Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place)

corrado007 · 05-30-2007, 12:52 PM

I’m contemplating the purchase of an RO/DI unit as many of you have in the past. It seems that most of us are looking for an inexpensive unit that works well (makes sense). There are numerous threads on this however, with so much info its difficult to find a definitive answer as to what most people use. I’d like to capture all of your opinions and experience in this one thread so future RO/DI buyers can easily make an informed decision (of course it would greatly help me too : ) Please feel free to specify which unit(s) you own, whether or not you like it, and why. Also, if you know of any systems to specifically stay away from, please mention those as well.

Dentoid · 05-30-2007, 01:02 PM

I have a Kent Marine-Maxxima Hi-S, 4 stage purifier. It has done well and I have no problems. It runs around $300-$340.

DrHank · 05-30-2007, 01:15 PM

I went with an e-bay purchase of a Water General 5 stage. My TDS isn't 0 but I'm not going to complain about a TDS of 14. The unit ran about $150. No problems.

BigAl07 · 05-30-2007, 01:32 PM

Excellent thread corrado007!! I am in the same boat at you right now. Been buying bottled water and it's starting to add up and that's with two small tanks. It's time to seriously investigate and budget for a system in my home. My biggest hurdle is that I am currently renting a much older home with limited space for tanks/equipment. I'm anxious to hear what others have to offer.

Thanks for starting this thread!!

Allen

boozeman · 05-30-2007, 01:40 PM

IMHO the filter guys offer the best 'bang for the buck''
distilled, bottled water doesn't make economic sense unless you have a pico or small nano...and if so then you might consider already mixed salt water.... and using a tap filter such as pur or brita would make sense only in an emergency situation

Warnberg · 05-30-2007, 02:03 PM

It really depends on where you live, some places you can get away with very little filtration some you will need lots. It's best really to talk to someone that can build a unit spacific to your water and tank needs. I personally would talk to someone at Air Water and Ice or The Filter Guys.

goldenmean · 05-30-2007, 02:10 PM

I just bought a system from the filter guys last week
$ 199.00 - OCEAN REEF + 1 FIVE STAGE 75 GPD RO/DI
RO/DI Systems

I had heard great things about them and I can say it is true.
I called them directly to order as I had a few questions which they were great at helping me understand what was going on.
It was really simple to install and when I had a unforeseen circumstance during installation, I called them and they helped me through it.
I now have RO/Di water for my tanks and RO for drinking.
The garden and plants get the waste water.

Total with some accessories and shipping $250.00.
Not haveing to lug a couple of 5g jugs from the LFS- priceless!

Kirblit · 05-30-2007, 02:49 PM

Hands down, Filter Guys are the best for sure. Their products are great, their service is second to none, and their prices are very resonable.

CATALYST · 05-30-2007, 03:41 PM

I got a Watts 5 stage from CostCo. I think it was about 140 and a year worth of filters was 25. They have an option you can add later that is a 'no waste'...I'll have to check more into it later. It has a 3 gal tank so only like 9 gal a day max. I had a hospital tank that I changed the water daily on so I changed the filters at 3 mos instead of 6.

kimoy · 05-30-2007, 07:04 PM

my water general bought off ebay works great for me. i am getting a TDS reading of 0 and it's been 6 months now and still at 0 doing 50-70 gals a week of DI water not counting the RO that we drink.

Dragon Wrasse · 05-30-2007, 07:39 PM

I don't fall into any of those catagories, my town has a premium water store where I buy high quality, state tested, RO water for 30 cents a gallon.

mswafford17 · 05-30-2007, 11:20 PM

I have the watts Premier from lowes. Its a 5 stage Ro system. I buy the pre filters from there as well. The RO membrane is a GE. There are only two manufacturers of the RO Membrane Ge and Rainsoft, there are thousands of rebadges out there, It may say kent, culligan, and so on but it is made by those two companys. IMO the life of the RO membrane is how good the prefilters are and how bad your water is. The watts is 34 gallon a day. Good bang for the buck and you can get the replacements from your local hardware store. Watts is located here in Phoenix and I have spoken to them several time and even stopped by to pick up a new bracket at, Very nice and UTD on info.

BigAl07 · 05-30-2007, 11:47 PM

Been searching Ebay.. it's kind of over whelming isn't it?

Allen

corrado007 · 05-31-2007, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigAl07

Been searching Ebay.. it's kind of over whelming isn't it?

Allen

It sure is. There are a ton of options and no easy way to determine which are good and which are not so good. Good thing we have this forum to share info and experiences. : )

Jova · 05-31-2007, 03:53 AM

I have a Kent Marine RO/DI unit and I love it. It's a bit slow, takes about 8 hours to crank out 5 gallons, but I just turn it on before I leave for work in the morning, and when I get home I have a full jug. I bought RO water from the machines at Kroger's for years, but this is much more convienent, and it has paid for itself over the past year or two.

