What should i buy to purify my water?

[Ron99]

I would spend a bit more on the Vertex RO/DI unit. It is 100GPD and has a built in booster pump and inline TDS meter. It is electronically controlled and automatically back flushes to clean the filter etc. every 15 minutes. It only produces about 1 to 1.5 gallons of waste for each gallon of RO so it is very efficient. And the price is good if you consider the price of adding a TDS meter, back flush kit and booster pump to a cheaper unit. I am fairly certain this is very similar to the unit I saw at a commercial water purification store where their only added step afterward was to UV sterilize the water after RO/DI.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

As an oposing view, I think everyone should use RO for a reef, it eliminates any questions on quality of source water. If water waste is an issue, there are several options for reclaimation, from laundry use to gardening.

This is true but often very difficult and impractical to implement. Measuring your tap water TDS is as simple as measuring your tank salinity. All you need is a very inexpensive TDS meter. Better safe than sorry is not an excuse for wasting valuable resources.

[Zoaelite]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

As an oposing view, I think everyone should use RO for a reef, it eliminates any questions on quality of source water. If water waste is an issue, there are several options for reclaimation, from laundry use to gardening.

Sorry SP, have to go with Brad on this one. For such an expensive hobby its just not worth the risk to introduce phosphates, Chlorine or any dissolved solids. You don't buy a brand new BMW sports car and then fill it with regular gas so why would you put unpurified water into a reef system? Besides, it doesn't "destroy" or make the waste water unusable so there are many applications for RO waste.
Levi

[scherzo]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Your needs will depend on the quality of your tap water. Here in Stoon I get a TDS of about 180ppm from the tap so I use a full 6 stage RO/DI to bring this down to the range of 0-4ppm. I've talked a few people down in BC who get a reading as low as 20-30ppm so they can usually just use a dual or triple stage (no ro or di) and get similar results as me.

RO units are very wasteful and I don't believe you should use one unless you need to.

I'm not sure where Chilliwack gets their water from.. but here in Coquitlam (about 1 hour away from Chilliwack) I get 12ppm on ym TDS meter right from the tap. I just use a DI unit. Works for me and many other local reefers.