"using distilled water" or "reverse osmosis water"

[AZDesertRat]

BRS like most other legitimate vendors use Dow Filmtec RO membranes, same as Spectrapure does.
The differences are in how well you protect that RO membrane and that Spectrapure specially treats all their RO membranes using a proprietary process they have used for decades and is proven to increase their rejection rate and GPD then they test those membranes for quality control. Other vendors ship dry, untreated and untested membranes, Dow or otherwise, so you get what you get. I have no issues with BRS or any other legitimate vendor and in fact recommend several others along with Spectrapure such as Buckeye Hydro and PurelyH2o but Spectrapure remains my first choice due to their research, development and testing that stretches going on 30 years. They don't sell anything they wouldn't use themselves and it shows in their longstanding reputation in the water treatment industry. I have owned 6 different RO/DI systems over the last 25 or so years and I would never go back to most if not all of them, it would cost me more in the long run and I would not get the same water quality so why bother?

 

[TaylorPilot]

Interesting. Maybe I'll just leave the one canister empty for awhile and see how much it processes before I get breakthrough. The reason I got the chlorplus is because that is what Spectrapure was selling in their chloramine systems. Although they run two chlorplus units instead of one of those and the .5 micron carbon block like I ordered.

 

[AZDesertRat]

I think they developed the chloramine units due to popular demand since eveyone else has one. Necessary no, but they were probably missing sales due to uninformed users. Read their FAQ section and the threads on their Reef Central page and make up your mind for yourself though.
Catalytic or "chloramine" carbons were developed for industrial applications like cooling towers where the levels are many times higher than the EPA allowed 4 mg/L residual in drinking water. Do they remove the chlorine portion of chloramines, yes. Do they remove chloramines, no. They act as any good extruded carbon does by removing the chlorine and breking the bond with the ammonia so the RO and DI can remove it.
The key to any successful system is protecting each component so it can do the job it is intended for and in turn protects the next piece downstream. A good sediment filter is critical so it protects the billions of tiny microscopic pores in the carbon block so it can adsorb chlorine and in turn protect the membrane which does 90-98% of the treatment and in turn protects the DI which does the final polishing. Skimp at any step and everything else suffers and ends up costing you more in replcements.

 

[TaylorPilot]

I was thinking that same thing. They make them that way cause people wanted them that way. Cause 5 stages has got to be better than 4. I must admit I fell for that train of thought. I have a 6 stage BRS system. LOL Although the guts are slowly getting changed over to Spectrapure. Thanks for all your input. Hopefully the system will finally start running the way I want it to. I think the crappy sediment filters have been my biggest problem. Our water has a brown tinge to it, and my house still has some cast iron pipes. (Hoping to do a re-piping in the fall) So my carbon blocks would start to clog up pretty quick.

 

[Fishinwall]

@AZDesertRat what do you recommend for a value pressure booster pump?

 

[AZDesertRat]

I only recommend one pump, Aquatec. The 6800 if you have a 50 gpd or smaller system and the 8800 if you have a 75 to 100 gpd system. They are number one in the industry for a reason, they are bulletproof and last almost forever. I have one of each, the 8800 on my RO/DI and 6800 on my 50 gpd RO drinking water system.

 

[TaylorPilot]

I've got the 8800, and it runs everyday. I've had it for years, and it still puts out 100 PSI like the day I got it. It's a little loud, but it is out in my garage and I can't hear it inside the house while it is running. Just remember you need a transformer to run it, and a pressure switch to make sure it shuts on and off. TB Aquatics has them as a kit, and was the cheapest I could find it when I bought mine.

http://www.tbaquatics.com/aquatec-booster-pump-kit-401.html#.Vi2c_7erTIU

 

[DenverReefer]

Just to echo everything...never use tap water. I've seen people have short term success with it but it will just cause you issues in the long run. And you can get an RO unit that is small and does more than it needs to. If you search eBay/Amazon, you can find a desktop unit that will be more sufficient. You can use it for top off and water changes. Get you a small mixing pump, some salt and even a small heater. Now you are set for a water change

 

[AZDesertRat]

The little portable RO or RO/DI systems (you need RO/DI not just RO which only does 90-98% of the treatment) are not the value many think they are. They end up costing more than a normal size system and do not filter as well since you cannot get replacement filters in the preferred micron ranges. The filters are harder to find, do not last as long nor filter as well and cost more when you can find them. Add to that horizontal DI does not filter as well as a vertical DI since water channels and takes the path of least resistance along the bottom so are very inefficient. Besides that they really aren't much smaller. Many use the same top bracket as a normal 4 stage RO/DI its just they clip all the other filters on the membrane housing which tends to leak and fall apart versus screwing them to the top bracket. I would not recommend one to any friend of mine for sure.

