Cheap RO/DI Unit

I may get banished for saying this, but here it goes...

I bought one of those cheap RO/DI units on ebay. It was $65.
Right now it's working great. My water isn't all that bad...205 TDS.

I flushed the membrane for about 45 minutes and was getting 4 TDS water. I then connected it to the DI cartridge and it was pumpint out 0 TDS water in seconds. The unit has all quick connect fittings so it's easy to connect and disconnect. It DID NOT leak, which actually REALLY surprised me.

It is a unit that lays down on it's side. I have however rigged up a makeshift stand so it's upright. I've read it should get better contact with the DI resin.

I'm going to be sure to run a little water out of the RO membrane before I hook it to the DI cartridge because of TDS creep. That should save on DI Resin big time.

I was also concerned about prices on replacement carbon cartridges and RO membranes along with the DI resin. It all looks pretty cheap though.

I checked the waste water output compared to pure and it was about a 3:1 ratio.

I guess in closing, I realize it's no where near as sturdy of a unit as what most on this forum use. It's not an easily mounted unit. It may spring a big leak tomorrow...who knows! I DO know that I needed a unit. It was cheap, so I bought it. Time will tell. How long the cartridges last will be a huge factor.

For now though, I'm happy.

Just wanted to share my experience so far.

Thanks!

 

glad it's doing well for you. Many of us here try to steer new RO/DI buyers towards the name brands that are reliable & have really good track records. Not to say that everything that's cheaper is bad or unreliable, but there's def piece of mind getting it from a company with a long history of happy customers, etc.

 

I hear you. When I've got a little extra coin I'm sure I'll got that route. I don't see myself trusting this one if I'm at work all day.... I will be babysitting this one.

Another downside...

 

When you are ready, keep this link saved, SpectraPure is constantly recyling this url for their current deals on their awesome units; Untitled Document

 

As long as the "cheap" unit accepts the same cartridges as the "name brands" I don't see much of a difference. I too purchased one off ebay (this one) eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices
and I'm very happy with it. It accepts standard sized cartridges, and is extremely well made.

 

oh no you didn't , AZ where are you?? (kidding) In all seriousness though, there is a big difference between a SpectraPure and a cheaper unit you get on eBay.

 

The small horizontal portable units use non standard replacement filters (often inferior granular activated carbon) that do not last as long, do not come in the low micron ranges reefers prefer, are harder to find and cost more to replace. After one or two replacements you will have more invested and will continue to spend more from then on.

You have to look at the cost of ownership over time since we usually plan on keeping and RO/DI for years. The standard sized system comes out on top every time.

 

I have read that, however the cartridges for this were pretty cheap. The only test is how long they last.
The looked pretty easy to find too.
Again, yes, how long do they really last? That's the question.

 

When you compare prices, take quality in mind. Yes, a small GAC filter is going to be cheap but compare it to a solid carbon block in 1 micron or less that really lasts and works well. Cheap is just that, cheap. Quality can be found for a bargain price if you look around but will never be "cheap". Set a minimum quality standard then shop price and don't lower yours standards. I guarantee you yours will cost more in the long run, will never function as well and will not last as long, its been proven time and again and its why most of the long time vendors won't sell a system like that, they have a reputation and customer satisfaction to uphold.

 

im not trying to knock anybody but i clicked into the link and saw in the specs it does say a solid block carbon filter and a 1 micron sediment prefilter...there may be a difference still but it seems you overlooked the original specs of the link

5 Stages RO-DI purification system:
1st Stage: 1 micron sediment pre-filter, all polypropylene cartridge (prevent bacteria grow), with gradual filtration that enhances holding capacity over standard sediment cartridges
2nd Stage: Block Activated Carbon filter
3rd Stage: High capacity Activated Block Carbon (removes rest of chlorine to protect membrane)
4th Stage: TFC 100 GPD membrane, filtration down 0.001 micron
5th Stage: Post polishing deionization filter (final clean up)