seems too good to be true-probably is

This RO filter on marinedepot seems too good to be true, and probably is. However, has anyone ever used this filter? I don't want to skimp on RO when I do get it. I'm not planning on this being any good, but it intrigued me.

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Tap Water Filter

 

id call that skimping. lol

 

its not RO its DI. deionization
these are common, they sell them at petstores too sometimes. a di removes all impurities, as RO may leave some. Di wastes no water, while RO waste quite a bit.
wow sounds amazing right. its not as the filter needs to be replaced frequently and will get costly, on the site they say best case senario is 300 gallons worst is 15. from what i remember its average usuage is like 50 gallons, then you must buy a new one

many of us use RODI which water is cleaned by RO before going into the DI. the DI cleans the water of all remaining impurities, and the RO removes enough impurities to extend the filters lifespan to be more cost effective.

unless you have a very small tank under 40 gallons i wouldnt recommend a solo DI filter

 

So is straight up DI effective, just not cost effective? I assume its not as effective as RO/DI. If RO/DI water TDS is 0 what would DI be?

 

i would assume its cleaner with both. as di will leave organic molecules. di removes all minerals(most of the impurities happen to be, leaving water 99.9% pure is a figure i have heard before)

with ro i have heard 90-99% percent pure.

 

i havent thought about this in years. so some of the numbers may not be accurate but the gist of the argument is. DI cleans water better, but it will need filter replacements very fast, as there is no waste water to take impurities away like in RO so it all gets stuck in filter.

RO doesnt clean as good, but its filters last alot longer.

so solution combine them you dont have to worry about what RO leaves behind, and you dont have to worry about buying DI filters every couple of weeks

 

I used to use one a couple of years ago and it works but it doesn't last long. It would also depend on how much stuff is in your water but I was maybe getting 25 to 30 gals max per cartridge so like sostoudt said it gets expensive fast. compared to my ro/di unit I have now I've made over 100 gal so far and the di cartage is not even a quarter spent.

 

If you live somewhere where water is quite expensive and can't either find a use for RO wastewater (plants, laundry, etc.) then some people do run strictly DI and they work very well.

The difference between a Kati Ani (Cation, Anion) filter and a Tap Water Purifier is that the resins are separate (as opposed to mixed bed) and can be regenerated. Since TWP's are mixed bed, you can't regenerate the resins and you must replace the whole unit.

I've actually always added a second DI canister to my RO/DI units, thrown away the mixed bed resins, and run separate resins for the cations and anions. That way I could recharge them. That's not exactly practical in all cases but I had over 1100 gallons of saltwater tanks in my house so for me, it was perfect.

 

Using one at the moment,works fine,inexpensive alternitive for small tanks,cartridge lasts maybe 6 or7 wc for me,44gal. tank.Depends on quality of water your filtering.Not practical at all for large quantities,cartridge costs about $20.

 

I use RO only and no problems