RO SYSTEM or BUYING RO

[FaRico]

What about for a 28 gal nano tank? Ive been flipping back and forth on the subject of getting one or buying as well. I've been trying to read up on the operation of the machine and it seems to be some have problems with auto/automatic shut offs, and wasting of water. Is this something I should be concerned with since I'd only be doing about 15 gal in water changes a month?

[Harpo]

bump

[whatcaneyedo]

Still haven't figured it out? How much do you spend weekly buying RO water from a store? Multiply that by 52. If its more than $200 you're obviously better off buying a filter.

Membranes are sort of expensive (+$60?) but only need to be replaced every 3-5 years. Pre-filters are around $5-$15 each depending on how many you buy and where you get them from.

[whatcaneyedo]

I guess I should elaborate to say that if you're going to be spending over $200 in a year the filter will likely save you money right away in its first year. You will save even more in the subsequent years. For instance. Where I live we pay a fixed cost for water (its included in the rent) so I'm probably able to make over... 2000gal of RO/DI water for around $50 a year.

[Harpo]

Yeah...not too sure how much I am going to use as I don't use it currently. Do you know of any good systems that would be worth buying? There are so many options out there, it's hard to know what one is worth the money.

Thanks,

[whatcaneyedo]

Kent's systems use cheaper parts which I don't like and Vertex doesn't offer enough flexibility in my mind. BWI is probably fine but they only have 100gph membranes available... 75gpd has a higher rejection rate and has been what was recommended to me in the past. So I like the units sold on Bulk Reef Supply. They use john guest fittings, Filmtec membranes and you can opt to build your own system consisting of only the parts that you want.

[mike31154]

First thing you might want to do is some research on your water source at the new house. Find out where it's coming from, presumably the City of Calgary, go on their web site and check the water reports to give you an idea of what to expect at your tap. Then get a cheap handheld TDS meter and take some readings after you move in. This will help determine what sort of RO system you require. Also find out if your water provider uses chlorine or chloramine to treat the water. This will have an impact on how many carbon stages you need (usually one extra for chloramine).

My 77 evaporates about a gallon a day, when I first started I used tap water treated for chlorine. I couldn't imagine having to go out and by RO water then lug it home for weekly evaporation and scheduled water changes. I purchased a system from BWI and am very pleased with it. It came with two carbon stages, but I recently removed one & replaced with a second poly filter since the extra carbon is not required for chlorine.