RO/DI, thought I could do without it! WRONG!

[gobrien]

OK ... So it started last Saturday with a 20% water change - actually pumped out the sump into new quarantine tank and topped up with Instant Ocean water that I had made up a couple of days before!

So far so good.

Now I know everyone that has ever posted anything anywhere about water quality said use RO/DI water only!

Did I listen? Of course not!

Another $200 on top of the quarantine system that I hadn't planned for either. Can't afford it, I told myself.

Tuesday morning comes along and boy do I have an algae collection! Green hairy - was already growing as the tank has just been cycled and not yet stocked with critters - but its long and wavy now. Anyone need some diatoms, cause I got 'em.

Next stop http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/

So I chat to John at ARS for a while about plumbing in the Oceanus under the sink, etc. and get all the bits and pieces ordered (Auto shut-off, float valve for DI resevoir aka trash can flush kit, etc.) when he mentions that he is adding a bypass on the DI to allow the pre DI RO water to be used for drinking water!

Ooooooh .... There goes another Saturday! I added the bladder tank a drinking water faucet and T's and stuff to plumb in the ice maker too.

See it always starts off simple and the next thing you know I'm burried in a PROJECT.

The one saving grace of all of this is that my tank is in my office, not at home, so I only have to live with employees laughing at me instead of my wife wiggin out!

"So what is this post all about?" I hear you ask.

Just to consider this ... For the grand total of $380, including shipping Aquatic Reef Systems are sending me enough gear to replace the $70/month bottled water delivery that we have been getting with a RO dringing water system that will also produce 100 gpd DI water for my tank! This could be the justification that those of you with spouses have been looking for!

"See honey we'll save sooo much on drinking water that this thing will pay for itself."

Whaddya think ... will she go for it?

[chewie]

It might work only if you don't mention the words; Fish, Reef, or Tank.

I tried MANY TIMES!!!

I get the anytime I use those 3 words!!!

Nice choice on the oceanus!!! I've got the same unit and I love it!!!

And WELCOME to TRT!!!!

Jon

[Hommeworks]

My S.O. is crazy about drinking water. She goes through the stuff like water. She had been buying gallon jugs at the water purification store in the past. On my RO/DI unit I can tap into the system prior to the DI stages and draw great tasting drinking water. So I make fresh clean water for her and she loves it. She says its the best tasting of all the bottled water she's tried.

[ShirleyM]

So, how would a Kent Marine 3-stage RO unit (not ro/di) use the "extra" water? How would that be plumbed? Ours is attached to the kitchen sink, the ro runs into a 32 gal rubbermaid, and the rest runs ....down the drain...(hurts to say that...so environmentally wasteful) I have no clue how our water bill is affected.

possible? feasible?

Shirley

[gobrien]

Shirley,

Two "extra" water comments/ideas.

1. The amount of waste water can be managed by using a variable restrictor on the RO unit rather than the preset one that it came with. In this way you can set the waste : product ratio. It seems that 3:1 or 4:1 (3 gallons of waste to 1 of RO water) is about the norm but that is set as a "factory default" and is not necessarily ideal for all tapwaters. With a variable restrictor and TDS meter you can set the waste ratio to produce clean water with minimum waste.

Is this worth it? Well what do you pay for water/sewer? Remember most municipalities bill for sewage treatment based on water usage, assuming that all the water out of the tap went down the drain! So if you went from 4:1 down to 3:1 and make 100gal/week of RO for example then you save over 400gal/month.

HINT: Apparently the fixed-restrictor that you need to replace is built into the elbow on the RO water output.

2. Route the waste water into a vegi bed, flower bed or border! Don't use a drip system, this would create back pressure into the RO system and mess up the waste ratio! Failing that get another trash can for the waste and use it to water house plants. At least that way its not going down the drain.

Gareth.

PS. Thanks for the welcome Jon

[ShirleyM]

Hello Gareth, and WELCOME to TRT!!

Thanks...yes, that would be easy..the kitchen window is right there behind the sink, and a flowerbed is right below that window...
I didn't know about the ratio setting...will check that out.
Thanks,
Shirley

[grazhopr]

I'm being offered a USFilter RO unit with a small storage tank for $250. I saw the specs and it's supposed to make 26 gpd. Is this a good offer ?

[grazhopr]

the storage tank controls a shut off valve when the tank reaches 2/3 capacity (+/- 3 gals).