DI/RO unit on Ebay

Discussion in 'Filters, Pumps, etc..' started by skennelly, Feb 15, 2005.

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  1. skennelly

    skennelly Coral Banded Shrimp

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    Okay I have everything hooked up and I had already ran the RO unit for 20 gallons so it is ready to go. Hooked up the TDS meter and got the following.

    Chicagoland tap water - 115 ppm TDS
    From RO unit - 0 ppm TDS

    So far I'm happy.

    Sean
     
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  3. Plan2Build

    Plan2Build Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Sean,

    115 PPM is not too bad for tap water....I am anxious to test New Jersey water.....

    P2B
     
  4. skennelly

    skennelly Coral Banded Shrimp

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    Yeah Chicagoland is supposed to have one of the best quality sources of water tap water in the country. That big pond next to us is a good source.
     
  5. Scoffer

    Scoffer Banned

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    pond ?? you have a pond??


    hehe J/K

    Scoffer
     
  6. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    [quote author=skennelly link=board=General;num=1108496701;start=15#20 date=03/01/05 at 10:05:55]Okay I have everything hooked up and I had already ran the RO unit for 20 gallons so it is ready to go.  Hooked up the TDS meter and got the following.

    Chicagoland tap water - 115 ppm TDS
    From RO unit - 0 ppm TDS

    So far I'm happy.

    Sean[/quote]

    Good deal. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]
     
  7. skennelly

    skennelly Coral Banded Shrimp

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    I love it when a plan comes together.
     
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  9. Plan2Build

    Plan2Build Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    All,

    My unit arrived several days ago and like Sean, I have it up and running. I purged the volume for a total of about 7-10 gallons. I also collected some initial lab data, but will re-test to confirm the results.

    My observations:

    1) The unit can only output about 2 gallons of pure water per hour, although I have not fully measured this :p. The 100 GPD rating is for the input water. Since the unit has a restrictor valve to control the RO membrane flow, total flow is reduced 60%. This is somewhat confirmed by my output to the reserve tank.

    2) Using an analytical grade TDS/Conductivity meter in my lab, my tap water (Northern NJ) gives a reading of 469 ppm :-X. A confirmatory test was performed using a dry weight oven and an analytical scale. The residue yielded 364 ppm. So the tap is at about the 410ppm range.

    3) The water from the DI/RO unit off ebay produced water at 42 ppm using the analytical TDS meter. Not bad for $70. This number should ultimately come lower since I used a non-sterile collection container, and did not fully flush my system prior to sampling.

    4) As a comparison, I analyzed Dowser spring water from a brand new bottle. The supposedly pure, sodium-free water yielded a TDS value of 261 ppm. [glow=green,2,300]:([/glow]

    5) I also analyzed the water from our labs analytical grade water system ($30K) and got a TDS value from that of 1 ppm. :)

    I will re-sample my system after an appropriate flushing of the system and will utilize clean sterile collection bottles so that I can get an accurate assessment of the water quality from this unit.

    All-in-all, I am quite pleased with the unit for the price. I will re-post my findings either tommorrow or next week after a vacation.

    P2B
     
  10. skennelly

    skennelly Coral Banded Shrimp

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    Very Interesting.....Keep me posted. I wonder if the TDS meter I purchased is a POS or what. I have reading of 0 ppm output from my tap water, then again my tap water before RO was only 115 ppm that could be a factor there.

    Sean
     
  11. Plan2Build

    Plan2Build Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Sean,

    It is quite possible that you are getting excellent water quality. Without a control, it is hard to know. Why not try testing some Dowser spring water and see what you get.

    Again, I did not fully flush my system, and did not use appropriate sampling containers. I am hoping to get to less that 10 or 20 ppm). If my quality remains at 40ppm, I think that is still excellent and quite satifactory for an aquarium.

    If you are still unsure, I can test a sample for you to confirm, although there is the variability associated with the shipping and stability of the sample. It is worth a shot!

    Gregor
     
  12. skennelly

    skennelly Coral Banded Shrimp

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    Gregor,
    Thanks, I have a friend who works for the Illinois EPA and he could take a sample and test it for me if I wish. But I doubt I will take it that far. Like you said for aquarium use its fine and that's all I really care about. But its definitely interesting to hear how it compares to a $30k system.

    Sean