81Shaun
Active Member
Hello, what TDS handheld unit works best? im wanting a good handheld unit that has great accuracy. which do you use? and do those inline dual work pretty good and where should they be placed? thanks
what TDS meter should I get?
- Thread starter 81Shaun
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A good handheld is far superior to inlines, I have two dual inlines and never even turn them on anymore since they lack the accuracy of the handheld.
For $20-$25 I would look at the HM Digital TDS-4TM, AP-1 or TDS-3. If you want even better accuracy and 10x the sensitivity, able to read down to tenths or one decimal point the HM COM-100 would be the best bet. It runs $50-$60. All of the meters mentioned are ATC or automatic temperature compensated, have 2% accuracy and have a built in digital thermometer so serve dual purpose. Temperature is another measurement that is necessary to troubleshoot a RO or RO/DI system.
Inlines are not truly temperature compensated, they actually sense air temperature, not water temperature and they are rarely the same. Because of this the reading can be significantly off.
For $20-$25 I would look at the HM Digital TDS-4TM, AP-1 or TDS-3. If you want even better accuracy and 10x the sensitivity, able to read down to tenths or one decimal point the HM COM-100 would be the best bet. It runs $50-$60. All of the meters mentioned are ATC or automatic temperature compensated, have 2% accuracy and have a built in digital thermometer so serve dual purpose. Temperature is another measurement that is necessary to troubleshoot a RO or RO/DI system.
Inlines are not truly temperature compensated, they actually sense air temperature, not water temperature and they are rarely the same. Because of this the reading can be significantly off.
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81Shaun
Active Member
AZ thanks appreciate the help. was thinking about that dual inline but will just pick up the TDS 3 unit. I am running a little low on cash for this stuff at the moment but just wanting to make sure im buying the right equipment. on a side note I checked to see if that aqua fx has a capillary tube flow restrictor and it does but I noticed its about id say two inchs long so im just curious what ratio its setup for ? my maxpure 90 spectrapure has one about 8 to 10 inchs. haven't hooked either up yet got to run my cold water line and haven't gotten around to get the pipe and stuff. pete at aqua fx said its good to go but just wondered what ratio it is. so far haven't gotten a answer back from him.
Rob&Gab
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I gave you the meter preference in order. I would get the TDS-4 TM (not TDS-4) first choice, AP-1 second choice and TDS-3 third choice, I pointed that out. Actuall the first choice would be the COM-100, it is more expensive but has much more versatility and is 10x as sensitive if you are really concerned about RO/DI water quality like I am.
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81Shaun
Active Member
im sorry man I appologize just new to this stuff and want to get this stuff right. ive never messed with any of these meters and RO machines. been kind of a headache. would of just kept buying water out of the RO machine but figured buying my own machine would be best in the long haul. don't mean to jump subject to subject but the aqua fx is setup 3:1
Unless you know for sure you have softened water and lower than normal TDS, stick with a normal 4:1 waste ratio system so the membrane stays well flushed and lasts as it should.
Right now there is not a better deal anywhere than the 90 GPD refurbished RO/DI systems from Spectrapure at $130. Others I would look at include the BFS-161 75 GPD Premium RO/DI from Buckeye Hydro or the Optima series from PurelyH2o.
Right now there is not a better deal anywhere than the 90 GPD refurbished RO/DI systems from Spectrapure at $130. Others I would look at include the BFS-161 75 GPD Premium RO/DI from Buckeye Hydro or the Optima series from PurelyH2o.
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81Shaun
Active Member
ya my water is hard 450 TDS coming from tap. I notice the aqua fx does have a flow restrictor about 2 inches long so after running the water and finding out what ratio it is ill probably have to trim the restrictor ? anyhow im not going to mess with the aqua fx for right now i did purchase a spectrapure maxpure 90 and going to hook it up instead. should I use 0.5 micron in it? it has 1 micron and also what are those sponges for in the DI? my. aqua fx does not have that its strait DI resin. so which is better ? thanks and sorry got off topic a bit lol im bad about that please excuse me. oh and I purchased the AP1 TDS meter
All RO membranes have a flow restrictor,without it the water would not osmose or pass thrugh the RO membrane. Spectrapure uses a capillary tube that you, the end user trim to fit your exact water conditions. Most use a fixed type or one pretrimmed but we all know not everyone's pressure, temperature, TDS and hardness are not exactly the same so how can a one size fits all restrictor be efficient?
