RO/DI and UV System...

[mikeguerrero]

Hi Reefers,

My wife has given the green light to have a RO/DI system installed in our condo.

Installed we are looking at $483 dollars. He is my wifes ex-box that is the owner of a water store that she worked at.

The brand I'm getting is amtral tank and I ordered the tank that can hold 10.3 gallons.

He wasn't too sure if I needed UV sterilization or not, said that here is the bay area we have higher standards than say Florida or lake michigan were UV are popular.

Any feed back would be much appreciated.

I'm excited about getting this system because I will be able to mix my own salt and not have to lug 10 gallons of water up the stairs. I live on the second floor and I'm getting old... :wlift

Should I purchase the UV for my aquarium instead closed loop system? Or should I get it for my RO/DI water?

Mike

 

[sadielynn]

Mike
I am not real well versed on uv or ro/di , but would you really need a uv on the ro/di unit , wouldnt the filters on the ro/di get most of the impurities out?So you wouldnt need it for the ro/di unit itself but perhaps for the tank itself. It is my understanding that uv kills off the parasites and bacteria , but the parasites and bacteria are in "fresh water" so wouldnt the salt kill that off for you ? If you were going to go with uv I personally would say place it on the tank as that is what you are looking to "protect" . I dont think that it would hurt to have a uv light on the tank but I havent read or heard that they really do work . Just my .02 HTH

 

[incysor]

You don't need a UV on your RO/DI unit....And $483 is over $300 too much.

I bought a 5 stage RO/DI unit off of ebay with a 5g holding tank for about $150 shipped.

Check out www.buckeyefieldsupply.com

They are very knowledgeable. You'll pay a bit more than I did, but nowhere near what you've been quoted.

Yes you'll need to install it yourself, but they come with directions, and it isn't difficult at all. My wife and I installed ours in about 20mins with a couple screwdrivers and a small wrench.

If you find the directions confusing the guys at buckeye will walk you through it on the phone from what I've heard.

B

 

[mikeguerrero]

Incysor,

My wife needs this water for drinking purposes too and cooking. Does yours work for those applications?

Do you mix your own saltwater? What brand do you use?

Why do water vending machines all have a 5 stage system plus Ultra violet light as well?

Isn't it much more purer to have the UV extra precaution?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[smoke eater]

I have a six stage RO/DI unit that does 110 gallons per day, I have the 3 gallon drinking water tank for it as well. The drinking water tank comes from the RO unit, we use this for cooking and coffee, as well. I turn a valve for the RO/DI to fill my water tubs/jugs. I have tasted the RO/DI water and it was funny tasting. I got this on E-Bay for about $140 and bought a TDS meter seperately. The meter gives you the purity of the water. Total cost 195.00 shipped

No an UV sterilizer is not needed, the stores that sell RO water have to have them as a health requirement, reason different users, outside containers, etc.

I mix my own saltwater in a rubbermaid container and use a powerhead to mix and aerate. I use Insant Ocean and a refractometer. I used to use a hydromter until I had my water tested at my LFS, my salinity was 1.035 on the swing arm it was 1.024, major difference. Once I lowered my salinity the tank grew. The RO/DI and the refractometer have been my two best investments for this hobby.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Smoke,

Thanks for the valueable info, can you educate me some more on whether or not I require the 10 gallon tank? I was getting all this installed for about $200.00 but I insisted of a bigger tank and a UV light, that is why the price shot up to $483.00.

Okay do I require the 10 gallon tank? I thought I needed it because I carry up the stairs two 5 gallon containers of salt water. And since I was going to mix my salts on Sunday, I wanted to walk over to the unit and drain utilize 10 gallons immediately.

I thought if I only have the 3 gallon container I will be waiting and waiting for the container to refill, making my job longer. Am I wrong about this? Do you just turn the valve and pour as much RO/DI as you need? Then when you want to cook and use the drinking water you turn the valve back to just RO and it pulls from the 3 gallon container?

I appreciate your answering all these questions. Oh yeah, I would like to get your configuration on the 6 stage filter so I may order same as you.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[skipm]

If you want to draw 10 gallons at once then you will need the 10 gallon tank. Another part of the reason for UV on the vending type machines is that they need all of the help they can get due to their filter maintenance not always being what it should be (not always the case but it is a good part of the time depnding on the company that owns the unit). When hooking the unit up make sure the kitchen/icemaker is getting just RO water and the RO/DI is for tank use only, I have read the RO/DI water has been stripped of too much stuff and is unhealthy for us to drink where we add stuff back with the salt-mix for our tanks.
I also agree to add a TDS meter so you can monitor the condition of your filters. With a good TDS meter you can get plain DI resin that doesn't change color, basically the color is a dye that wears off (something I don't want in my tank, I am trying to remove stuff from the water). The brand of the unit isn't really a major issue since there are only a couple of companies that make RO membranes which is the heart of the system. HTH, Skip

PS Get a TDS meter that is handheld, the inline ones only have 2 lights one for good and one for bad. I want to know how many parts per million of solids are in my final product water.

