Is this a good RO/DI unit?

newsalt · 01-07-2004, 02:15 PM

Saw this on Ebay. Is it a good unit? Anyboby have one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=20 756

Cougra · 01-07-2004, 02:32 PM

That one looks very similar to the one I just recieved from Aqua-safe Canada. I haven't set mine up yet ( got it in last night) but it looks like a solid built unit!

Curtswearing · 01-07-2004, 02:37 PM

What a riot. I just sent you a PM saying the setup pics were good on that web page.

addict · 01-07-2004, 02:48 PM

I have the same unit, only it's a 5-stage rather than 6.
Great Price, and it seems to work well (I still need to get a TDS meter).
It sure beats lugging jugs back from the store though.

I set mine up so that it dispenses RO water from the tap (the little spigot that comes with the kit) and then I plumbed an extra fitting under the sink connected to a plastic tube that I can run to the sink to fill the jugs with RO/DI.
You sure can't beat the price... I think I paid $109 for my setup about 6 months ago.

Though now that I look again, my kit came with the 4-gallon reservoir tank... you may want to look into purchasing one of those as well... RO/DI takes 'forever' to filter through, almost the equivalent of watching grass grow.

I do 8-gallon changes on my 55g tank, and it usually takes a little over 2 hours to get all the water filtered, even with the 4-gallon tank.
HTH.

Curtswearing · 01-07-2004, 02:52 PM

Looks like a deal to me. 5 micron sediment filter. Standard sized cartridges. I normally prefer 75 gpd membranes over 100 gpd membranes but that's just my personal preference.

BigReepher · 01-07-2004, 04:14 PM

I use an Aqua-Safe Canada unit that I bought via ebay. It works great and they answered all my questions before and after the purchase. Only drawback is the canisters are white and not clear. Just a matter of prefence.

F355GTB · 01-07-2004, 05:30 PM

Can the Ebay unit really produce 110 gal / day under normal water pressure? I am interested in it purchasing one as well. Thanks for the help!

John

Gina · 01-07-2004, 05:39 PM

That is the unit that we have and it works great! We love it and have had no problems with it.

ReefLady · 01-07-2004, 05:56 PM

The only thing that caught my eye was the 5-micron sediment filter. I'm not certain how much of a difference it would make, but we've always used 1 micron sediment filters.

I also found it amusing that they say "replace after 12 months" for the sediment & carbon block filters. Ummm, wouldn't this depend on how many g of water have gone through the system? We replace ours about every-other month. ;-)

Quote:

Can the Ebay unit really produce 110 gal / day under normal water pressure?

Not sure what "normal water pressure" is. Our water pressure is probably a bit on the low side, as it hits the RO/DI after a whole house filtration system. We get about 30-40 gpd out of a 100gpd membrane.

HTH,

Witfull · 01-07-2004, 06:04 PM

plus, there is NO 110 gpd membrane, you just cannot get more out of a 100 membrane. they are using deceptive advertising. just on that i wouldnt trust them.
check out Aqua-Safe Canada. same price and shipping.

joe@inreef · 01-07-2004, 06:49 PM

Usually the GPD rating is based on a 75 psi rating. My 100 GPD unit does about 75 GPD at 64 psi. Also, the clear housings allow you to see if your filters need changing. The cost of white housings is 1/2 that of the clear housings. Also, the extra carbon filter after the DI is mainly for looks. Most sediment filters need to be changed every 500-800 gallons, depending on your water quality. And the carbon is usually exhausted after about 800 gallons. The 5 micron filter will cause the most expensive part of your system, the RO membrane, to wear out quicker. Remember, once you wet the RO membrane, make sure you keep water hooked up to it so it stays wet. If you dont, the membrane will become damaged. All that said, the unit seems like a descent deal, however, I would look for one with clear housings.

addict · 01-07-2004, 07:39 PM

The amount produced by the RO/DI also depends on water temperature... the cooler the water the less it produces.
Our tap water is about 60 degrees in the wintertime, so production goes down accordingly.

Luckily we're on city water, so I don't have much sediment to filter out, mostly nitrates and phosphates (which help prevent corrosion in pipes).
I really need to get a TDS meter though... that would probably help rather than all this guesstimation I'm doing.

joe@inreef · 01-08-2004, 07:09 AM

Yes... forgot to mention that... Our water temp is pretty stable here in Florida.... usually about 74 to 76 degrees. I always forget that some people live in places that get really cold.

wooddood · 01-08-2004, 09:12 AM

looks like a ok unit.i agree with above though on getting the clear canisters and like the fact that ours has a small fawcett mounted on the sink.it also said no pressure tank,mine has one.good or bad? i dont know.i would check around a little more.we got ours from e-bay too.[hbwatersystems.com]ours is a 5 stage 75gpd unit.

BigReepher · 01-08-2004, 09:54 AM

Clear housings won't tell you that you need to change your filters, a TDS meter will. IMO

01-07-2004, 02:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
newsalt Torch coral Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 584 View Gallery Karma Komment	Is this a good RO/DI unit? Saw this on Ebay. Is it a good unit? Anyboby have one? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=20 756

01-07-2004, 02:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
Cougra Dragon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 2,216 View Gallery Karma Komment	That one looks very similar to the one I just recieved from Aqua-safe Canada. I haven't set mine up yet ( got it in last night) but it looks like a solid built unit! __________________ Michelle Just because something CAN be done, it doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done!

