DI Water filtration??????

[saltyfishtanks]

Ok so here is the question of the day I really need your opinions /responses

Just got off the phone with a local industrial water filter/purifier system sales man/installer and he has reccomended a large DI system (no RO) he claims that it produces higher quality water than your standard RO systems that many reefers are using.

it has carbon / .5 micron prefilters to a large DI

this system has no waste water (huge + for me)

also runs the same pressure/output as any other faucet (just pure water)

It was his promise that the system will kick out consistant 0ppm water

the inital lease will be $225.00 and $65.00 every 3months

Is this worth it and what are the thoughts from the people I trust at RS

 

[Warnberg]

Personally I think it's a little high as compaired to an RO/DI unit. I run a Typhoon III, it has 3 prefilters before the RO membrane and then DI cartrage. I did not see a substantial increase in water bill.

Here is the filter array:
1st) 10 micron sediment filter
2nd) 5 micron Coconut Carbon Black
3rd) one micron Coconut Carbon Black
4th) RO membrane (99% rejection rate)
5th) DI cartrage

I can get 2 of each of the filters for 30.00 bucks (lasts a year for me) and a 5 lbs bag of resin for 40.00 which is enough for 4 changes (lasts 2 years) plus an minimal increase in water usage. The cost you state above would be MUCH higher.

 

[KodiakBear]

When I was looking to replace my old 4 stage RO/DI unit Culligan tried to sell me something like what you're describing. After looking at the prices on The Filter Guys and reading the reviews on this forum, it seemed a much better choice than the almost $3K DI system that Culligan offered.
As for the water pressure, I bought a pressurized reservoir with my system, so for about 1.5 gallons, I get 35psi. Not as much as my regular tap water, but still pretty good.

 

[saltyfishtanks]

Dave

The Money is not a huge issue here it would be a service provided by the company and i do appreciate the response but im more interested in the quality of the water. Time is also a factor here i need a lot of water for Friday night Teardown and rebuild of my 120 mixed reef also gonna need a lot of water for the cycleing of the tank if it chooses to do so planning on about 25 gallons every other day for a while till stuff levels out

Does his claims of 0ppm hold up without a RO ?

Have you guys heard of DI filters without an RO ?

The guy seemed very passionate about the project and said that this was ideal for the situation i was explaining

 

[saltyfishtanks]

kodiak it is a lease on the system so the cost is much more affordable than purchaseing the system

the guy will replace the large DI chamber every 3months for $65.00

 

[Warnberg]

I personally do not see how you can filter out everything that is necessary without an RO membrane. Filter cartridges can do a lot but not all of it and if you are not using RO water then you will go through DI resin much faster (probably why the higher cost).

A reverse osmosis membrane will remove impurities and particles larger than .001 microns. DI resin water just flows over it....

 

[Warnberg]

Here is some more info I found:

Reverse osmosis (RO) units remove substantial amounts of most inorganic chemicals (such as salts, metals, minerals) most microorganisms including cryptosporidium and giardia, and most (but not all) inorganic contaminants.

Reverse osmosis successfully treats water with dissolved minerals and metals such as aluminum, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chloride, chromium, copper, fluoride, magnesium, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nitrate, selenium, silver, sulfate, and zinc. RO is also effective with asbestos, many taste, color and odor-producing chemicals, particulates, total dissolved solids, turbidity, and radium. When using appropriate activated carbon pre-filtering (commonly included with most RO systems), additional treatment can also be provided for such "volatile" contaminants (VOCs) as benzene, MTBE, trichloroethylene, trihalomethanes, and radon. Essentially, reverse osmosis is capable of rejecting bacteria, salts, sugars, proteins, particles, dyes, heavy metals, chlorine and related by-products, and other contaminants that have a molecular weight of greater than 150-250 daltons. The separation of ions with reverse osmosis is aided by charged particles. This means that dissolved ions that carry a charge, such as salts, are more likely to be rejected by the membrane than those that are not charged, such as organics. The larger the charge and the larger the particle, the more likely it will be rejected.

Taken from here: Reverse Osmosis Water Filters and Water Purification

 

[saltyfishtanks]

I think that the Resin chamber is much larger than the small di chambers on common systems i need to find out if its a standard filter cartrage size, if it is the standard size this guy is off his rocker!!

if not i think ill chance it!!

