RO, RO/DI or distilled water??

This site is great! I have learned/remembered so much just from posting my questions and reading other threads.

I am defintely going to go with the ro/di. We don't have water dispensing machines around me and I don't get home from work until after 7 pm so the last thing I want to be doing is running to the lfs for water. I am going to set it up in my basement directly under the tank and run lines for an ato as well. I realize the tank isn't that big but if I can automate a lot of this it will be worth it.

Bulkreefsupply.com has one for $179 and it comes with a pressure gauge and electronic monitor. For another $25 you get the auto shut off kit.

 

Using an RO/DI for both reef water and drinking water is smart. I find we consume much more RO for drinking, cooking and icemaker than I use RO/DI for my tanks. Justification for the RO/DI was easy when we looked at the cost savings on the thousands of plastic bottles of water the wife and kids were going through every year(I get mine out of 12 oz brown glass bottles myself). I find after careful evaluation it costs me much less than 5 cents a gallon for RO/DI and about half that for RO only water compared to $3-$5 a case for the bottled drinking water and 50 to 89 cents a gallon for the RO/DI and Distilled water. Those figures include water and sewer bills with taxes, surcharges and mandates as well as filter replacements in that nickel.

 

i highly recommend a spectapure, i got the 4 stage 90gpd for 161 dollars shipped and i love it. with the 3reef discount i recommend it over any other rodi unit.

 

i ordered the same one, still waiting on it tho.visa was charged so im sure its on the way. when it comes in ill do an unboxing and setup from a complete newb perspective! i noticed there are lots of people just joining the hobby and it would be nice to see right from the box(iv read the spectrapure manual 2 times and MAN is there alot of info in it!). hope i can help when you get yours!

 

I agree, a RODI unit should pay for itsefl in no time. We currently have to buy RODI and haul back and forth and it is a pain, but can't do much about it currently. As soon as feasible, i'm buying one.

 

I'm not sure which way I should go....I'll do the math...If I did 6g WC on a 55g w/20L sump, weekly, & paid $0.40/gallon, that would come out to be about $124 for a year. (lol) of RO(DI, I think) water from the LFS. This would be about equal. I now realize how economical it really is to buy an entire unit rather than buying by the gallon jug. One year's cost of water would be almost the same price as buying the RODI unit out-rite...

 

There have been a lot of new people joining the forum lately.

 

Bump

 

Agree 100% with AZDR! I'm loving the ability to just use my RODI unit for drinking water (by using the RO) only. Water quality is great in taste and easily pays for itself in the long run.

 

Figure in wear and tear on your vehicle and gas, the IRS says .50 to .55 per mile, and especially your time since it is valuable. The RO/DI wins hands down plus it gives you control of the quality for which there is no substitute.