The sponge in the top or the DI cartridge is there for a reason. DI resin actually shrinks with usage causing voids or passages where water can short circuit or bypass so not all wate rand resin come into contact with each other. When you properly pack a 20 oz vertical cartridge you fill the cartridge to the top, tap it on the table or counter a few times, top it off and tap it again until it is copletely full then insert th ponge on top so it is compressed when you screw the lid on. As the resin moves and shrinks the sponge expands and keeps the resin tightly packed. This is something that can be very important for best DI life and best water quality.
If you have sediment, particulates or collidal materials I would switch to the 0.5 micron after the first 6 months or your first filter replcement, if your water is not turbid or have sediment you can stick with what you have. For the few extra $$ I prefer the additional filtration from the 0.5 or even 0.2 micron ZetaZorb which is the one I use. It provides much better filtration but at he same time has 10x the surface area so headloss is less and it stays cleaner longer, it caneven be carefully rinsed a few times.
The sponge in the top or the DI cartridge is there for a reason. DI resin actually shrinks with usage causing voids or passages where water can short circuit or bypass so not all wate rand resin come into contact with each other. When you properly pack a 20 oz vertical cartridge you fill the cartridge to the top, tap it on the table or counter a few times, top it off and tap it again until it is copletely full then insert th ponge on top so it is compressed when you screw the lid on. As the resin moves and shrinks the sponge expands and keeps the resin tightly packed. This is something that can be very important for best DI life and best water quality.
If you have sediment, particulates or collidal materials I would switch to the 0.5 micron after the first 6 months or your first filter replcement, if your water is not turbid or have sediment you can stick with what you have. For the few extra $$ I prefer the additional filtration from the 0.5 or even 0.2 micron ZetaZorb which is the one I use. It provides much better filtration but at he same time has 10x the surface area so headloss is less and it stays cleaner longer, it caneven be carefully rinsed a few times.
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81Shaun
Active Member
great help AZ appreciate that Ireally do. now was checking out spectrapures site and see they have DI resin in bulk would you reccomend them for replacement DI ? if so what do I get? the color indicating DI strong acid cation or the color indicating strong base anion? mixed bed?
DI resin has a relatively short shelf life, even when properly vacuum sealed and stored in the refrigerator. Never buy more than you can use in 6 months time and if buying in bulk it is good to have access to a Seal A Meal vacuum food sealer and split it up into individual 20 oz bags so you don't expose it all to atmosphere every time you open the bag.
I used to buy bulk but I have found with the MaxCap and SilicaBuster cartridges I get a year out of a MaxCap and 2-3 years out of a single SilicaBuster. The last bulk resin I bought I ended up throwing away since it lost its cation and anion electrical properties. If you are using the Spectrapure system or resins I would hold off until you see how long the DI lasts before buying more, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
If you do decide to buy I would use the non color changing SilicaBuster, it is specifically designed and blended for reefkeeping as is the MaxCap if you have a dual DI system. Color changing resin is a waste since often it is very inaccurate turning too late, in streaks, all at once, not at all, etc. Your handheld TDS meter is your best friend and should always be used.
I used to buy bulk but I have found with the MaxCap and SilicaBuster cartridges I get a year out of a MaxCap and 2-3 years out of a single SilicaBuster. The last bulk resin I bought I ended up throwing away since it lost its cation and anion electrical properties. If you are using the Spectrapure system or resins I would hold off until you see how long the DI lasts before buying more, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
If you do decide to buy I would use the non color changing SilicaBuster, it is specifically designed and blended for reefkeeping as is the MaxCap if you have a dual DI system. Color changing resin is a waste since often it is very inaccurate turning too late, in streaks, all at once, not at all, etc. Your handheld TDS meter is your best friend and should always be used.
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81Shaun
Active Member
Thanks AZ much appreciated. ya im going to be using the spectrapure maxpure 90. I got it at ny local fish store for 180. yeah im going to get that com 100 tds meter sometime but got the Ap 1 for now. now is it ok to use these systems for drinking water?
Yes, the RO portion makes great tasting drinking water. I suggest installing a DI bypass valve between the RO membrane and the DI filter, this not only gives you a place to flush TDS creep out when first starting the system each time but also a place to use to draw a sample to test with your handheld TDS meter and a place to fill bottles, jugs or pitchers for RO only drinking water. I did it that way for years before buying a dedicated RO/DI for the aquariums and a RO only for drinking, icemaker, cooking and pet watering.