View Poll Results: What RO/DI or water filteration do you use
Online store/LFS brands such as Kent, Pinnacle, Captive Purity, Spectra Pure, Aqua FX, and Maxxima	25	36.23%
The Filter Guys (separate category since I saw quite a few references to this brand)	12	17.39%
eBay brands like Aqua-Safe, WaterGeneral, Pure Water Club, and Soumi Knight Systems	8	11.59%
Home improvement store models from Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, etc…	5	7.25%
Water vending machines such as Glacier Water found outside grocery stores	4	5.80%
Distilled, bottled water	8	11.59%
Simple filters such as Pur, Brita, and similar types	0	0%
No filtration, straight tap water	7	10.14%
Voters: 69. You may not vote on this poll

05-30-2007, 12:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
corrado007 Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sacramento, Ca. Posts: 764 View Gallery Karma Komment	Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) I’m contemplating the purchase of an RO/DI unit as many of you have in the past. It seems that most of us are looking for an inexpensive unit that works well (makes sense). There are numerous threads on this however, with so much info its difficult to find a definitive answer as to what most people use. I’d like to capture all of your opinions and experience in this one thread so future RO/DI buyers can easily make an informed decision (of course it would greatly help me too : ) Please feel free to specify which unit(s) you own, whether or not you like it, and why. Also, if you know of any systems to specifically stay away from, please mention those as well.

05-30-2007, 01:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
DrHank Golden Moray Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Crestview, FL Posts: 2,758 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) I went with an e-bay purchase of a Water General 5 stage. My TDS isn't 0 but I'm not going to complain about a TDS of 14. The unit ran about $150. No problems. __________________ Doc Dr Hank's 210 Build: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...nks-tanks.html

05-30-2007, 01:32 PM	#4 (permalink)
BigAl07 Do I look as lost as I am Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 21,549 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) Excellent thread corrado007!! I am in the same boat at you right now. Been buying bottled water and it's starting to add up and that's with two small tanks. It's time to seriously investigate and budget for a system in my home. My biggest hurdle is that I am currently renting a much older home with limited space for tanks/equipment. I'm anxious to hear what others have to offer. Thanks for starting this thread!! Allen __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Live Rock Rubble will do the SAME thing as Bio-Balls and is NOT a suitable replacement for BIO-BALLS in a Reef System! It's ALL gotta go!!* Nitrate (NO3) reduction is directly proportional to percentage of Water Change. Allen's home-made formula...currentNO3-((%WC.01)currentNO3)=finalNO3 (thanks Luukosian) This means if you change 50% of your total water volume (That's EVERYTHING) you'll get a net reduction of (NO3) somewhere around 50%. Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Gone but not forgotten BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Allens OFFICE 12g Nano-Reef

05-30-2007, 01:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
boozeman The CodFather ~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new york Posts: 8,802 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) IMHO the filter guys offer the best 'bang for the buck'' distilled, bottled water doesn't make economic sense unless you have a pico or small nano...and if so then you might consider already mixed salt water.... and using a tap filter such as pur or brita would make sense only in an emergency situation __________________ ...and when I'm old and wise little things mean little to me like autumn winds they'll blow right through me and someday, in the mist of time when they ask you if you knew me remember that you were a friend of mine

05-30-2007, 02:03 PM	#6 (permalink)
Warnberg Acropora Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 1,911 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) It really depends on where you live, some places you can get away with very little filtration some you will need lots. It's best really to talk to someone that can build a unit spacific to your water and tank needs. I personally would talk to someone at Air Water and Ice or The Filter Guys. __________________ Dave 240 Gallon Tall Tencor (96"L x 30"T x 18"W) 4 250 Watt MH XM10K bulbs 2-54 Watt T5 Actinic Euro-Reef CS8-2-RC Jetstream 1 Calcium Reactor 4 Tunze Turbelle stream 6000 power heads 7095 Tunze controller

05-30-2007, 02:49 PM	#8 (permalink)
Kirblit Scopas Tang Join Date: May 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 414 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) Hands down, Filter Guys are the best for sure. Their products are great, their service is second to none, and their prices are very resonable. __________________ 125g RR Kirby My reef chronicle http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...s-125-a-3.html

05-30-2007, 03:41 PM	#9 (permalink)
CATALYST Reef Lobster Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,442 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) I got a Watts 5 stage from CostCo. I think it was about 140 and a year worth of filters was 25. They have an option you can add later that is a 'no waste'...I'll have to check more into it later. It has a 3 gal tank so only like 9 gal a day max. I had a hospital tank that I changed the water daily on so I changed the filters at 3 mos instead of 6.

