RO/DI Unit?

-What about softeners? We used to have culligan when we had a well at my old house. -The hard water had to go through a softener before going into the RO unit, otherwise the ceramic filter would get messed up?..
-What do you use for filters in the RO unit?

(a link to another thread about RODI units would be helpful)

 

There are two RO/DI vendors I recommend highly, Spectrapure here in AZ and Buckeye Field Supply in OH.
Spectrapure is having a sale that cannot be beat right now.
SpectraPure Customer Appreciation SALE! 20% - 50% off

$145 complete for a RO/DI with a TDS meter, inline pressure gauge, full size vertical 20 oz refillable DI, 0.5 micron prefilter and carbon block and a 90 GPD batch tested and treated 98+% rejection rate RO membrane.

www.buckeyefieldsupply.com is in Ohio and its nice to support local businesses too.

 

Thanks, DesertRat. Your thread is the one I had previously seen.

This is the one I think I might end up getting.

http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/showproducts.asp?Category=171&Sub=166

lol This part too, can also get expensive I guess, depending on how fancy you want it.

 

That is the trash can I use..I think the wheels for it are about 20.00

 

Make sure to get it in the 75 GPD version not the 90% rejection 100 GPD version. Russ will try to talk you out of the 100 too since it is not as efficient and wears DI out faster.
Yes, always use softened water, in fact all manufacturers recommend it.

 

So..do I need to buy a water softener too? Or can I hook it up beneath my sink, using city water? (city water --> sink line --> RODI)

 

If you havesoftened water use it. If you don't it might be a good investment for your homes plumbing depending on your water hardness. The places I have been to in north central Ohio all have very hard water and high iron content so a softener is a necessity.

 

How much will this cost? How do I know how hard the water is? Currently I use city water/tap water from the kitchen sink..

 

You can pick up a hardness test kit at Home Depot, Lowes or Sears for around $10 and test it yourself.
Softeners start at maybe $300 and go up over $1000, I got a nice one on sale at Sears for like $450 and installed it myself. Very easy to install if your plumbing is set up for one like most newer homes are.

 

I'll test it. I don't know what I'm going to do. I know I certainly cannot afford that. I'm already over my budget of $1,000 to get my tank set up with the stuff I need, not including an RODI, which wasn't too bad except now I'll need to spend another $300 on a softener? ugh.

I've used tap in my FOWLR for about a year; so far no problems, that I know of at least..

Why is it that no one seems to ever mention the softer when they talk about getting an RO unit?