes the chlorine portion and the ammonia is partially removed by the membrane and polished off by the DI. Good DI if far more important with chloramines than carbon is.

 

[Feltman]

You do not need nor want 3 filters in front of the RO membrane if you are using high quality filters. One 1 micron or less near absolute or absolute rated sediment filter and one 1, 0.6 or 0.5 micron carbon block, thats it no more and no less.
The reason many vendors still use two carbons is they use a coarse sediment filter which does little to protect the downstream carbon so the first carbon is a sacrificial filter to make up for the poor sediment filter. Doesn't matter if it is free chlorine or chloramines, one 1 micron or preferrably 0.5 micron carbon is more than sufficient for our needs. Carbon does not remove chloramines, it breaks the bond with the ammonia and removes the chlorine portion and the ammonia is partially removed by the membrane and polished off by the DI. Good DI if far more important with chloramines than carbon is.

I don't pretend to know much on the subject but brs has claimed to have made a carbon block that will deal with chloramines as well as clorine. They had a couple videos on the matter.

 

[AZDesertRat]

BRS hasn't made anything. Companies like Puratek and others have made catalytic carbons for decades which is what is used in industrial applications with high chloramine or chlorine levels. The EPA limits chlorine or chloramine residual levels to 4 mg/L and most utilities use much less than that so a good single carbon block 1 micron or less has been proven to be completely effective.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-11/rhf/feature/index.php
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1735402

The BRS videos are skewed, nowhere will you find levels of chloramines they used in their testing. Good sediment filtration to protect a single good carbon block which removes the chlorine portion of chloramines, a good high rejection rate RO membrane and a full size vertical, properly packed DI using the correct, fresh resin bed with the correct contact time will get it every time.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

and a full size vertical, properly packed DI using the correct, fresh resin bed with the correct contact time

^ this is really key. Don't get the horizontal "dual DI" clip-on versions, they suck!

one 1, 0.6 or 0.5 micron carbon block, thats it no more and no less.

Interesting that you say this. I always figured (logically) that a sediment, then a 1 micron carbon block and a 0.5 micron carbon block was the way to go, thinking being that the first carbon block catches everything above 1 micron and the second then only has to stop everything between 0.5 and 1.0, thus extending the life of the 0.5 block. Not true?

 

[justjes45]

Holy crap – this is completely over my head and overwhelming. I bought an RO system which I have no idea how to install… So I've been lurking around here reading the recent posts and I am pretty sure I'm going to screw it up. SWELL.