Water in town

caseyjaydarling · 01-13-2008, 08:05 PM

Where is the best place to get water in town...or do you make your own? I have an ro/di unit but I would have to buy new filters and I'm trying to decide if it is worth the investment or not. It's nice to have my own filter, but the filters are expensive, and I have to pay for water in my apartment here too. Is there a place in town with good quality water?

schneijt · 01-13-2008, 11:29 PM

www.purelyh2o.com sells RO/DI systems, replacement filters, etc... Trust me, it's much cheaper in the long run to purify your own water and mix your own saltwater. Plus, I NEVER trust the claimed "purity" of store-bought RO water. It's cheaper to buy new filters and make your own water than to try the water from another place that may not be as purified as it is claimed to be.

-Joe

caseyjaydarling · 01-13-2008, 11:35 PM

actually, the setup i have is the Optima Vision from purelyh20. it's just that it has been sitting dry since last june or july so i need to get a new ro membrane...and i've never had to pay for water in my apartment until now and i'm not sure how much it costs with all the water that is wasted in the process.

schneijt · 01-13-2008, 11:42 PM

I've heard stories of individuals buying RO/DI water from supermarkets or even some pet stores and testing the TDS, only to find out the RO/DI they bought was wildly impure. Not to mention that I believe pre-mixed saltwater costs a couple dollars per gallon at most stores. I haven't done the math to prove it or anything, but I'm 99.9% sure that's it's cheaper in the long run to make your own water and mix the salt yourself. Plus, a handheld TDS meter gives you 100% control over making sure you have the finest saltwater mixed and ready to go into your tank. I'm not a horribly distrusting person or anything, but I just don't like trusting others to do things for me that I can easily (and rather cheaply) do myself.

-Joe

hansmatt · 01-14-2008, 05:50 AM

I bought RO at festival for a year...real pain in the butt. I never found out what the TDS reading was, but did have some issues with hair algae (though they still persist, and probably not due solely to h2o). Several of us bought spectrapure systems on a group buy last summer. I couldn't be happier. Wastwater is typically 1:3 or 1:4, so you certainly do waste water, but every process does either here or festival, or Olde Towne Pets. Matt at Olde Town did (probably still does) give away water to customers. I don't know the quality (tds) but he uses it on his systems. He's a good guy and will let you know.

Loverotties · 01-14-2008, 05:59 AM

Walmart sell distilled(same as RO/DI),$.54 a gallon here.

pogodzib · 01-14-2008, 08:22 AM

I think most of us have our own RO/DI unit. I wouldn't trust any store's water without testing it myself. Olde Towne Pets sells RO water, but I don't think Marineland or Petco does. At a minimum, if you buy store water, use a TDS meter to test how pure the water is.

Jrmass · 01-14-2008, 05:18 PM

Actually Brian, I think Matt at Olde Towne Pets gives the RO away for free to his customers. I know he has a 55 gallon tank in the back that he keeps constantly full as people come and get water all the time. No clue what the readings on the water are (as Matt already said) but, if you look at his tanks the water can't be too bad because with the exception of some red hair algae in a few of the tanks and some bubble algae his tanks are pretty gosh darn clean and it's really w/out running any chaeto or caulerpra as most of us are.

Jason

Otherwise before I got my RO working I was buying my water from Walmart here in Sparta for $1.85/5 gallons. (need to have their 5 gallon jug though) I have 2 of them if someone needs to borrow them though.

I've never tested the water but, I do have a TDS meter and could easily do so sometime I make my way back over there next.

schneijt · 01-14-2008, 05:23 PM

Yep, at the very least get a TDS meter and check the water being sold. Also, I'd make sure it's deionized if you're buying RO water. Being able to make your own water is easier than lugging around store-bought water, and it's likely cheaper unless you get the water for free. The most important factor, at least for me, in reef keeping is water quality. So, I'd rather be 100% sure of the water going in by making/mixing it myself than trusting another's water quality. But, if OTP is giving away free water and you can verify each time you pick it up that it's 100% pure, then that's not a terribly bad route. That said...since you already own a good quality RO/DI system, it's not too terribly expensive to replace the membrane, filters and DI resin to get the assurance and ease of making your own water.

-Joe

caseyjaydarling · 01-14-2008, 05:30 PM

If an ro membrane sits dry for a few months does it need replacing? I know they are supposed to last a couple years, but I'm not sure if drying out ruins them or not? I haven't run any water through my system since last summer. I know the carbon, sediment, and DI need to be replaced, but I'm not sure if the same goes for the RO membrane

Jrmass · 01-14-2008, 05:30 PM

Actually the membrane can be quite costly. I know the membrane for my unit (culigan) ranges between $95-$135 depending on where I look. The cartridges are much cheaper though as I can replace both of my main stages as well as the final stage for $50 after tax. But, as far as membranes go, as long as the membrane hasn't been "dry" you can use it yet. The unit I have is actually out of someones house and sat in his basement for 4 years un-hooked. The unit has water in it (definately stagnant but, water non the less) and all you need to do is put a cup of bleach and 2 quarts of water mix into the membrane stage allowing it to sit for 10 mins then empty that and the membrane will be newly sterilized. My dad is a plumber and he's the one who hooked mine in and was the one who told me to do this. So, it's definately something that is widely practiced. But, like I said the biggest thing is that the membrane hasn't been "dry" if it was then more than likely it has cracked and is best to be replaced. I know I probably will have to replace mine fairly soon as it's been being used by me personally for almost 2 years now and that's not including how long the previous owner used it (typically good for 4-5 years I've been told).

Any other questions feel free to ask.

Jas

caseyjaydarling · 01-14-2008, 05:53 PM

yeah mine is all dried up. that stinks....one more thing to add to the list before I can get my tank set up.

Jrmass · 01-14-2008, 05:54 PM

Well, you can try it. The worst that happens is that you get too high of TDS and you need to replace it. I would definately give it a go before I would go and replace it. I mean if it turns out to still be good for even 6 months you are money ahead.

my $0.02

Jas

caseyjaydarling · 01-14-2008, 05:57 PM

The only thing is, I threw my other stages away...knowing they needed to be replaced anyway....so in order to truly test out my membrane I would have to order some filters anyway. purelyh20 has this http://www.purelyh2o.com/product.php...cat=256&page=1
It's just more money I could be using for something else like a skimmer or HOB filter for a fuge.

Jrmass · 01-14-2008, 05:59 PM

Actually that's really cheap for all of the cartridges. Like I said for my unit just the membrane is $100. So, to see all 4 cartridges for $70 is a really good deal.

Jason

caseyjaydarling · 01-14-2008, 06:01 PM

Aren't most systems the same 10" housing?

Jrmass · 01-14-2008, 06:02 PM

Also, the quality of your water you are putting into the tank is far more important than any piece of equipment you will ever get for your tank. You can ask anyone that and they will give you the same answer. If you can find some place to get water at a good price if not free then go that route for a while until you can get your RO up and running. But, take it from someone who did the run around thing until he got his RO up it's a pain in the arse to have to stockpile water from the store when you can just make it in the privacy of your house.