a simple but different RO/DI question

chefssaltyballs · 09/07/2008, 12:01 AM

skimmed the post but did not see this question answered anywhere:
I am about to purchase the $ 199.00 - OCEAN REEF + 1 FIVE STAGE 75 GPD RO/DI
from filterguys and i was wondering. how does the down time affect the filter media inside the units? I will more than likely use the unit twice a month. once to do a water change and once to fill my auto topoff bin..about 100g a month. once i have made the water and filled the bins, the unit will sit for weeks at a time in my garage where it will be mounted over the garage sink. how will no water flowing thru the unit or rather stagnant water sitting in the unit affect the filtration? how about bacteria build up within the media itself? I know that with a house system water passes thru frequently. In this case it will be a by use only basis
thanks guys
cfsb

Ryan45 · 09/07/2008, 10:04 AM

I believe your supposed to let it run at least once a week so bacteria does not build up.

AZDesertRat · 09/07/2008, 12:07 PM

It should be used every 7 to 10 days or so to keep it in good condition. If it is not plumbed permanantly and when it is not in use store it in a climate controlled area away from direct ligting like an interior closet or room.
You might save yourself $30 and look at the 75 GPD Premium from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com . Same water quality but it comes with a few additional features for less money.

chefssaltyballs · 09/07/2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AZDesertRat
It should be used every 7 to 10 days or so to keep it in good condition. If it is not plumbed permanantly and when it is not in use store it in a climate controlled area away from direct ligting like an interior closet or room.
You might save yourself $30 and look at the 75 GPD Premium from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com . Same water quality but it comes with a few additional features for less money.

Ive been looking around and i have found that there are a few decent units in the 150-200 dollar range.
wanted one with a vertical DI and Dual TDS meter included.
like the buckeye, the filterguys setups also seem to have a good reputation here on RC. i figure i am pretty safe with either of the two
cfsb

AZDesertRat · 09/07/2008, 03:21 PM

The differences are the Buckeye comes with a handheld TDS meter which you will find is more handy to use plus is more accurate. With an inline you are stuck with two dedicated monitoring points and they cannot be used portable since they require flow past the probe to work. They are also not temperature compensated so if your water temperature and air temperature are not exactly the same the readings can be off, sometimes significantly if you have cold water or warm air. The other thing is the Buckeye has a single very good carbon block, you do not need two. It also has the adjustable flow restrictor which is much better than the fixed orfice one size fits all ones which you know one size never fits everybody. It has the RO bypass which allows you to use RO only water for other purposes like drinking, pet watering etc. and it also includes a better prtefilter, 1 micron in place of 5 microns which will do a better job of protecting the carbon block from plugging as well as the membrane. It does not have the autoshutoff valve but its a cheap add on if you want t o automate the system.
And its still $30 less. Take the Ocean Reef and add a RO bypass and an adjustable flow restrictor or take the Premium and add a autoshutoff valve and you are money ahead. One less carbon block to replace from now on too. Look at the very best RO/DI system available today for any price, the Spectrapure MaxCap, it only uses a single 0.5 micron carbon block. Spectrapure has a full time engineering staff as well as microbiologists and do thousands of hours of research and development every year and one carbon block suits them. I think others could learn a thing or two from their 25 years experience in the business.

chefssaltyballs · 09/07/2008, 11:52 PM

wow ! DIDNT SEE ALL THat in the description... so i will have to look deeper... does it have a vertically mountable DI resin ?clear di chamber? color changing di to let me know that is time to change ...? I did not see that it came with a tds meter as well, perhaps i was looking at the wrong model??? hmmm....I will go back for a second look.. is it this one??
BFS-161 Premium Series 75 gpd RO/DI System - $169.00
cfsb

limitdown · 09/08/2008, 02:24 AM

Consider T-ing off a line to your kitchen after the RO stage (before the DI stage) and use it for daily drinking water use

AZDesertRat · 09/08/2008, 07:16 AM

Yes it comes with everything I mentioned plus some. Its a great deal.

