Where to buy RO/DI?

[kwirky]

Don't get a budget one, like aquasafe.
I like my Aqua FX because the various chambers go directly from one to the other; no hoses. Hoses leak, especially after time. I think the spectrapures are the same way. The AquaFX's have hoses going all over the place.

Go to Gold's in calgary (good prices localy), or from J&L online (good prices online).

And aquasafe provides a "pottable" tank for the water, but their units provice DI water, which'll just eat the tank from the inside out. And it IS nice being able to see inside your canisters. It made troubleshooting my own unit a snap when it didn't work properly when I first hooked it up. It's feels safer to know what's going on in there too.

There's reasons why some cost more than others. The Kent ones look like a rip off though, unless you're filtering out well water and need the high silicate removal. But then again, a good prefilter would work well for that too, and you should mount a whole house filter first if you're running off well water.

Look at the micron density of the prefilter. 5 micron prefilters mean you'll be replacing your membrane sooner but your prefilters not as often. The more stages the better, but don't worry about a final carbon polisher unless you plan on drinking the water too. And an entire case of prefilters is overkill. 30 gallons per week of use, you'll have to change your cartridges aproximately every 4-6 months. (that's the general consensus I heard anyways) Less often if you're using it less.

Make sure you have a pressure gauge, a backflush kit, and a TDS meter though, from the get go (aqua fx's include the pressure gauge, and it's mounted in a nice spot). You want to make sure your deionizer's working and the TDS meter is the only way to know.

Don't stress on deionized water right away if you can't afford it. You can add it to your setup later.

Oh and if you're worried about not being able to drink deionized water, you can just tap in before the deionizer, right after the RO.

all in all, aquasafes seem like a great deal, but $50 UDS to ship within canada???!!! That's the same price as shipping for 60 lbs of liverock. I *KNOW* they're making extra money off that. That was my final turn off with ordering an aquasafe.

[andrewsk]

Originally Posted by kwirky

Don't get a budget one, like aquasafe.
I like my Aqua FX because the various chambers go directly from one to the other; no hoses. Hoses leak, especially after time. I think the spectrapures are the same way. The AquaFX's have hoses going all over the place.

Go to Gold's in calgary (good prices localy), or from J&L online (good prices online).

And aquasafe provides a "pottable" tank for the water, but their units provice DI water, which'll just eat the tank from the inside out. And it IS nice being able to see inside your canisters. It made troubleshooting my own unit a snap when it didn't work properly when I first hooked it up. It's feels safer to know what's going on in there too.

There's reasons why some cost more than others. The Kent ones look like a rip off though, unless you're filtering out well water and need the high silicate removal. But then again, a good prefilter would work well for that too, and you should mount a whole house filter first if you're running off well water.

Look at the micron density of the prefilter. 5 micron prefilters mean you'll be replacing your membrane sooner but your prefilters not as often. The more stages the better, but don't worry about a final carbon polisher unless you plan on drinking the water too. And an entire case of prefilters is overkill. 30 gallons per week of use, you'll have to change your cartridges aproximately every 4-6 months. (that's the general consensus I heard anyways) Less often if you're using it less.

Make sure you have a pressure gauge, a backflush kit, and a TDS meter though, from the get go (aqua fx's include the pressure gauge, and it's mounted in a nice spot). You want to make sure your deionizer's working and the TDS meter is the only way to know.

Don't stress on deionized water right away if you can't afford it. You can add it to your setup later.

Oh and if you're worried about not being able to drink deionized water, you can just tap in before the deionizer, right after the RO.

all in all, aquasafes seem like a great deal, but $50 UDS to ship within canada???!!! That's the same price as shipping for 60 lbs of liverock. I *KNOW* they're making extra money off that. That was my final turn off with ordering an aquasafe.

I have to agree. Budget RO/DI is not the way to go. You really do get what you pay for.

Great advise on the TDS and Flush Kit. Both are VERY important to maintaining your system. Aqua FX is a great product.

I have had a few RO/DI systems and they are by far the best I have used.

[GMGQ]

Actually you dont have to use the tank to store DI water. Instead of feeding directly to the DI filter, I feed it to the storage tank. Then the output from the tank is Tee'd off into 2 lines:

1) Tank > Carbon filter for taste > tap at sink for drinking water
2) Tank > DI Filter > Aquarium's ATO & Change Water resevoir

I dont know what the TDS of tap water in calgary is, but here in vancouver, mine is like 005 from the tap. I've had my Aquasafe system for exactly one year now, and the output after the DI filter is only 003 (it was 000 when I started). So despite the ratings of the filters, it boils down to how high the TDS your local water is to start with.

Having said that, I'm quite happy with my 'cheap' Auqasafe system, as are a lot of other reefers. I think the drastic difference in price makes them a very viable option for the average reefer.

And BTW, you do get a free PSI gauge, TDS meter, flush valve with Aquasafe.

Originally Posted by kwirky

And aquasafe provides a "pottable" tank for the water, but their units provice DI water, which'll just eat the tank from the inside out. And it IS nice being able to see inside your canisters. It made troubleshooting my own unit a snap when it didn't work properly when I first hooked it up. It's feels safer to know what's going on in there too.

[fortheloveofcrabs]

I got an e-bay job - 120 USD, TDS meter, and it rocks! It goes from filter to filter no tubing (well, there is when it goes to the cabon filter for drinking). I couldn't be happier with it and it's 110 GPD. Just my two cents.