RO water

BJinWI · 01/02/2014, 03:29 PM

Is the RO water that you get from the machines at the grocery store good to use?

GatorsUF · 01/02/2014, 03:52 PM

I use to use ro from the water machine until I tested it and found the tds to be around 14. This can lead to nuisance algae growth over time. I found that it was cheaper to purchase my own rodi unit and less of a hassle. It's nice to be in charge of quality control

shaginwagon13 · 01/02/2014, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BJinWI

Is the RO water that you get from the machines at the grocery store good to use?

Not the best or most ideal. To be honest, in 6-months owning your own RO/DI unit would pay for itself and also will allow you to ensure your TDS is 0.

blackdrako3000 · 01/02/2014, 06:32 PM

Not to mention that you can get a drinking water addon and use the waste water to water your plants or grass.

Lateralus · 01/03/2014, 01:09 AM

I consider it to be the single most important investment you can make. It's one of the only things in this hobby that eventually pays for itself. Relatively quickly at that. If need be you can literally have a 100% water change on standby incase of emergencies. As well as the initial fill up of the tank. It cuts down on reasons to not keep up on regular WC's. Lugging water around gets old real quick, especially if you have a bigger tank. You have 100% control of the quality of the water. Once you have it you'll wonder why you didn't get it sooner.

civics2k · 01/03/2014, 01:15 AM

I love my rodi unit and replacing filters and cartridges is inexpensive. However I have noticed I had to change the o rings on one canister anytime I opened it. Could be over tightened but its happened three times.

GatorsUF · 01/03/2014, 01:55 AM

I put some Vaseline on my o-rings to protect them from snagging or drying out

mmn · 01/03/2014, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorsUF

I put some Vaseline on my o-rings to protect them from snagging or drying out

Just getting into reefing, but from my experience with swimming pool maintenance Vaseline (or any petroleum product) is not good for o-rings. Best to use a silicone lubricant that's non-toxic. Seems that would hold true for RODIs as well.

Regards
Michael

GatorsUF · 01/03/2014, 11:18 AM

Didn't know that. Thanks for letting us know

shaginwagon13 · 01/03/2014, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmn

Just getting into reefing, but from my experience with swimming pool maintenance Vaseline (or any petroleum product) is not good for o-rings. Best to use a silicone lubricant that's non-toxic. Seems that would hold true for RODIs as well.

Regards
Michael

+1

Get food grade lubricant.

danderso · 01/03/2014, 09:14 PM

Agree with lateralus. Its so nice to have it readily available and it definitely pays for itself. The systems we can order today are very easy to install and maintain too!

civics2k · 01/04/2014, 04:09 AM

Could it really dry out in 6 months time?

SoLiD · 01/04/2014, 04:28 AM

In short…. Yes it's ok

newsalt1 · 01/04/2014, 04:50 AM

I used it for a period of time 10 to 12 dollars a trip finaly broke down and bought an ro/di and never looked back

kwroberto · 01/04/2014, 11:44 PM

I've used it on occasion when my old ro broke, didn't have any issues, but I still purchased another ro unit...spectrapure btw...best ro I've owned so far!

SoLiD · 01/05/2014, 07:16 PM

It's all about the membrane. Spectrapure membranes are the best I've used too. 98% rejection rate.

Sk8r · 01/05/2014, 09:24 PM

Yes---but: 1) it's ro, not ro/di, and if you're doing a reef, it's not quite as filtered.
2) you're reliant on their filter, which may need changing. Ordinary customers won't notice. You will. Get a TDS meter: they're very cheap. Test every bottle you buy.

On the other hand, it's a lot easier (and ultimately way cheaper) to make it yourself, even in an apartment, granted you have a faucet that can produce 40 lbs pressure. I used to hook up in the mini-laundry of my apartment, via a (brass is ok, for PRE-filtered water) Y connector on the cold line. Just be sure to set a timer and don't let it overflow!