I dont want the waste water situation because im on a well and the less my well pump runs the $$$$better$$$$! plus my well does not recover as fast as i would like and i have run it dry several times.

also there is no wait on this system i can have water as fast as it can come out this is very ideal for me because the water running all day is just not an option i need to monitor it

 

[boozeman]

if money isn't an issue...
DialySeas

 

[saltyfishtanks]

when i said money wasn't an issue it was the cost of the lease in question not the cost of over-done fancy RO uints

But thanks for the input boozeman

 

[boozeman]

:d

 

[Mr Bojangles]

well I spent $150 on my ro/di and added a extra DI chamber, and it cost $20 a year to replace the resin. IMO you will be paying $260 a year for some one to change a filter that is basically a RO unit with out the membrain. DI resin traps all charged molecules passing through it, and leaves uncharged (neutral) molecules free to pass through

Reverse Osmosis/Deionization Systems to Purify Tap Water for Reef Aquaria by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[boozeman]

this may sound a bit extreme but, how about asking the salesman if someone in your area has this system installed.. then contact the person and ask them if you can take a sample of their water...that way you can test it for yourself and be absolutely sure.

 

[sasquatch]

this may sound a bit extreme but, how about asking the salesman if someone in your area has this system installed.. then contact the person and ask them if you can take a sample of their water...that way you can test it for yourself and be absolutely sure.

Testimonials would be good! I cant see how the di would survive the all that none purified water. Steve

 

[saltyfishtanks]

well im not sure what to do here

-This style filter would be ideal for me because Im on a well and need to conserve water (Recovery is slower that Delivery)

-Im toying with the DIY approach to build a similar system but the convience of ready to go filtration w/service included is to tempting to pass up

Boozman thats a great idea about testing an existing system but i think ill have to wait and test my own ill be sure to post the results of this one...

I just really hope its the great system the guy claims it is

I did a little research and these filters are pretty common in industrial and pharma applications and do produce very high quality water.

 

[Jorgens]

I don't see how just a DI can do it. I don't think it's physically possible. Culligan offered me a deal like that. Only it was $900 set-up and $99 a year and that included new filters every year.

I got a 6 stage from E-bay that kicks out 0ppm water and cost me $90. And to re-load my DI cartridge costs me $5 75gpd

I think that sales dude is taking a BIG commission....

 

[BoomerD]

When we first bought our house, a lady came out and tried to sell us a very high-tech water system. (the sales pitch came with some free gift my wife just HAD to have :roll
Basically, the system was a standard salt-fed type of water softener, with a couple of LARGE DI chambers after the salt compartment. The package included a RO/DI unit for drinking water, AND, the would install a special hose bib out front for washing cars with DI water for spot-free rinsing.
Somewhere in the $4K range to purchase, and about $100/year to keep the various compartments properly charged...(NOT including the salt for the softener)
I ALMOST took the deal, but the price was just a bit too much.

 

[burning2nd]

wow dood!

talk about $$$$

do your self a favor, The Filter Guys and then you can just have your own.....

dont worrie about if you live in a apartment of something like that.. (they have stuff for things like that 2)

lease on Ro water??/?? thats crazy

 

[Warnberg]

I understand the well water concerns. An option could always be to pipe the waste water out to the garden or a holding tank for watering around the house. The waste water could still be used for other things as well, but I'm just throwing out some ideas.

This hobby is expensive enough, I hate to see someone add another substantial cost just for water.

 

[saltyfishtanks]

:whstlr: Thanks everyone for your responses:whstlr:

I am going to go look at the system in question today i will test the tds of the water in and out and make a decision of what to do.

I was really hoping someone was using a similar filtration method...The guy promises pure water how can i hold him to this?

I have a TDS meter if I install the system and water comes out 0ppm will it be too much money then? I plan on monitoring the TDS of the water every time i use it..

Have you guys ever measured how much waste water comes off your RO? I would bet its more like twice the amount you all think... unless you spent $1000+ on a High quality system...and still a good one kicks out twice as much waste water as RO water.

Believe me i would much rather a simple RO unit like you all have and if i was on city water or had a longer lasting well. This tread would have never been.