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Any objections to an eBay Filters Direct RO/DI unit?

C

Candi

I have the one w/o the tank... 0 TDS and that's even with me needing to add more/replace my media :D

Been a great unit for my needs so far.
 
M

mantis32

Great. Good to hear.

Anyone have any factual info with source on whether it is okay to drink RO/DI water? I'm contemplating replacing my current OmniFilter U600 w/ this RO/DI system, so that I can use it both for the tank and for drinking water.

So far my research online has not been conclusive as I find some sources that say don't drink it because it is too pure and some that say it's fine.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
It is best to drink RO and not the RO/DI so it would help if you had a split off before the DI cart. From what I've read, the DI process strips the water of some ions and that can mess up your system if you drank it exclusively. Just what I've read though. You could probably drink it in moderation, but not as your sole source of water. We drink ours from time to time.

We have the filter direct unit and it is still producing like a workhorse. And we make a LOT of water!
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I'd buy water from an LFS first, but that's me (today). I started off my tank 3 years ago with straight tap water. :) You could also buy bottled Di water from the grocery store.
 
A

Absinthe

Boiling water is not as effective as you might think for killing pathogens. Plus it doesnt always take care of everything you want to remove for a tank.

I say stick it out until the RODI comes.
 
D

demon16v

A little help for your RO/DO

Hi Mantis,
That RO/DI will be a good start. But you can make some improvements on it when the filters are used up.

But, this is what I would do first when you get your unit.
I would ditch the 6th stage, it is not needed for a reef tank it is only good for drinking water taste.
First, I would install a John Guest “Y” (Y style one in 2 out) after the RO membrane (4th stage) and run one hose right to the storage tank for drinking water and the other hose with a John Guest ball valve (turn off after you make tank water) to the DI filter for reef water. You could also use that 6th stage before your storage tank if you want. The reason for doing this is that you don’t need the DI unit for drinking water (DI = bad taste, because no minerals) and you will use up the expensive DI resins much faster.

When you are ready to upgrade the filters I would get a clear 10” canister filter to replace the horizontal DI one. This serves two purposes, 1. The horizontal units (as this ebay one) are very inefficient at filtering because they let the water pass over the resins and not through them, 2. You will be able to fit double the amount of DI media into the 10” unit. http://theh2oguru.zoovy.com/product/ADDVERTDI

The club is having a group buy for filter with AirWaterIce in July and they are a great place get your new filters and the add on 10” canister from.

Last I would buy a good TDS meter, one that compensates for the water temp. Like this one COM-100 http://www.spectrapure.com/St_quality_p2.htm
This meter will help you to know when your filter need to be replaced and to know what the ppm of your water is. It is best to shoot for 0 ppm, anything higher is really not good for our tanks, bad algae and such. (some might disagree on this so, no flaming please just trying to help)

Jon
 
C

Carlo

I stopped using RO water and won't buy bottled water anymore. I now strictly use tap water for drinking and cooking. The World Dental Congress and The American Dental Association have said:

"People think tap water is "not safe," and begin drinking and cooking with bottled water, with detrimental outcomes for their teeth and especially their kids' teeth."

"People are turning away from tap water - which for over two-thirds of Americans contains all of the fluoride that they need to prevent tooth decay - and most bottled waters don't have enough fluoride."

While the studies were mostly geared towards bottled water which does contain some fluoride (not pure as everyone thinks) it is going to be worse for those using RO and RO/DI systems.

If you do drink a lot of bottled water or use RO systems then you should talk to your dentist and get some type of daily fluoride treatment in addition to normal brushing. Same thing applies if you don't have public water and have your own well.

Just thought I'd throw that out there since most people would never think about some of the good things in the tap water.

Carlo
 
M

mantis32

Wow, lots of good info. Cayars; not really knowing the benefits of tap water every once in a while I would drink tap water just so I could get all the bad things that bottled/filtered water was taking away from me. Now I can drink it even more so with a better outlook of why I'm drinking it. Although the poor air quality here in Woodbridge, really makes me doubt the quality of the tap water.

demon16v, I'm not sure I fully understood the splitting of the water paths and it is probably because I don't know what a John Guest is. I did some searching, but still didn't find what a Y-style looked like (http://www.waterfiltersonline.com/john-guest-adaptors.asp) My understanding is that I will direct the RO water to my filter via the tank, and when I want reef water, will direct the filter to continue to the DI stage which will give me reef water. I've confused myself now, because I thought the tank would store the water that I could remove and bring to my reef. I already have the filter faucet next to my regular sink faucet up top.
 
M

mantis32

Where are you getting the 75gpd membrane from? filters direct? I prefer 75 over 110 also.

I look forward to the group buy.
 
M

mott768

I sent them a email when I bought it and asked if they could replace it, they did at no extra charge.

When you connect it use a Y one side goes from the RO to the storage tank (which you need to build up pressure so the faucet works for drinking water) the other goes to the DI which you would use just for your fish. I personally just use the unit for my fish tank. This is the one I got

http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-2-110G...hZ002QQcategoryZ20756QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
 
M

mantis32

Not sure if I should start a new post or continue this one. Here goes a continuation.

My RO/DI unit has arrived. I removed the pressure tank and the drinking water piece. Other than the two leaks that I have under my kitchen sink, which hopefully will magically stop dripping; I'm curious as to the correct function of the unit.

The drain tube (black) when the feed valve and pour valve is on, always has water running through it and the pour valve has a slow trickle coming out of it.Is this how it's supposed to be?
 
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