 

[Harold Green]

DR I'm not sure I agree with you on the recharging. I found it to be safe and easy to do with what appears to be excellent results. If done properly you separate the anion and cation resins and treat them individually. Not difficult at all. As far as chemicals go it's lye and muriatic acid. Both are available on the shelf at the local lumberyard. Sure it's as dangerous as putting draino in your drains. If you have the intelligence to keep a reef tank you should be intelligent enough to recharge your di resin if you wish to do so. It does use water, about ten gallons to flush out the chemicals that end up diluting and neutralizing each other. This hobby was founded on diy and hobbyists seem to be getting further away from those beginnings each year. Many of us still build all or most of our equipment (stands, lights, sumps, skimmers, displays,etc.)

 

[AZDesertRat]

Just because chemicals are available does not make them safe. With Grandkids and Greatgrandkids around I choose not to have those things around for obvious reasons. I get enough of those sorts of chemicals at work so don't need them at home.
As far as DIY I agree 100%. I designed and constructed my stand, canopy, sump, lighting and plumbing myself with help and ideas from fellow reef club members. That was half the fun of having a reef system!

 

[Harold Green]

The one thing you should consider is the disposal of the di resin. Recharging allows reuse after reuse. There are lots of dangerous items around the average household that many of us keep locked up and away from children.

 

[AZDesertRat]

I did and do consider the disposal. Back when I was using normal nuclear or semiconductor grade mixed bed resin I could only get 150 gallons of treated water per cartridge or refill so was disposing of a lot of spent resin. I switched to Spectrapure MaxCap and SilicaBuster resins and their hand tested 99% membrane and my DI life went to over 1000 gallons on the MaxCap and 3000 gallons on the SilicaBuster with no other changes. I would say that is very responsible wouldn't you? You seem to be trying to bait me but I have been reefkeeping for over 30 years and have lots of experience at it besides being a certified treatment plant operator for over 40 years. You are preaching to the choir here and I don't bait easily.

 

[Harold Green]

I was simply replying to your statements and the fact is most people should consider how they dispose of used reef supplies. By the way I've had aquariums for nearly 60 years and marine tanks for 40+ so I'll take your 30 year experience as fine but there are people out there with just as much or even more. What I try not to do on threads is push any particular product unless someone asks for that as a suggestion. Research should tell you what products will work best in your application.

 

[Fishinwall]

So what is the proper way to dispose of DI resin?

 

[TaylorPilot]

cough...toilet...cough... LOL

 

[Newb73]

As a certified water treatment professional with over 40 years in the industry I would have to disagree with you. I do have faith in the system since it has many levels of regulation to catch and weed out the bad or dishonest individuals and utilities. When I managed municipal utilities we were regulated by the feds, the state, the County and our own municipal government so things did not slip through the cracks. The system works.

Not all failures are at the city level either though.

My home was built by a reputable home builder and the water tasted like metal.

I hooked a water hose up to the hot water heater and got so much crap out of it I couldn't even believe it. It was a combination of sand, dirt, metal shavings, gravel I don't even know what all. I showed it to my neighbors and they didn't even believe that much stuff could come out of a water hose.

All that crap got into my hot water heater via the water lines.

At my old house which had well water there was so much soil in the water that it would almost immediately clog up the house water filters.

I don't know what they put in the water in South Dakota but when I take a shower at a hotel in the Sioux Falls area it is like slick almost like hand lotion is coming out of the shower head and no matter how hard you scrub, you still feel slimy.

At a hotel 2 years ago...there was a dead body in a hotel water resovoir and people were drinking from that supply as well as brushing their teeth with it.

When I was working at hospital in New York (NYP) they had legionaires dz in the hospital water supply and there were signs every where including the bath rooms not to only not to drink the water, but not to even wash your hands with it....

I could go on but I think you get the point.

 

[srad750c]

So what is the proper way to dispose of DI resin?

Trash can, or if you get brave separate and recharge.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

Not all failures are at the city level either though.

My home was built by a reputable home builder and the water tasted like metal.

I hooked a water hose up to the hot water heater and got so much crap out of it I couldn't even believe it. It was a combination of sand, dirt, metal shavings, gravel I don't even know what all. I showed it to my neighbors and they didn't even believe that much stuff could come out of a water hose.

All that crap got into my hot water heater via the water lines.

At my old house which had well water there was so much soil in the water that it would almost immediately clog up the house water filters.

I don't know what they put in the water in South Dakota but when I take a shower at a hotel in the Sioux Falls area it is like slick almost like hand lotion is coming out of the shower head and no matter how hard you scrub, you still feel slimy.

At a hotel 2 years ago...there was a dead body in a hotel water resovoir and people were drinking from that supply as well as brushing their teeth with it.

When I was working at hospital in New York (NYP) they had legionaires dz in the hospital water supply and there were signs every where including the bath rooms not to only not to drink the water, but not to even wash your hands with it....

I could go on but I think you get the point.

Where's the "eeeeew" button when you need it??

 

[Rakahrd]

my local Walmart store has a water fill up dispenser with r/o water and uv sterilized. it is less than $.40 a gallon with your own containers. since using that my algae has disappeared.