09/07/2008, 12:01 AM	#1
chefssaltyballs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: San Jose Ca Posts: 489	a simple but different RO/DI question skimmed the post but did not see this question answered anywhere: I am about to purchase the $ 199.00 - OCEAN REEF + 1 FIVE STAGE 75 GPD RO/DI from filterguys and i was wondering. how does the down time affect the filter media inside the units? I will more than likely use the unit twice a month. once to do a water change and once to fill my auto topoff bin..about 100g a month. once i have made the water and filled the bins, the unit will sit for weeks at a time in my garage where it will be mounted over the garage sink. how will no water flowing thru the unit or rather stagnant water sitting in the unit affect the filtration? how about bacteria build up within the media itself? I know that with a house system water passes thru frequently. In this case it will be a by use only basis thanks guys cfsb __________________ chefssaltyballs 160g tank,55 gallon sump, msx160 skimmer,3- MH setup w/actinics, Current Tank Info: wreath:3-firewreath,4-Solon Wrasse,Gold Bar Clown,Yellow Tang, Blonde Naso, Hippo Tang, Naso,Foxface,Bartlett anthias,Coral Beauty, Powder Blue,Desjardin's Tang

09/07/2008, 11:52 PM	#6
chefssaltyballs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: San Jose Ca Posts: 489	wow ! DIDNT SEE ALL THat in the description... so i will have to look deeper... does it have a vertically mountable DI resin ?clear di chamber? color changing di to let me know that is time to change ...? I did not see that it came with a tds meter as well, perhaps i was looking at the wrong model??? hmmm....I will go back for a second look.. is it this one?? BFS-161 Premium Series 75 gpd RO/DI System - $169.00 cfsb __________________ chefssaltyballs 160g tank,55 gallon sump, msx160 skimmer,3- MH setup w/actinics, Current Tank Info: wreath:3-firewreath,4-Solon Wrasse,Gold Bar Clown,Yellow Tang, Blonde Naso, Hippo Tang, Naso,Foxface,Bartlett anthias,Coral Beauty, Powder Blue,Desjardin's Tang Last edited by chefssaltyballs; 09/08/2008 at 12:18 AM.

09/08/2008, 02:24 AM	#7
limitdown Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 640	Consider T-ing off a line to your kitchen after the RO stage (before the DI stage) and use it for daily drinking water use __________________ All I want for Christmas is to stay employed... Current Tank Info: 200g display + 50g sump FO

09/07/2008, 10:04 AM	#2
Ryan45 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 97	I believe your supposed to let it run at least once a week so bacteria does not build up.

09/07/2008, 12:07 PM	#3
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	It should be used every 7 to 10 days or so to keep it in good condition. If it is not plumbed permanantly and when it is not in use store it in a climate controlled area away from direct ligting like an interior closet or room. You might save yourself $30 and look at the 75 GPD Premium from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com . Same water quality but it comes with a few additional features for less money.

09/07/2008, 03:21 PM	#5
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	The differences are the Buckeye comes with a handheld TDS meter which you will find is more handy to use plus is more accurate. With an inline you are stuck with two dedicated monitoring points and they cannot be used portable since they require flow past the probe to work. They are also not temperature compensated so if your water temperature and air temperature are not exactly the same the readings can be off, sometimes significantly if you have cold water or warm air. The other thing is the Buckeye has a single very good carbon block, you do not need two. It also has the adjustable flow restrictor which is much better than the fixed orfice one size fits all ones which you know one size never fits everybody. It has the RO bypass which allows you to use RO only water for other purposes like drinking, pet watering etc. and it also includes a better prtefilter, 1 micron in place of 5 microns which will do a better job of protecting the carbon block from plugging as well as the membrane. It does not have the autoshutoff valve but its a cheap add on if you want t o automate the system. And its still $30 less. Take the Ocean Reef and add a RO bypass and an adjustable flow restrictor or take the Premium and add a autoshutoff valve and you are money ahead. One less carbon block to replace from now on too. Look at the very best RO/DI system available today for any price, the Spectrapure MaxCap, it only uses a single 0.5 micron carbon block. Spectrapure has a full time engineering staff as well as microbiologists and do thousands of hours of research and development every year and one carbon block suits them. I think others could learn a thing or two from their 25 years experience in the business.

09/08/2008, 07:16 AM	#8
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Yes it comes with everything I mentioned plus some. Its a great deal.