560ppm going into the RO/DI 30 coming out

LowKey · 04/20/2006, 10:02 AM

To start off, Ive been fighting green hair algae since day one! My system:

90Gal
Fuge (chaeto)
Phosban reactor
AquaC EV-120
Sailfert test kit
175w mh 210w vho

I recently picked up a inline tds meter for my RO/DI unit. Im getting 30 ppm on the way out. Could this be my problem?

The system is 10 months old I just changed the media with no improvement in the tds readings. How can I get my TDS down to 0? What am I overlooking? The system Im using comes highly recommended from a local reef community.

Craig Lambert · 04/20/2006, 10:07 AM

That's a terrible reading for RODI product water. It should read zero. 560 shows you have some pretty nasty water to begin with. Mine is 65 out of the tap. What type of RODI unit are you using? With a tds of 560 out of the tap, I would go with a 5 stage spectapure unit. Pricey, but it sure would improve your water quality.

Have you tested the tap water for phosphate, and silicates?

EB847 · 04/20/2006, 10:14 AM

what is tds?

RichConley · 04/20/2006, 10:20 AM

560 at 95% rejection would be about 30 TDS, you sure you have DI on there?

jun_celis · 04/20/2006, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by EB847
what is tds?

Total Dissolved Solids

blmeier7 · 04/20/2006, 10:23 AM

I agree with Rich. There is not a DI stage or the resin needs replacing.

EB847 · 04/20/2006, 10:24 AM

tds a standard test for water quality? should it be available at my lfs?

Unresistible Blue · 04/20/2006, 10:26 AM

We need three readings to begin to troubleshoot your system.

Tap water tds = 560
Post RO = 30 (95% rejection rate)
Post DI =

Do I have list listed correctly?

marinelife · 04/20/2006, 11:05 AM

my tap water is up over 500 but I get 0 out

NexDog · 04/20/2006, 11:23 AM

560? Is that really 560 or 56.0 or 5.60 or 0.56? My tap water reads 0.68 and RODI comes out at 0.002. Just trying to understand the readings as the difference between 560 and 0.68 is staggering.

hangles · 04/20/2006, 11:32 AM

EB847 you can have your local water sofener dealer check it for you !

marinelife · 04/20/2006, 11:49 AM

I think 560 is right, mine is close to that, the water around here sucks

180Gallon · 04/20/2006, 12:05 PM

Really? 560 seems crazy high.

I have a well and my water runs 80ppm right out of the ground.

RichConley · 04/20/2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NexDog
560? Is that really 560 or 56.0 or 5.60 or 0.56? My tap water reads 0.68 and RODI comes out at 0.002. Just trying to understand the readings as the difference between 560 and 0.68 is staggering.

What are you using to measure? I've never heard of a reading in that sort of unit.

MCary · 04/20/2006, 12:30 PM

With a 560 initial reading I doubt that your RO membrane would last very long. Maybe 4-6 months. You might consider getting a water softener and running the RO after it. It will greatly extend the life of your membrane and make your bathroom easier to clean also.

stevedola · 04/20/2006, 12:36 PM

560!!! holy crapole! needless to say-you dont drink tap water huh? mine is 120 and I thought that was bad.

blmeier7 · 04/20/2006, 12:46 PM

My tap reads between 1000 and 1100 ppm. I wish I had only 560.

TitansFan · 04/20/2006, 01:17 PM

wow is your water there in texas imported from mexico?
*note to self* don't drink the water in texas

LowKey I would have to agree with everyone talking about your DI resen sounds like you either a. need some or b. yours needs to be replaced

Craig Lambert · 04/20/2006, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by blmeier7
My tap reads between 1000 and 1100 ppm. I wish I had only 560.

Do you hear the sound of metal clanging when you run your faucet into the sink?

blmeier7 · 04/20/2006, 03:05 PM

No clanking but you can smell the chlorine. From what I have heard from others here the water in TX, NM, AZ, CO has a lot of minerals and therefore will show a high TDS reading. Since you can't see what is good and what is bad in the water you have to remove it all. I do go through 2-3 RO membranes and an average of 10 lbs of DI resin per year.

anthworks · 04/20/2006, 04:10 PM

Those hand held TDS meters can be really inaccurate.

AZDesertRat · 04/20/2006, 04:42 PM

627 Tap, 13 RO and 0 DI here in Phoenix. I use a handheld TDS meter and will trust it before I would and inline meter that I cannot clean or calibrate. Its the treatment plant operator coming out in me, you have to test meters constantly if you want accuracy.

anthworks · 04/20/2006, 04:55 PM

I have two meters that both give different #'s. I take either meter put it into a test sample to get a reading if I remove and test again I get a different TDS #, I could test the same water 10 times and get 10 differnet readings. Its sometimes higher sometimes lower. I get a jist of my TDS by an average of all the different readings. If I am below 30 TDS I feel I am fine since I dont have any bad algea and everything looks good.

AZDesertRat · 04/20/2006, 05:06 PM

Its very possible to get different readings from the same meter. Once you dip it in and pull it out you have changed the electrical conductivity of the water. Air, dust, your breath, anything can change the conductivity.

blmeier7 · 04/21/2006, 10:16 AM

My TDS meter reads zero when dipped in distilled water or after my two DI chambers. Should I assume it is calibrated correctly or is there a chance it could still be off?

04/20/2006, 10:02 AM	#1
LowKey Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 57	560ppm going into the RO/DI 30 coming out To start off, Ive been fighting green hair algae since day one! My system: 90Gal Fuge (chaeto) Phosban reactor AquaC EV-120 Sailfert test kit 175w mh 210w vho I recently picked up a inline tds meter for my RO/DI unit. Im getting 30 ppm on the way out. Could this be my problem? The system is 10 months old I just changed the media with no improvement in the tds readings. How can I get my TDS down to 0? What am I overlooking? The system Im using comes highly recommended from a local reef community.