05-30-2007, 07:04 PM	#10 (permalink)
kimoy Sea Pen Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 338 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) my water general bought off ebay works great for me. i am getting a TDS reading of 0 and it's been 6 months now and still at 0 doing 50-70 gals a week of DI water not counting the RO that we drink. __________________ 1.20 G pico RR with 2 megaflow kits, aqua c EV180 with mag12, 2x250 DE 12k halides with 2x54 T5 actinic+, 30G phlenum fuge with chaeto, iwaki 55rlt return pump connected to a sea swirl, 4 tunze 6025 inside the main tank for water circulation (2 are modded) 3 Koralias PH(2 #4's and 1 #3) sps,lps,zoas,softies,pink tip BTA tangs - yellow, unicorn, blue hippo, palini and RS Purple Blue Spot Jaw Fish red lyretail anthias pair of spotted mandarin goby wrasse - yellow corris scribble rabbit fish Clown Fish -3 percula high fin shrimp goby clean up crew - various snails and crabs, red linkia star And a 30G AGA softies with clown & diamond head goby

05-30-2007, 07:39 PM	#11 (permalink)
Dragon Wrasse Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 991 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) I don't fall into any of those catagories, my town has a premium water store where I buy high quality, state tested, RO water for 30 cents a gallon. __________________ *Member "Crabs Are Evil" Society* "A wise man learns more from a foolish question, then a fool learns from a wise answer" - Bruce Lee _____________________________ 75 gal SeaClear II Reef Tank (softy tank) - Coralife 125 Super Skimmer - Little Giant 2-MDQX-SC - Angstrom 2537 UV 15W - HOB Refugium - Eheim Pro 2228 - Red Sea Wave Maker w/Maxi-Jet 600 (X4) - 100 lbs Live Sand (DSB) - 100 lbs Live Rock - 260W PC lighting - 470nm lunar lights (X15) - AquaController II Custom 75 gal Starphire glass tank (SPS/LPS tank) - Custom 24 gal Refugium - Tuzne Wave box - JBJ Chiller - 390W PC lighting - 175W MH (X2) - Knop Cal. Reactor - AquaController 3 Pro - Aqua C Skimmer - Phosban Reactor - 18W Turbo-twist UV sterilizer - Sump - Sony Computer 5 gal Nano Hospital Tank - Eheim 2213 - Red Sea Prizm Skimmer - Live sand - Live Rock - Built in Refugium - 36W PC lighting

05-30-2007, 11:20 PM	#12 (permalink)
mswafford17 Limpet Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: phoenix az Posts: 126 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) I have the watts Premier from lowes. Its a 5 stage Ro system. I buy the pre filters from there as well. The RO membrane is a GE. There are only two manufacturers of the RO Membrane Ge and Rainsoft, there are thousands of rebadges out there, It may say kent, culligan, and so on but it is made by those two companys. IMO the life of the RO membrane is how good the prefilters are and how bad your water is. The watts is 34 gallon a day. Good bang for the buck and you can get the replacements from your local hardware store. Watts is located here in Phoenix and I have spoken to them several time and even stopped by to pick up a new bracket at, Very nice and UTD on info. __________________ 135 Flatback Reef. HUGE POWER BILL. PRICELESS

05-30-2007, 11:47 PM	#13 (permalink)
BigAl07 Do I look as lost as I am Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 21,549 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) Been searching Ebay.. it's kind of over whelming isn't it? Allen __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Live Rock Rubble will do the SAME thing as Bio-Balls and is NOT a suitable replacement for BIO-BALLS in a Reef System! It's ALL gotta go!!* Nitrate (NO3) reduction is directly proportional to percentage of Water Change. Allen's home-made formula...currentNO3-((%WC.01)currentNO3)=finalNO3 (thanks Luukosian) This means if you change 50% of your total water volume (That's EVERYTHING) you'll get a net reduction of (NO3) somewhere around 50%. Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Gone but not forgotten BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Allens OFFICE 12g Nano-Reef

05-31-2007, 03:53 AM	#15 (permalink)
Jova Bryozoan Join Date: May 2007 Location: Terre Haute, IN Posts: 52 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Buying the Best RO/DI (help put all the info in 1 place) I have a Kent Marine RO/DI unit and I love it. It's a bit slow, takes about 8 hours to crank out 5 gallons, but I just turn it on before I leave for work in the morning, and when I get home I have a full jug. I bought RO water from the machines at Kroger's for years, but this is much more convienent, and it has paid for itself over the past year or two. __________________ 75g w/ 15g sump. 2 koralia 4's and 2 koralia 1's, 2x 175w 10k mh with 2 65w actinic pc's, 6" DSB, ~100 lbs live rock, Niger trigger, green chromis, hippo tang, purple dottyback, mandarin dragonet, neon gobie, royal gramma, numerous softies and lps, big long tent. anemone hosting a pair of percs... Also have a 29g with a nice pair of maroon clowns and a few damsels. Planning a big upgrade soon and looking for any deals on equipment! Rock on!

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