Quote:
Originally Posted by MarieH
Tds is 000 after 7 stages. I don't mind shelling out for the resins once a year. I just find all the cartridges piled up together a bit of a bulky bother but the water is good and I think if there's more stages you can go longer between resins?
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While it does seem logical that more stages are better, it really depends on each user's source water. You need to consider TDS, pressure, temperature and other contaminants, that is 'non dissolved solids', or sediment. TDS means 'dissolved solids' and the only thing in your system that will remove them is the RO membrane. Adding a bunch more sediment stages before your carbon block & membrane will do nothing but add bulk (which you find a bother) to your set up. It will also reduce the pressure at the RO membrane resulting in slower pure water production.
If you're on a well with low water pressure & a pile of iron & other sediment, then yeah, get a booster pump & maybe add a sediment stage. Alternatively, simply change out the sediment stage more often, it's the cheapest component to buy and with a clear filter housing you'll have a good visual when it starts getting real funky.
If you're on city water treated with chlorine, TDS below 200 & water pressure of 60 psi or better, you can easily get by with a 4 stage unit. 1 sediment, 1 carbon block, RO membrane & DI stage. If money is no object, knock yourself out
. Changing DI more often is not going to break the bank, but I've only done it once & it was a fiddly affair.