Mindflux Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I've got a two canister resin setup that I bought a couple years ago to wash cars with 0 TDS DI water. Could this be used to make DI water (to what TDS level?) and salt appropriately for a tank? Do I really need RO/DI? http://crspotless.com/index.php?category_id=6&tpl=pgroup_descrip&pid=4&return=%3fcategory_id%3D6 I'd appreciate any feedback you can give. The resins are new so as long as I keep the flow below 2GPM I should get 0 TDS for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bry Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'm not super-technical on RO/DI like most. I just use it. But I have read a lot that the RO is the most important, not the DI. I believe the water you buy at stores in the machines is RO water and many people use it in their tanks. I'm sure you'd prefer something more specific to understand it, until that came along I figured I've throw in what I've learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Well Bry, you have it sorta right. RO takes out the vast majority of impurities, but the DI gets it to zero. One can make pure water out of DI only, but it's an expensive way of doing it. Think of DI as a fine filter; it'll take it all out but clog up sooner. The RO part is a coarser filter if you will. Sorta like your car's grill is the RO and the air filter is the DI. Grill takes out the bugs, air filter takes out the dust/pollen/legs that make it past the grill. That link posted will work, but for $450 you could buy two or three reef designated units and make just as clean of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 I already have the unit, is really the point here. But how much can a RODI system output (GPM wise) without needing storage containers? If there are ones that are reasonably priced that I can use on demand for water changes I'll certainly consider it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Ahhhh. How fast does that thing put out water? Most reef systems output GPD, not per min, with a 4g waste to 1g pure water ratio. I suppose there is your answer. I guess the other part is, you still need someplace to mix your water in. If you use that system to make water for a new tank and can mix it there, then no biggie. But doing water changes with it would be hard I think. You don't want to mix SW in an existing tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 2GPM to keep TDS at 0. That'll change as the resin gets used. I have buckets to mix from there. Nothing massive though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 How big is your tank? If you want to keep costs down on that unit, by saving your DI resin, you can buy a RO only canister. Or maybe one of those whole house filters. Of course, your GPM rate might drop. I'd think with as hard as the water is around here, you'd burn through the DI resin in a matter of hours. I'd check with Bulk Reef Supply, a sponsor, or Buckeye Field Supply for ideas on prefiltering your source water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 I have a softener on the house using potassium. No tank just yet, just trying to cover some other bases first. I surely don't want to burn through $90 in resin quickly... but I have no idea how hard our water is up here in RR. The last report I requested didn't seem to reflect it was SUPER hard though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Ok. Yeah, you'll need a way to mix and store new SW for water changes once you are up and running. A general rule of thumb for WC are 5-20% of your total system volume. Smaller, more frequent WCs are preferable to larger less frequent ones(I do large, less frequent. As I suspect most people do.) It'll do fine for intial setup; just run your output line into the tank until full, add salt, mix, check, adjust as needed. I dunno what impact the softener will have on it. I'd highly recommend contacting one of the above on what the best way for you to setup your system is gonna be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 The last time I checked my TDS was a few years ago but it was in the 140-150ppm range. My RO side took it to 10 and the DI took it to zero. You should be able to look at a water quality report on line. Here ya go! http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/docs/2009_consumer_confidence_report.pdf TDS of 200-300! Ouch says the DI resin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Here's some links for ya: http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/ http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Hrmmm. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/reverse-osmosis-filters-and-systems/reverses-osmosis-deionization-systems/standard-ro-di-systems/75-gpd-ro-di-5-stage-standard-system.html Well something like that boasts 75GPD. Is that even possible with something that small? How fast would I chew up the DI resins with the water around here? (not accounting for the fact I have a softener etc) Ideally the RO membrane would slow the DI resin consumption, but it needs to be reasonable anyway. I'm probably starting with a small tank (under 40 gallons), so if I can make 5-10 Gallons of RODI water "on demand" into buckets and mix salt and do a water change the following day (to let the salt fully dissolve) I could probably justify that as long as I don't need to permanently affix the RODI system anywhere right now (eg just hook to a faucet and direct the output to a bucket and put away when done) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I've had my system for 3 years and have changed the ro and di filters once. A rough guess on total water made is 500g in that time frame. Yes, I should change them more frequently according to the suppliers. 75GPD is under ideal conditions, something like water in the 70s and a certain amount of pressure. Most dont meet those parameters and as such dont meet the GPD advertised but come close. I've never measured my output but it takes a good 6 hrs to make 20g or so. I'd hate to guess how long those di filters would last under our tds. The other issue is most cities use chloramine to treat the water. According to the suppliers of RODI systems, chloramine will chew through RODI even faster. That said, I don't have a chloramine filter on mine and have never noticed any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Alright, well it's something I'll have to think about. I wonder how much hardness I'm removing via the softener... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 One last thing to keep in mind is that softness of the water and TDS are not one in the same. They are inter-related though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 This is a bit on the facetious side but here's an R.O unit that should keep up with your DI filter and it's only $4000 http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/3091/Cuno-HP-Series-Reverse-Osmosis-Units/reverse%20osmosis/0 Robbs got the most pratical solution for you I think and my experience with the life expectancy with the DI cartridge is pretty much in line as well. I would think you could extrapolate a gross approximate life expectancy as far as gallons filtered by weight of the DI resin which I would guess is +/- 10 oz in a typical RO/DI filter. Also, while I feel safer using RO water I know people locally using tap water successfully to maintain reef tanks so it's not an absolute necessity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildman926 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I just purchased a 75gpd RO/DI unit, and it actually took 24 hours to fill a 75 gallon tank on Friday, that I just set up this weekend. Got it here - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280471482178&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT Only thing I had to purchase was adapters to fill and dispense, i.e. 1/4" compression /1/2" male fitting, and 1/2" female to 3/4 female (input) male (output) hose adapter. I see in the water report provided to you, that your water department uses Chloramines to treat. You want to make sure you get an RO/DI that can remove that, as stated already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 I just purchased a 75gpd RO/DI unit, and it actually took 24 hours to fill a 75 gallon tank on Friday, that I just set up this weekend. Got it here - http://cgi.ebay.com/...e=STRK:MEWNX:IT Only thing I had to purchase was adapters to fill and dispense, i.e. 1/4" compression /1/2" male fitting, and 1/2" female to 3/4 female (input) male (output) hose adapter. I see in the water report provided to you, that your water department uses Chloramines to treat. You want to make sure you get an RO/DI that can remove that, as stated already. Could I in the interim use something that removes chlorine/chloramine from the water (eg: chemical additive)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Yes, Prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Prime? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Made by Seachem. Dechlorinator. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Ah! Well right now I have some Aqueon Dechlorinator for my FW tank, says it removes Chloramines... Looks like I can get Prime at Petco though, or so their webpage leads me to believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Yeah, it's available everywhere. The Aqueon will work too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 SeaChem Prime is an additive that will help detoxify your water. Amquell makes a product that you can also use, can't remember its name right now. Both of these and other options are available at both our LFSs and the big chain stores, though we of course would prefer you went to an LFS . Just make sure whatever you get is safe for saltwater tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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