If Ro/Di is working?

I recently bought a ro/di unit. Its a 3 stage unit with a membrane. The unit didnt come with any meters.
Is there a way i can check if ro. water its producing it good/mineral free?

Any equipment?

 

You can buy a hand held TDS meter such as this one http://cgi.ebay.com/TDS-3-Handheld-...all_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item27ae98dec4

 

Yes you need a handheld TDS meter, they run $20-$25 for a good one like the HM Digital TDS-3 which also has a nice digital temperature feature too.

At only 3 stages I do not believe you have a RO/DI system, probably a RO only which should, if new, remove 90-98% of the TDS or total dissolved solids in your tap water. The stages are normally a poly prefilter which removes sediment and particulates, a carbon filter which removes chlorine and a Reverse Osmosis membrane which removes the bulk of the TDS. Adding a DI filter would remove the remaining TDS.

 

so would i have to buy a completely new unit with more then 3 steps or can i add the DI filter to this?

also, how accurate and reliable at the TDS meters?

 

just buy add on alot cheaper that way.

 

Is there a place I can order that online? And would u know if adding it is easy or takes a bit of skill?

 

TDS meters will pick up nearly anything at all that's in the water.

I don't know if it's a good idea to just upgrade your unit. If your RO is of a mediocre quality, you could be burning through resin on the DI very quickly.

 

Air Water Ice & Spectrepure both have add on DI kits.

What brand of filter do you have? That would be a good step towards finding out if it is high quality. If it ends up being sub-par, you can always order high quality media from those two.

 

You will want to get the TDS meter and determine how well what you have is working before spending any more money on it.
Often I find people add DI to a mediocre RO system and then spend a fortune replacing DI resin when a better membrane or system would have been the answer. Its like using DI as a crutch to prop up a bad RO, not the way to do it at all.

If the RO membrane and filters are used chances are they are in need of replacement plus they may not have been reef quality to begin with, there is a difference. The cost of replacements and a new add on DI is as much as a new system with everything reef quality to begin with plus the new system will have a TDS meter, pressure gauge, tested and treated RO membrane and full size vertical 20 oz DI from the start.

 

These systems are modular and easily upgradeable.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it in this thread already... Bulk Reef Supply is a good place to get decent equipment. This inline TDS meter is very good:

Dual inline TDS meter DM-1 HM Digital - English

You can easily tag on a DI to the end of your system using a canister:

Canister - $13.99

Refillable DI Cartridge - $7.99

and

DI Resin - $10.99

Follow the instructions on the last link for how to fill the DI cartridge. You will also need two of these fittings:

1/4" RO Fittings

and probably some Tubing:

Tubing

So, for a little less than $40 you will have added a refillable DI that you can refill for $10.99 each time.

You can replace the RO membrane on a system as long as you also replace the flow restrictor that is rated for the flow of your unit (75, 100, 150 GPD):

RO Membranes and Flow Restrictors

So there's no need to replace your whole unit as long as you get the right parts. It's pretty easy to connect everything up...