Will this RO/DI unit hook to faucet?

[dwall174]

Quality is the big difference! Some of the sellers on Ebay use cheep quality parts, membranes, & filters. Yes they will work basically the same but will not last as long & will let more impurities through. Also a lot of those units on Ebay use in-line DI filters (the ones on top of the membrane housing) which are smaller & have to be replaced (housing & all) where as the full size DI just need a cartage. SpectraPure is condesider Lab Grade & great if you can afford them.

IMO the Barracuda , Oceanus, or the Typhoon , are all great units.

I went with the standard Typhoon 100gpd & then desided to change the membrane to the High Rejection 75GPD because I was going through DI filters really fast, The higher rejection rate of the 75gpd membrane helps the DI filters last a lot longer.

Also be sure to get a TDS meter with your unit so that you can check your water before & after! That's the best way to know that everythings working correctly.

One last thing if you get your water from a city supply! Try to get a copy of the water report & send that to any of the above RO suppliers & they would be glad to help you get the right unit for your water conditions. Hope This Helps

[snazlord]

Originally posted by dwall174
Also a lot of those units on Ebay use in-line DI filters (the ones on top of the membrane housing) which are smaller & have to be replaced (housing & all) where as the full size DI just need a cartage.

can you elaborate on that point? Below is a pic of the 6 stage RODI unit on e-bay. Are you saying that one of the three horizontal cartriges on top is the DI unit, and that you have to replace the "housing" with the cartridge? What part is the "housing" anyway?

One other thing i noticed is that the SpectraPure has clear plastic cartridges. Is that better? Can you somehow tell if it's working or something by seeing into the cartridges? And if so, couldn't you just buy clear replacement cartridges?

[snazlord]

here's the SpectraPure with clear cartridges. couldn't get both images into the last post.

[dwall174]

Let's try this

[dwall174]

Originally posted by snazlord
One other thing i noticed is that the SpectraPure has clear plastic cartridges. Is that better?

The replacement filter cartridges go into those clear "filter housings". They are good because as you said you can visually see if anything is not flowing right. However as I stated before the best way to tell when to replace the cartridges is with a TDS meter not by the looks of the filter.

The dual DI filters on the SpectraPure 2000 that you listed would probably out last four or more of those through away in-line DI filters.

[snazlord]

OK, so the in-line filters/housings are the horizontal ones on top. I understand that they don't "open up" like the bottom ones so you can replace the cartridge but keep the housing; instead you have to replace the entire housing. But I still can't tell if all three of them on top must be thrown out and replaced together, or if each one of them is separate. Either way, from what you're saying it would be cheaper/easier if the DI were another cartridge/filter like the verticle ones on the bottom.

Also, the horizontal ones on top look smaller than the vertical bottom ones. Does that mean the DI filter is smaller and get's used up faster?

[dwall174]

Originally posted by snazlord
Also, the horizontal ones on top look smaller than the vertical bottom ones. Does that mean the DI filter is smaller and get's used up faster?

Yep the first two horizontal are smaller & will be used up a lot faster. The top two are separate & can be replaced one at a time as needed. The third (one closest to the three vertical housings) is the RO membrane housing with the membrane inside which should last several years.

[snazlord]

well, thanks for the info. you've convinced me. I'm looking at the typhoon now. Only thing is I like the dual home/reef type set up (easier sell to the wife, too, since it could be used for drinking water) So i just need to figure out if i could get a pressurized holding tank and faucet (like the dual home/reef setup they have). I assume this shouldn't be a problem.

One other question, if I haven't worn out my welcome on this subject yet: The water pressure in my condo seems to be really weak. (I'm in chicago) I know I could get a booster pump, but am unsure how to tell what my water pressure is or if I would need a booster pump. Any thoughts? Should I just buy a pressure meter and try to hook it up to my faucet? That seems like a waste if I only need to use it once just to check my pressure.

[QuAcKeR]

Wow thanks everyone for the comments... I did wonder why the model on ebay was so much cheaper, and why it had the 3 horizontal "tanks" alont the top. This thread has been more helpful than I even hoped. (even though it's making me realize I'll probably be spending more than $100 on a decent unit )

[dwall174]

It would be a good idea to get a pressure gage to test your water first you could always use it too monitor your system.
Just call or E-mail walter@airwaterice.com & tell him what you want and he can set up a system for you. He may even be able to give you an idea of what your pressure is by how long it takes to fill a gallon of water? Another thing to consider is the water temperature in the winter! Mine here in Michigan goes down to 40 degrees which also affects the out put a lot.

[snazlord]

thanks. i e-maild walter, and await his reply...

[dwall174]

QuAcKeR:
I know that there are probably some good deals on ebay I think that Air Water Ice also list the Typhoon on ebay? IMO any of the three units that I listed before would be great! Also from what I have heard they all have great customer service. I know that Air Water Ice does!

[snazlord]

Originally posted by dwall174


IMO the Barracuda , Oceanus, or the Typhoon , are all great units.

The one difference between the typhoon and the other two you mention is that the literature on they typhoon website here says their set-up starts with a 10 micron sediment, then a 5 micron carbon, then a 1 micron carbon. This way each filter filters out progressively smaller particles, and each successive filter has less work to do (because it only needs to filter out the particles in it's size range) because the filter just before it has already taken out the larger particles. They say that it makes no sense to start with a 1 micron filter, because it will be exposed to everything in the water, and just get clogged up faster.

They typhoon seems to be the only one i could find that has the filters arranged this way and that makes this point; all the others (including the other two you mention) start with a 1 micron sediment and have a 1 micron carbon. The spectra-pure (which seems to be the cadillac of RO/DI) starts with a 0.5 micron sediment then a 0.5 micron carbon. I can't believe that Spectra-Pure would arrange their filters in a way that didn't make sense (unless with the 0.5 microns getting used up faster they make more $$ on replacements... )

Just wondering what you or anyone else thinks about this (filter pore size and order.)

[dwall174]

Originally posted by snazlord
The spectra-pure (which seems to be the cadillac of RO/DI) starts with a 0.5 micron sediment then a 0.5 micron carbon. I can't believe that Spectra-Pure would arrange their filters in a way that didn't make sense (unless with the 0.5 microns getting used up faster they make more $$ on replacements... )

IMO the SpectraPure 2000 is more of a high-end system that strives for ultra pure water. But then again, if you drive a Cadillac you don’t usually worry about the price of gas

Here again it depends on your water supply! For instance: If you have well water, you would want the larger micron size to trap the sediment first! However, if you have city water that’s been treated with chlorine & other chemicals then the finer micron carbon filters would be better because they would filter out the chemicals to give you the best water quality!

That’s why I would suggest getting as much information as you can about your water supply first. Then check with the supplier’s to see what they recommend for your water supply.

[snazlord]

what kind of TDS meter do you have and do you like it? (i.e. did you just get the one from airwaterice?)