Water General RODIs

moo0o · 09/06/2007, 12:32 PM

How many of you have it, and are they a good brand?

SlowCobra · 09/06/2007, 12:41 PM

Some will say they work fine, many will say they are garbage and a waste of money.

AZDesertRat · 09/06/2007, 01:02 PM

Don't waste your time and money. They are mediocre at best and do not compare in any way, shape or form to true reef quality systems. They are cheap for a reason and I think you can figure out why without much help. Look at their cheesy advertising with blatant false claims and bogus efficiency numbers. If they were selling in print media or on TV they would be in court in a heartbeat. For a few dollars more you can get a true reef system and have someone who will stand behind their product and its claims.

SlowCobra · 09/06/2007, 01:13 PM

Listen to AZ, he knows his water purification systems.

moo0o · 09/06/2007, 01:28 PM

whoa whoa whoa, almost bought one too, thanks guys!

Ehgemus · 09/06/2007, 01:41 PM

I have used one for two years and I can't complain. One thing I don't like is the two di tubes on top thay don't work all that well, I ended up turning them upright and that work a lot better. you would be better off buying a regular housing for the di.
If you have a small tank and don't need to make that much water like me, I thank it is a great unit. If you have a large tank than I would get a something better.

yiliyang · 09/06/2007, 01:58 PM

At the heart of a RO system is the RO membrane. Most use GE or Corning brand. I have a water general filter and have been very happy with it. Very inexpensive! I also been drinking the filtered water and it tested great. In the DI process it depends a lot with the resin used. I don't even use DI, because I am not making nitroglycerin, I am making bath water for fishes.

The bottom line is that I have a water general unit and been happy with it. I really don't see why I have to have a brand name filter if they all use the same filter membrane.

Good luck.

mario8402 · 09/06/2007, 02:24 PM

I have had mine for the last month and it has worked flawlessly. 0 TDS on the DI side.. seems like its doing something right.

AZDesertRat · 09/06/2007, 02:27 PM

They don't all use the same membrane though, that's one of the many problems. Good units use 75 GPD Dow Filmtec, GE Water(Osmomics) or Applied Membranes RO membranes. Some e-bay vendors supply what they claim to be "Made in US" membranes which are none of the above and are not even legal for sale for drinking water in the USA. Anything coming into contact with drinking water in the US must be ANSI/NSF approved for drinking water. Units like Water General may use a Dow membrane but it IS NOT approved for drinking water. It is a 100 GPD Nano Filter which is only approved for "Pool and Spa Use" by the NSF. Huge difference in water quality, pool and spa filters will not remove bacteria and viruses since they have much larger pore sizes. This is the difference between 90% rejection rate and 98% rejection rate. They neglect to tell you this when they are taking your money.
Another important piece of info is for every 2% you increase the membranes efficiency you DOUBLE the life of your DI resin. Now imagine a Water General with a 90% membrane and two little hollow tubes with a little bit (maybe 6 to 12 ounces?) of questionable quality resin bobbing around and compare it to a unit with a 98% rejection rate RO membrane and a true vertical refillable 20 ounce DI cartridge installed in a 10" canister that has a true bottom up flow and is designed to actually work.

Which would you stake your reef system on? Saving a few bucks on a cheap RO/DI will end up costing you much more before it is all said and done I guarantee you.

GuySmilie · 09/06/2007, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by yiliyang
.......I don't even use DI, because I am not making nitroglycerin, I am making bath water for fishes......

ROTFL...now that's a good one!
You must have some top-notch raw water where you practice the art.
Before I added a deionization segment I considered Nitroglycerin, because all I was making was bath water for algae!

hugh ngo · 09/08/2007, 12:17 PM

wondering whats a good Ro/di to go with. I thought they all works the same...

AZDesertRat · 09/08/2007, 12:22 PM

www.spectrapure.com - MaxCap RO/DI
www.buckeyefieldsupply.com - 75 GPD Premium
www.thefilterguys.biz - Ocean Reef +1
www.melevsreef.com - Reef system
www.purelyh2o.com - Optima Vision or Automated

RO/DI units are not all the same. The quality of components runs from extremely poor Chinese knock offs to high quality which you will receive from any of the ones I listed above. Expect to pay anywhere from $150 up to $350 depending on what features you get.

