Ro/di suggestions please!? Cheap!

+1 also have a refurb. The thing literally is in brand new condition upon arrival. Only thing I NEEDED was a tds meter which I bought at a local hydroponics place (more expensive though). I added a lot of different things though, water collection barrel, my custom flush mechanism, auto shut off, float valve.

 

OK guys,

Not to hijack or anything, but, here's what I bought a few months ago and 'T'd' the RO side for the tap at my sink and the icemaker/frig door dispenser.

I DIDN'T get the auto flush vavle. Seems to work well, tastes good.
And I've yet to get a TDS meter-which I know is the only way to really see what's going on.

Please critique, go easy, etc.

REEF & HOME DRINKING RO+DI dual output REVERSE OSMOSIS PURE WATER FILTER SYSTEM | eBay

When I posted about it on 'middleReef'- central my ......, anyways, one guy, not sure who, said he wouldn't drink RO water, b/c it lacked minerals! That's why I eat too! lol

 

The difference in most of the Spectrapure systems is the filter micron sizes, whether the RO membrane has been treated and batch tested or if it has been treated and individually hand tested with performance documented in writing and the DI resins used.

Some use a 1 micron sediment filter and carbon block, their treated and batch tested RO membrane and their basic mixed bed DI resins. All include an inline pressure gauge if they are reef quality systems.

When you step up the sediment and carbon block filters go down to 0.5 micron in ratings the membrane remains the same but you get the SilicaBuster DI resin.

From there the MaxCap gets the hand tested RO membrane, adds a MaxCap DI cartridge for dual DI and two dual inline TDS meters so you can monitor 4 points.

The UHE gets a 0.2 micron pleated sediment filter, the 0.5 micron carbon block, a hand tested RO membrane, the MaxCap and SilicaBuster DI cartridgesand the two dual inline meters and pressure gauge but gets very specialized from there. It has a computer microprocessor on board that controls an Aquatec 8800 booster pump, solenoid valves and float switches and an oversized 24v DC power supply to power it all. It uses stored DI water to backflush the system at timed intervals then double backwashes the system and stores the membrane in DI water when it is not running. Thats the system I own personally and love it. Not cheap but it has actually paid for itself in 3 years of usage.

 

I also researched that if you use a booster pump on the intake, that it actually increases the life of the membrane. Fact or fiction?

 

I have critiqued the Water General/Filters Direct systems many times and they are very low end drinking water systems at best.
Not to burst your bubble but you basically got a drinking water system, thats it.

The sediment filters are very low quality, worth about 79 cents, and do a poor job of protectint the carbon block since they are 5 microns and nominal rated if that even. You can see 40 microns with the unaided human eye so 5 microns is still prety big to be lodging on the surface of your carbon.
Next notice they don't tell you what the two carbon blocks are? That should be a BIG RED FLAG telling you Danger or Beware. My motto has always been, "No secrets, no surprises!". If they don't tell you up front what you are getting you can bet your bottom dollar its not of much quality or they would be proud to tell you what it is, their reputation rides on it. Needless to say the carbons are low quality, high micron and may last about 6,000 total gallons if you are lucky, thats 1,200 treated gallons and 4,800 waste gallons at 4:1 waste ratio which you have no idea of either since they supply a fixed flow restrictor or one size fits all.

Then again, I see nothing on the RO membrane so can only assume it is not a Dow Filmtec 75 GPD or GE Water 100 GPD which are the two most popular membranes out there.

The DI is horizontal and holds 6 oz. I went through horizontal DI drawbacks above in another post but its close to worthless compared to a 20oz vertical plumbed properly.

Not trying to pick a fight but you really do get what you pay for with RO/DI.Compare the WG/FD units to any of the three I already mentioned and you don't see any similarities at all. The others all use top quality components, low micron sometimes absolute rated filters, name brand Dow Filmtec RO membranes and treated and tested in Spectrapure's case, use full size vertical refillable 20 oz DI filters and make no false or questionable claims as to their efficiencies or filter life.

 

The booster pump makes the membrane work more efficiently. Membranes are tested and rated up to 150 psi or higher, its the housings and fittings that are the weak link.
I run my system at 100 psi, my tap water TDS is about 560, the RO only TDS runs between 2 and 3 using a COM-100 handheld meter, and best of all my MaxCap DI cartridges last about 1000 gallons and the SilicaBuster 3000 gallons. I am running the waste ratio at sligtly less than 1:1 so waste is the asbsolute minimum and an additional cost savings on both the water and sewer bills.

 

Got my aquafx running and just got a water test done at at a local water filtration company! Waiting on my tds meter! But zero tds! Now to wait for durability! But overall took about 2 minutes to get running and seems very well made! I'll do a test soon to measure waste water verse final product!

 

Make sure to test the tap water TDS, RO only TDS and RO/DI TDS all three. The true test of a RO/DI system is how well the RO membrane performs, this determines how long the DI will last and how much it will cost you to own and operate the system over its lifespan.
Also check you waste ratio to ensure it is close to 4:1 so the membrane stays clean and operable.

You are going to love having ultimate control of your water quality!

 

Thanks Rat! lol, As soon as i was down the road, i realized i forgot to bring the other 2 vials!lol! knew i was gonna pay for that! Think i'll just wait for my tds meter instead of making another trip! also gonna set up a trash can to measure waste tonight!

 

To measure the waste ratio use a measuring cup and a watch or clock.
Measure the flow from the waste line for one minute and record the volume. Then measure the treated flow for one minute and record that volume. For closer accuracy you can measure for longer if you have a larger graduated container as long as you measure each for the same amount of time. It should be close to 4:1 for best membrane life.