 

[smoke eater]

I agree with Skip. The tank is if you want it all at once. A hand held TDS meter is better.

I mix about eight gallons at a time, it takes about two hours to fill the container. The tank I have holds only RO water, it does go through DI filter when the DI valve is on. I ran a water line the same size as the RO water lines to my utility room where I do my mixing. I am going to buy a float valve to keep the top off water full, and put hosecock on the bottom of this tank so I can drain it easier. Right now it is a matter of convincing my bride that it will look neat and not ruin the decor :mrgreen: of the room. Right now I use new plastic kerosene cans to store RO/DI water for top off or mixing salt.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Okay,

I'm almost understanding everything. However, I don't undertand how all these units operate without holding tanks.

So without a tank, can I run one of these systems? Do I just walk over to the machine and fillup really really slowly say 5 gallons?

Or is it a lot faster from the 10 gallon tank? If I use the 3.2 tank how long will it take me to fill up 10 gallons of RO/DI water?

I'm ditching the UV light now that everyone doesn't use it, I save 100 dollars right there.

Now all I have to do is decide whether I need a holding tank or not.

Mike

 

[smoke eater]

Mike, the unit is hooked up to the cold water line, mine is under my kitchen sink and has a seperate faucet. The RO unit goes to the tank, if I want for to make coffee or to cook I use that faucet. For RO/DI water, I have a seperate valve at the end, when I fill up for top off water or to make a salt mix I use this, it drains the tank and water from the cold line starts to filter through the six stages and comes out slowly, it is being filtered so it is slow. It takes about 40 minutes or so to refill the tank. I mix eight gallons of salt mix at a time, this is enough for me to do 10% water changes for two tanks every week with a little extra in case of a spill. I also, use the plastic kerosene cans with H2O written all over them for top off water or to add to my mix tank (10 gallon rubbermaid container). It takes me around two and a half hours to fill the eight gallons, my unit runs 110 gpd and my TDS is 0, but I have to change my filters more than if I had say a 50 gpd unit.

SO what I am trying to say is that like everything in the hobby it takes time. I try to stay ahead on the water production so I have it on hand, as I do get busy sometime. In fact, I am running the RO/DI right now. I hope I helped.

 

[dragon79]

Hi Reefers,

My wife has given the green light to have a RO/DI system installed in our condo.

Installed we are looking at $483 dollars. He is my wifes ex-box that is the owner of a water store that she worked at.

The brand I'm getting is amtral tank and I ordered the tank that can hold 10.3 gallons.

He wasn't too sure if I needed UV sterilization or not, said that here is the bay area we have higher standards than say Florida or lake michigan were UV are popular.

Any feed back would be much appreciated.

I'm excited about getting this system because I will be able to mix my own salt and not have to lug 10 gallons of water up the stairs. I live on the second floor and I'm getting old... :wlift

Should I purchase the UV for my aquarium instead closed loop system? Or should I get it for my RO/DI water?

Mike

Sounds like wifey is giving you the green light for just about everything, but I guess she has to deal with your neverending needs here. Wasn't that part of your wedding vows? "For better or for worse, For reefing and beyond" hehe

Anyway, nuff jokin'. Sounds like the pricing is steep as incysor stated, may sound like your balls are being busted with the price you are paying, but perhaps you can live with lugging the water up and down the stairs. *you are not that old*, and heck that can be your exercise boy. I'm sure I can get nidia to agree on that one, she always wants you to exercise. (also keep in mind with the tank your size, you wont be doing very many water changes, so it shouldn't be that often you are getting water)

Keep your expenses low, and focus on something different. I believe you have done more to your tank, than most here with tanks this big. If you are willing to dish out that much in big bucks, then start stocking your tank with some nice rare things. You should talk to Rbaby, she's got that site where you can get some incredible things for your tank to really make it look exotic and colorful.

One last thing, if you started mixing your own saltwater, you'd lose all those trace elements you get while using catalina water, and more importantly when you go from a change like that , you'd get undesirable algae blooms. I've always read here, if you go with a certain kind of water or salt mix, you should stick with it. I have stuck with catalina water myself, even though it's farther away to get it. The local one that is 4 minutes away only carries their own mixed salt, but there is no telling what would happen if I used it. So far everything is doing well, and I plan to keep it that way.

Hope yours all pans out nicely, for the buck you have paid, I'd expect it to. Good luck brother.