RO/DI Unit making less water than expected?

Discussion in 'Filters, Pumps, etc..' started by Magnus, May 3, 2010.

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Is the Vertex Puratek 100 GPD RO/DI unit.....

Poll closed May 17, 2010.
  1. Not worth the money and not enough filtration.

    1 vote(s)
    12.5%
  2. Definitely sufficient filtration for a Reef Tank.

    1 vote(s)
    12.5%
  3. An excellent, dependable RO/DI unit for the money!

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. Sorry dude! I don't have experience with this unit/brand.

    6 vote(s)
    75.0%
  1. bje

    bje Long-fin Bannerfish

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    yeah azdesertrat knows RO for sure. ive seen him post on other RO topics. i forgot to mention that during the breakin it would produce less, but i do recall reading something about membranes and what pressures they need. if i find it ill let ya know. its about $30 to replace my prefilter/carbon/di every 6months. beats carrying water jugs :)
     
  2. Click Here!

  3. AZDesertRat

    AZDesertRat Giant Squid

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    Adding a DI is easy and a good investment. if you are going to add a single DI chamber I suggest the SilicaBuster, its specially blended for reef systems:
    DI ADD-ON KITS

    They had add on kits on sale recently, you might contact them to see if the sale prices are still good.
     
  4. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    I definitely agree with that. I used to paint homes, so had easy access to 5 gallon buckets and they're a PITA!!!

    I'm trying to find out what will it cost to upgrade this unit to an RO/DI unit. I'm not so worried about the GPD... if it makes 5GPD I'm happy.

    Please, do let me know about that link when you find it, if you do ;)

    - Mag.
     
  5. bje

    bje Long-fin Bannerfish

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    Yes you can go with the unit that azdesertrat linked. Personally I impulse bought a unit and later replaced all the cartridges with spectrapure. The spectrapure cartridges seem to do a much better job than the others I was using from tbaquatics for the smartreef ro unit they sell. But then again I dont know if thats due to the micron sizing. I went with a .5 micron prefilter this time instead. I also considered adding on another canister for additional filtration, but then I found my incoming TDS was low enough it wasnt required.
     
  6. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    Is this the one you're talking about? I thought I would be able to add the canister and filter and spend less than $50. It sucks being broke :(
    Do you remember how much was the sale price for the kits?
     
  7. AZDesertRat

    AZDesertRat Giant Squid

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    You can pick up the filled SilicaBuster cartridge on sale for $18
    SpectraPure Customer Appreciation SALE! 20% - 50% off

    and stick it in a canister available at HD, Lowes or about any hardware store.

    I don't remember what the add on kits went for but I think they included the dual inline TDS meter and all the quick fittings and were ridicoulsly cheap at like $39 for the single and $69 for the MaxCap/SilicaBuster dual DI, don't quote me on that though.
     
  8. Click Here!

  9. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    Sounds good, I didn't know you can get the canisters at HD or other hardware stores.
    I can order the filter online. Would you recommend silicaBuster with or without color indicator?

    I'll start researching about the canister since I don't believe they're on sale anymore.

    Thanks for your help again.
     
  10. AZDesertRat

    AZDesertRat Giant Squid

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    Spectrapure tells me their color indicating resin is very accurate but I still prefer to use a TDS meter rather than a color change, much more accurate.
     
  11. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    I contacted SpectraPure at their sales department email to see if they would honor that promo. I came up with $80 that I'm willing to spend on making this RO only system into a good RO/DI system.. I'm not sure it'll be enough... but will try my best to stretch that money and get the best performance I can afford with it. TDS meter would be nice... we'll see what they have to say. Cross your fingers!

    The RO unit is producing a lot more water now. About 5 gallons every 1.5 hours. Will that go down when adding the DI part of it?

    Also, the "waste drain" part of the system... Am I supposed to leave that open at all times? Lots of water goes out that way instead of the pure water output.

    - Mag.
     
  12. AZDesertRat

    AZDesertRat Giant Squid

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    Adding DI will not affect the GPD output.
    The unit should waste 4:1 or 4 gallons for every 1 gallon of treated water. Many vendors use fixed type flow restrictors and they often are not the correct size so you could be wasting more than necessary. Time the flows using a measuring cup and clock or watch and compare the two. Does it take almost exactly 4 times longer to get the same amout of treated as waste water? If its close you are good, if you are getting more than 4:1 you may want to get an adjustable or capillary tube type flow restrictor and set it for your exact water conditions, maybe $5.