01/02/2014, 03:29 PM	#1
BJinWI Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 22	RO water Is the RO water that you get from the machines at the grocery store good to use?

01/03/2014, 01:09 AM	#5
Lateralus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: St. Charles mo. Posts: 756	I consider it to be the single most important investment you can make. It's one of the only things in this hobby that eventually pays for itself. Relatively quickly at that. If need be you can literally have a 100% water change on standby incase of emergencies. As well as the initial fill up of the tank. It cuts down on reasons to not keep up on regular WC's. Lugging water around gets old real quick, especially if you have a bigger tank. You have 100% control of the quality of the water. Once you have it you'll wonder why you didn't get it sooner. __________________ Mike Current Tank Info: 120 gallon reef/ 40 gal sump. Born on 5/30/13.

01/03/2014, 09:14 PM	#11
danderso Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 396	Agree with lateralus. Its so nice to have it readily available and it definitely pays for itself. The systems we can order today are very easy to install and maintain too! __________________ It's always sunny in my reef tank Current tank info- 7 gal nano with AI Prime

01/04/2014, 04:28 AM	#13
SoLiD -=Snake=- Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Corpus Christi, TX Posts: 999	In short…. Yes it's ok __________________ -David 40 Gallon Breeder on Steroids!!! Current Tank Info: Where you'll find an Acan and Orange Ricordea Garden in Bloom...

01/04/2014, 04:50 AM	#14
newsalt1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brunswick, Ohio Posts: 564	I used it for a period of time 10 to 12 dollars a trip finaly broke down and bought an ro/di and never looked back __________________ "I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly." Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592 Current Tank Info: 120 dual over flows 40 gal sump

01/02/2014, 03:52 PM	#2
GatorsUF Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: West Palm Beach, FL Posts: 101	I use to use ro from the water machine until I tested it and found the tds to be around 14. This can lead to nuisance algae growth over time. I found that it was cheaper to purchase my own rodi unit and less of a hassle. It's nice to be in charge of quality control

01/02/2014, 06:32 PM	#4
blackdrako3000 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 28	Not to mention that you can get a drinking water addon and use the waste water to water your plants or grass.

01/03/2014, 01:15 AM	#6
civics2k Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 51	I love my rodi unit and replacing filters and cartridges is inexpensive. However I have noticed I had to change the o rings on one canister anytime I opened it. Could be over tightened but its happened three times.

01/03/2014, 01:55 AM	#7
GatorsUF Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: West Palm Beach, FL Posts: 101	I put some Vaseline on my o-rings to protect them from snagging or drying out

01/03/2014, 11:18 AM	#9
GatorsUF Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: West Palm Beach, FL Posts: 101	Didn't know that. Thanks for letting us know

01/04/2014, 04:09 AM	#12
civics2k Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 51	Could it really dry out in 6 months time?

01/04/2014, 11:44 PM	#15
kwroberto Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 68	I've used it on occasion when my old ro broke, didn't have any issues, but I still purchased another ro unit...spectrapure btw...best ro I've owned so far!

01/05/2014, 07:16 PM	#16
SoLiD -=Snake=- Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Corpus Christi, TX Posts: 999	It's all about the membrane. Spectrapure membranes are the best I've used too. 98% rejection rate. __________________ -David 40 Gallon Breeder on Steroids!!! Current Tank Info: Where you'll find an Acan and Orange Ricordea Garden in Bloom...

01/05/2014, 09:24 PM	#17
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Yes---but: 1) it's ro, not ro/di, and if you're doing a reef, it's not quite as filtered. 2) you're reliant on their filter, which may need changing. Ordinary customers won't notice. You will. Get a TDS meter: they're very cheap. Test every bottle you buy. On the other hand, it's a lot easier (and ultimately way cheaper) to make it yourself, even in an apartment, granted you have a faucet that can produce 40 lbs pressure. I used to hook up in the mini-laundry of my apartment, via a (brass is ok, for PRE-filtered water) Y connector on the cold line. Just be sure to set a timer and don't let it overflow! __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.