04/20/2006, 10:07 AM	#2
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	That's a terrible reading for RODI product water. It should read zero. 560 shows you have some pretty nasty water to begin with. Mine is 65 out of the tap. What type of RODI unit are you using? With a tds of 560 out of the tap, I would go with a 5 stage spectapure unit. Pricey, but it sure would improve your water quality. Have you tested the tap water for phosphate, and silicates? __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic

04/20/2006, 10:20 AM	#4
RichConley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bostonian in Chicago going to DC Posts: 9,908	560 at 95% rejection would be about 30 TDS, you sure you have DI on there? __________________ NO TANKS!!!

04/20/2006, 11:05 AM	#9
marinelife Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Union, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,590	my tap water is up over 500 but I get 0 out __________________ I'm a SaltGeek are You? All LED since 2010. Current Tank Info: 375 Gallon Reef with siporax, all LED lighting, and Red Dragon 3 and Abyzz A200 on 2 closed loops.

04/20/2006, 11:23 AM	#10
NexDog Snail Killer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kyushu, Japan Posts: 4,804	560? Is that really 560 or 56.0 or 5.60 or 0.56? My tap water reads 0.68 and RODI comes out at 0.002. Just trying to understand the readings as the difference between 560 and 0.68 is staggering. __________________ Laurence Flynn 340g In-Wall Envision Tank and 150g Sump. Current Tank Info: Deltec 902, PFO hood with 3x400w Radium 20k and 4x96w PC's. Hammerhead closed loop - and 2 x Tunze 6105 (and Vortech still sucks).

04/20/2006, 10:14 AM	#3
EB847 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 146	what is tds?

04/20/2006, 10:23 AM	#6
blmeier7 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 433	I agree with Rich. There is not a DI stage or the resin needs replacing.

04/20/2006, 10:24 AM	#7
EB847 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 146	tds a standard test for water quality? should it be available at my lfs?

04/20/2006, 10:26 AM	#8
Unresistible Blue Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,029	We need three readings to begin to troubleshoot your system. Tap water tds = 560 Post RO = 30 (95% rejection rate) Post DI = Do I have list listed correctly?

04/20/2006, 11:32 AM	#11
hangles Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: nashport ohio Posts: 948	EB847 you can have your local water sofener dealer check it for you ! __________________ I like fishy crackers ! Current Tank Info: 75 gal reef/ 55 gal puffer/ 20 gal fowlr/ 10 gal fowlr

04/20/2006, 11:49 AM	#12
marinelife Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Union, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,590	I think 560 is right, mine is close to that, the water around here sucks __________________ I'm a SaltGeek are You? All LED since 2010. Current Tank Info: 375 Gallon Reef with siporax, all LED lighting, and Red Dragon 3 and Abyzz A200 on 2 closed loops.

04/20/2006, 12:05 PM	#13
180Gallon Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Wilminton NC Posts: 214	Really? 560 seems crazy high. I have a well and my water runs 80ppm right out of the ground.

04/20/2006, 12:30 PM	#15
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	With a 560 initial reading I doubt that your RO membrane would last very long. Maybe 4-6 months. You might consider getting a water softener and running the RO after it. It will greatly extend the life of your membrane and make your bathroom easier to clean also.

04/20/2006, 12:36 PM	#16
stevedola Master of my domain Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 3,466	560!!! holy crapole! needless to say-you dont drink tap water huh? mine is 120 and I thought that was bad. __________________ Cool Club Current Tank Info: coming soon...

04/20/2006, 12:46 PM	#17
blmeier7 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 433	My tap reads between 1000 and 1100 ppm. I wish I had only 560.

04/20/2006, 01:17 PM	#18
TitansFan Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Spring Hill, TN Posts: 1,364	wow is your water there in texas imported from mexico? note to self don't drink the water in texas LowKey I would have to agree with everyone talking about your DI resen sounds like you either a. need some or b. yours needs to be replaced

04/20/2006, 03:05 PM	#20
blmeier7 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 433	No clanking but you can smell the chlorine. From what I have heard from others here the water in TX, NM, AZ, CO has a lot of minerals and therefore will show a high TDS reading. Since you can't see what is good and what is bad in the water you have to remove it all. I do go through 2-3 RO membranes and an average of 10 lbs of DI resin per year.

04/20/2006, 04:10 PM	#21
anthworks Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,071	Those hand held TDS meters can be really inaccurate.

04/20/2006, 04:42 PM	#22
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	627 Tap, 13 RO and 0 DI here in Phoenix. I use a handheld TDS meter and will trust it before I would and inline meter that I cannot clean or calibrate. Its the treatment plant operator coming out in me, you have to test meters constantly if you want accuracy.

04/20/2006, 04:55 PM	#23
anthworks Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,071	I have two meters that both give different #'s. I take either meter put it into a test sample to get a reading if I remove and test again I get a different TDS #, I could test the same water 10 times and get 10 differnet readings. Its sometimes higher sometimes lower. I get a jist of my TDS by an average of all the different readings. If I am below 30 TDS I feel I am fine since I dont have any bad algea and everything looks good.

04/20/2006, 05:06 PM	#24
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Its very possible to get different readings from the same meter. Once you dip it in and pull it out you have changed the electrical conductivity of the water. Air, dust, your breath, anything can change the conductivity.

04/21/2006, 10:16 AM	#25
blmeier7 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 433	My TDS meter reads zero when dipped in distilled water or after my two DI chambers. Should I assume it is calibrated correctly or is there a chance it could still be off?