09/06/2007, 12:32 PM	#1
moo0o Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SJ,CA Posts: 1,694	Water General RODIs How many of you have it, and are they a good brand?

09/08/2007, 12:17 PM	#11
hugh ngo Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: garland texas Posts: 134	ro/di wondering whats a good Ro/di to go with. I thought they all works the same...

09/06/2007, 12:41 PM	#2
SlowCobra Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Joliet, IL Posts: 3,079	Some will say they work fine, many will say they are garbage and a waste of money.

09/06/2007, 01:02 PM	#3
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Don't waste your time and money. They are mediocre at best and do not compare in any way, shape or form to true reef quality systems. They are cheap for a reason and I think you can figure out why without much help. Look at their cheesy advertising with blatant false claims and bogus efficiency numbers. If they were selling in print media or on TV they would be in court in a heartbeat. For a few dollars more you can get a true reef system and have someone who will stand behind their product and its claims.

09/06/2007, 01:13 PM	#4
SlowCobra Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Joliet, IL Posts: 3,079	Listen to AZ, he knows his water purification systems.

09/06/2007, 01:28 PM	#5
moo0o Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SJ,CA Posts: 1,694	whoa whoa whoa, almost bought one too, thanks guys!

09/06/2007, 01:41 PM	#6
Ehgemus Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Central City Ky Posts: 1,585	I have used one for two years and I can't complain. One thing I don't like is the two di tubes on top thay don't work all that well, I ended up turning them upright and that work a lot better. you would be better off buying a regular housing for the di. If you have a small tank and don't need to make that much water like me, I thank it is a great unit. If you have a large tank than I would get a something better.

09/06/2007, 01:58 PM	#7
yiliyang Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: 07840 Posts: 191	At the heart of a RO system is the RO membrane. Most use GE or Corning brand. I have a water general filter and have been very happy with it. Very inexpensive! I also been drinking the filtered water and it tested great. In the DI process it depends a lot with the resin used. I don't even use DI, because I am not making nitroglycerin, I am making bath water for fishes. The bottom line is that I have a water general unit and been happy with it. I really don't see why I have to have a brand name filter if they all use the same filter membrane. Good luck.

09/06/2007, 02:24 PM	#8
mario8402 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Houston Posts: 271	I have had mine for the last month and it has worked flawlessly. 0 TDS on the DI side.. seems like its doing something right.

09/06/2007, 02:27 PM	#9
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	They don't all use the same membrane though, that's one of the many problems. Good units use 75 GPD Dow Filmtec, GE Water(Osmomics) or Applied Membranes RO membranes. Some e-bay vendors supply what they claim to be "Made in US" membranes which are none of the above and are not even legal for sale for drinking water in the USA. Anything coming into contact with drinking water in the US must be ANSI/NSF approved for drinking water. Units like Water General may use a Dow membrane but it IS NOT approved for drinking water. It is a 100 GPD Nano Filter which is only approved for "Pool and Spa Use" by the NSF. Huge difference in water quality, pool and spa filters will not remove bacteria and viruses since they have much larger pore sizes. This is the difference between 90% rejection rate and 98% rejection rate. They neglect to tell you this when they are taking your money. Another important piece of info is for every 2% you increase the membranes efficiency you DOUBLE the life of your DI resin. Now imagine a Water General with a 90% membrane and two little hollow tubes with a little bit (maybe 6 to 12 ounces?) of questionable quality resin bobbing around and compare it to a unit with a 98% rejection rate RO membrane and a true vertical refillable 20 ounce DI cartridge installed in a 10" canister that has a true bottom up flow and is designed to actually work. Which would you stake your reef system on? Saving a few bucks on a cheap RO/DI will end up costing you much more before it is all said and done I guarantee you.

09/08/2007, 12:22 PM	#12
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	www.spectrapure.com - MaxCap RO/DI www.buckeyefieldsupply.com - 75 GPD Premium www.thefilterguys.biz - Ocean Reef +1 www.melevsreef.com - Reef system www.purelyh2o.com - Optima Vision or Automated RO/DI units are not all the same. The quality of components runs from extremely poor Chinese knock offs to high quality which you will receive from any of the ones I listed above. Expect to pay anywhere from $150 up to $350 depending on what features you get.