01-07-2004, 02:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
Curtswearing Golden Moray Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 2,597 View Gallery Karma Komment	What a riot. I just sent you a PM saying the setup pics were good on that web page. __________________ In memory of Fluffy, please pause before hitting enter---being nice is free. Click for ReefKeeping FAQ'S Click for Product Reviews Click for Photo ID Gallery http://curtcpapfs.com/downloads/1Curt.jpg

01-07-2004, 02:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	I have the same unit, only it's a 5-stage rather than 6. Great Price, and it seems to work well (I still need to get a TDS meter). It sure beats lugging jugs back from the store though. I set mine up so that it dispenses RO water from the tap (the little spigot that comes with the kit) and then I plumbed an extra fitting under the sink connected to a plastic tube that I can run to the sink to fill the jugs with RO/DI. You sure can't beat the price... I think I paid $109 for my setup about 6 months ago. Though now that I look again, my kit came with the 4-gallon reservoir tank... you may want to look into purchasing one of those as well... RO/DI takes 'forever' to filter through, almost the equivalent of watching grass grow. I do 8-gallon changes on my 55g tank, and it usually takes a little over 2 hours to get all the water filtered, even with the 4-gallon tank. HTH. __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon! Last edited by addict : 01-07-2004 at 02:51 PM.

01-07-2004, 02:52 PM	#5 (permalink)
Curtswearing Golden Moray Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 2,597 View Gallery Karma Komment	Looks like a deal to me. 5 micron sediment filter. Standard sized cartridges. I normally prefer 75 gpd membranes over 100 gpd membranes but that's just my personal preference. __________________ In memory of Fluffy, please pause before hitting enter---being nice is free. Click for ReefKeeping FAQ'S Click for Product Reviews Click for Photo ID Gallery http://curtcpapfs.com/downloads/1Curt.jpg

01-07-2004, 04:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
BigReepher Scopas Tang Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 474 View Gallery Karma Komment	I use an Aqua-Safe Canada unit that I bought via ebay. It works great and they answered all my questions before and after the purchase. Only drawback is the canisters are white and not clear. Just a matter of prefence. __________________ I'm not a doctor but I'll take a look.

01-07-2004, 05:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
F355GTB Fire Coral Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Eastern PA Posts: 61 View Gallery Karma Komment	Can the Ebay unit really produce 110 gal / day under normal water pressure? I am interested in it purchasing one as well. Thanks for the help! John

01-07-2004, 05:39 PM	#8 (permalink)
Gina Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,842 View Gallery Karma Komment	That is the unit that we have and it works great! We love it and have had no problems with it. __________________ Gina and Mark's 75 Visit Our Sponsors Gina's Cube Gina

01-07-2004, 06:49 PM	#11 (permalink)
joe@inreef Sponsor Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Tampa Florida Posts: 148 View Gallery Karma Komment	Usually the GPD rating is based on a 75 psi rating. My 100 GPD unit does about 75 GPD at 64 psi. Also, the clear housings allow you to see if your filters need changing. The cost of white housings is 1/2 that of the clear housings. Also, the extra carbon filter after the DI is mainly for looks. Most sediment filters need to be changed every 500-800 gallons, depending on your water quality. And the carbon is usually exhausted after about 800 gallons. The 5 micron filter will cause the most expensive part of your system, the RO membrane, to wear out quicker. Remember, once you wet the RO membrane, make sure you keep water hooked up to it so it stays wet. If you dont, the membrane will become damaged. All that said, the unit seems like a descent deal, however, I would look for one with clear housings. __________________ WWW.INREEF.COM 20 years saltwater, over 700 gallons of reef at the house!! Last edited by joe@inreef : 01-07-2004 at 06:58 PM.

01-07-2004, 07:39 PM	#12 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	The amount produced by the RO/DI also depends on water temperature... the cooler the water the less it produces. Our tap water is about 60 degrees in the wintertime, so production goes down accordingly. Luckily we're on city water, so I don't have much sediment to filter out, mostly nitrates and phosphates (which help prevent corrosion in pipes). I really need to get a TDS meter though... that would probably help rather than all this guesstimation I'm doing. __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon!

01-08-2004, 07:09 AM	#13 (permalink)
joe@inreef Sponsor Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Tampa Florida Posts: 148 View Gallery Karma Komment	Yes... forgot to mention that... Our water temp is pretty stable here in Florida.... usually about 74 to 76 degrees. I always forget that some people live in places that get really cold. __________________ WWW.INREEF.COM 20 years saltwater, over 700 gallons of reef at the house!!

01-08-2004, 09:12 AM	#14 (permalink)
wooddood the wood dude Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: marion. INDIANA Posts: 3,457 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	looks like a ok unit.i agree with above though on getting the clear canisters and like the fact that ours has a small fawcett mounted on the sink.it also said no pressure tank,mine has one.good or bad? i dont know.i would check around a little more.we got ours from e-bay too.[hbwatersystems.com]ours is a 5 stage 75gpd unit. __________________ 120 gal/in wall tank/starboard substraight/2 250 watt 10k xm metal halides/ 4 55watt 03 actinics/150lbs lr/scwd on return/scwd on a closed loop/aquaclear aquatics 200 pro wetdry w/skimmer. ask all the questions you have if we cant answer it we'll make up some thing. remember patience is the key to a kick ass reef. dave.

01-08-2004, 09:54 AM	#15 (permalink)
BigReepher Scopas Tang Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 474 View Gallery Karma Komment	Clear housings won't tell you that you need to change your filters, a TDS meter will. IMO __________________ I'm not a doctor but I'll take a look.

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