Thx for the tip, been on the fence for awhile. I'd say my usage is about 100gallons a week with whats in the sig. But I'll call and talk to someone first, cause I might be getting another tank soon and see what they suggest for future needs as well.
RO/DI systems
- Thread starter Lady G
- Start date
Here is some good advise I got back in March from another AC Member
John, I am not sure who makes the "best" but I am sure that the ratings on all of them are about comparable. When they say that an RO will make 75 gpd, that is under ideal conditions of water pressure and supply water temperature with an open ended system. When you put a storage tank on it for drinking water, the pressure difference drops and so does the output. When it is not the middle of summer the temperature goes down and so does the output. If your water company does not supply water at the RO design pressure you get less output. In the real world, you will be very lucky to get half of the nameplate rating from an RO so keep that in mind when choosing which model you want. In my experience, the RO I have is rated at about 50 gallons and if I push it I can get about 25. For drinking water, the wife and I rarely use more than a gallon or two total per day. That leaves most of the capacity for the fish. If you are going to use the water for fish, spring for the larger water storage tank option. Its a pain to deal with the standard 3 gallon tank that really holds 2 gallons and a bit, the rest is air space to pressurize the tank. If I sound a bit bitter I am not, I have ordered a new system because mine was wearing out after about 3 years of hard use but this time I know what the ratings mean. These are just things I did not think of when I ordered my first one and wish somebody had told me about the standard rating system and the standard tank rating system. Tank ratings are total volume, not useable volume.
John, I am not sure who makes the "best" but I am sure that the ratings on all of them are about comparable. When they say that an RO will make 75 gpd, that is under ideal conditions of water pressure and supply water temperature with an open ended system. When you put a storage tank on it for drinking water, the pressure difference drops and so does the output. When it is not the middle of summer the temperature goes down and so does the output. If your water company does not supply water at the RO design pressure you get less output. In the real world, you will be very lucky to get half of the nameplate rating from an RO so keep that in mind when choosing which model you want. In my experience, the RO I have is rated at about 50 gallons and if I push it I can get about 25. For drinking water, the wife and I rarely use more than a gallon or two total per day. That leaves most of the capacity for the fish. If you are going to use the water for fish, spring for the larger water storage tank option. Its a pain to deal with the standard 3 gallon tank that really holds 2 gallons and a bit, the rest is air space to pressurize the tank. If I sound a bit bitter I am not, I have ordered a new system because mine was wearing out after about 3 years of hard use but this time I know what the ratings mean. These are just things I did not think of when I ordered my first one and wish somebody had told me about the standard rating system and the standard tank rating system. Tank ratings are total volume, not useable volume.
G, I bought a Coralife II from Dr. F&S. It was a little over $100. It is not DI, just RO. So it's drinkable.
There are some special plumbing pieces to connect it to a faucet, but they are cheap plastic and don't work that well. I've got a thread that describe the new fittings I bought to correct the leaks. It's no big deal.
Also, the one I got id 24 gallons/ day... under optimum conditions. My conditions aren't optimum and I'm getting about 15-18 gpd.
Let's see, oh, one guy ran the waste water line to his flower bed and the flowers are doing awesome... otherwise, run the waste water hose down the sink. I'll take a pic and post it in a bit for you.
There are some special plumbing pieces to connect it to a faucet, but they are cheap plastic and don't work that well. I've got a thread that describe the new fittings I bought to correct the leaks. It's no big deal.
Also, the one I got id 24 gallons/ day... under optimum conditions. My conditions aren't optimum and I'm getting about 15-18 gpd.
Let's see, oh, one guy ran the waste water line to his flower bed and the flowers are doing awesome... otherwise, run the waste water hose down the sink. I'll take a pic and post it in a bit for you.
So if it is DI...you can not drink it? Yes, I'm confused on all this stuff....I just need it for my 55g SW tank, if I could us it for myself that is a added bonus. So if I get just the RO, I need to get something else for the DI? Do you need the DI part?
Then about the 24g/day...so you fill it everyday and that is how much you can make?
Guess I should go to that web site huh!!!
Thanks everyone!
The above information was really helpful, do some research and decide what is best for you. You can't beat the taste of water from an RO unit. We have a valve to change over from the RO/DI to just RO for drinking. This system was hands down one of the best investments we have made for both our Fish Room with 800 gallons and personal use.
OK, here's how my RO unit is set up. The yellow hose connects to the faucet via a brass dishwasher connector. The red line is waste water and the blue line goes into the storage containers (2 7-gallon containers).
The other pic is my tank as it is being filled with trips to and from the containers.
The other pic is my tank as it is being filled with trips to and from the containers.
I rigged a piece of 1/2" clear tubing that we use to fill all of our tanks in our fish room.
They make all kinds of adapters for the RO/DI systems ,use you imagination .
They make all kinds of adapters for the RO/DI systems ,use you imagination .
Drinking DI, if it's like distilled water, will act like a solvent -- pulling out vital water-soluble nutrients from your body.
