RO unit help needed.

sra_chipmunk · 02/20/2008, 11:33 AM

I am getting my 75 gallon reef tank ready to be assembled and filled and I am in need of a RO unit. A buddy of mine has a Coralife unit and it does about 35GPD. I am looking at getting a similar one. I was thinking about this one http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=12093

CD-18782 50 gpd 3-stage $139.99
It dosnt come with the pump. I get pretty good water pressure at my house. I called the 1-800 number for the web site and asked them what my water pressure should be at for this unit to work and they didnt know. I heard something about 60PSI but I am not 100% sure. How do I check the water pressure on my home? Will this unit be a good one for me?

Thanks in advance.
Tom

plummike · 02/20/2008, 11:40 AM

Lowes or Home Depot. Look at the price of your replacement filters.

cdbias2 · 02/20/2008, 11:42 AM

There is a device that hooks to a hose hookup. It has a dial gauge on it. It should be about $15. There should also be a pressure regulator somewhere in your house or sometimes it's outside in the meter box that can be adjusted to turn up the pressure if needed.

liquidglass · 02/20/2008, 11:44 AM

You can get a pressure gage from home depot for about $9.
If you are getting around 60psi thats great. I got mine from filter direct and only have about 40psi in my house so I had to get a pump to build presure.

sra_chipmunk · 02/20/2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by plummike
Lowes or Home Depot. Look at the price of your replacement filters.

Whats the price of the replacement filters? I cant find them.

AZDesertRat · 02/20/2008, 01:41 PM

You can get a much better RO/DI unit than the RO only filter you are looking at for about the same price. The Coralife has a prety bad track record due to numerous complaints on poor craftsmanship, leaks and faulty parts.
Look here on RC at vendors whon sell RO and RO/DI units as their main business. You will get a better unit and a company that will stand behind their products.
www.spectrapure.com
www.melevsrteef.com
www.buckeyefieldsupply.com
www.purelyh2o.com
www.airwaterice.com
www.thefilterguys.biz

With the Coralife it is rated to produce 50 GPD at 65 psi. You can get a better unit which includes DI which that one does not and produces 75 GPD at only 50 psi and more like 100 GPD at 65 psi. A good example is the 75 GPD Premium from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com . It includes much better filters, a better membrane, a full size vertical refillable DI filter, and inline pressure gauge, a RO bypass valve, a handheld TDS meter and more for only $161. A much better deal by far. The other vendors all have similar systems too.

Don't do the Lowes and Home Depot route either. The Whirlpool units at both along with Sears and some others use a different RO membrane than the standard 1810-xxx series and they are not interchangable.

sra_chipmunk · 02/20/2008, 03:42 PM

Well I just bought a guage from Lowes and hooked it up to the outside spickit and turned it on. I am only getting 36PSI. CRAP!!!!

sra_chipmunk · 02/20/2008, 05:29 PM

I checked all the fossits around the house and the reading ranges from 36-40PSI.

It looks like I am going to have to buy a pump

cdbias2 · 02/20/2008, 05:40 PM

It will not change from one faucet to the next. It will even read the same on the end of a garden hose.

AZDesertRat · 02/20/2008, 05:59 PM

Do one more thing. Look to see if the house has a pressure regulator somewhere on the incoming water line. Some houses have regulators and they are adjusted down low to protect pipes and plumbing fixtures as well as lower the consumption. Its worth a shot.
If you do need a pump you will find once you install it you will get better efficiency from the membrane by just raising the pressure. You will get better rejection at 80 psi than 60 psi or less.

sra_chipmunk · 02/20/2008, 06:02 PM

Is there a way to tap into your bathroom sinks water supply line to use for the RO water feed? I looked under my bathroom sink and it looks like I have 3/8ths inch lines. If there is a way for me to use that as my water feed line that would be awsome.

Thanks again for the advice/tips/info
Tom

Aquarist007 · 02/20/2008, 06:03 PM

have a look at this thread before you buy a coralife:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1323420

sra_chipmunk · 02/20/2008, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AZDesertRat
Do one more thing. Look to see if the house has a pressure regulator somewhere on the incoming water line. Some houses have regulators and they are adjusted down low to protect pipes and plumbing fixtures as well as lower the consumption. Its worth a shot.
If you do need a pump you will find once you install it you will get better efficiency from the membrane by just raising the pressure. You will get better rejection at 80 psi than 60 psi or less.

I checked everyware I could find for a regulator and there isnt one. I even called the previous owner of my house who just so happens to be a plumber and also just so happens to have laid all the plumbing for my house and he said there would be no way to raise the pressure due to the fact that I am using community water from the neighborhood.

AZDesertRat · 02/20/2008, 06:16 PM

That plain old sucks!
Yes you can easily tap into the cold water line under a sink. Look at www.thefilterguys.biz , on the main page along the left side are various buttons, pick the tap water fittings for all the various ways to hook up to the cold water. You can even get a tee with a side outlet valve that installs right on the existing wall valve so you do not have to pierce or cut anything. You can get some of these at Lowes and HD.
I agree with capn , don't buy a Coralife, it would be about my last choice next to most e-bay units. Soe ar just OK for drinking water but most are no where near a reef quality unit.

Aquarist007 · 02/20/2008, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AZDesertRat
That plain old sucks!
Yes you can easily tap into the cold water line under a sink. Look at www.thefilterguys.biz , on the main page along the left side are various buttons, pick the tap water fittings for all the various ways to hook up to the cold water. You can even get a tee with a side outlet valve that installs right on the existing wall valve so you do not have to pierce or cut anything. You can get some of these at Lowes and HD.
I agree with capn , don't buy a Coralife, it would be about my last choice next to most e-bay units. Soe ar just OK for drinking water but most are no where near a reef quality unit.

BTW A.J the water from my ro unit tested 7 on my pocket TDS meter. The 20 gals I got from BA's this afternoon tested 17

that's not ro water its distilled at best

sra_chipmunk · 02/20/2008, 07:11 PM

Thanks for the help. I will be hooking my system up to my bathroom sink.

Does anybody know where a good cost effective pump is? I looked at the e-bay ones and they go for about $70 plus $20 for shipping.

AZDesertRat · 02/20/2008, 07:18 PM

The only pump to even consider is the Aquatec 8800. All the RO/DI vendors sell it and its usually about $100 with the power supply and pressure regulator. Be careful when you find it for less as some do not include either the power or pressure regulator. You have to have the power supply since its a DC pump and you really should have the regulator although some will argue with me on that. Its what I use by the way.

sra_chipmunk · 02/21/2008, 04:43 PM

I am looking into hetting the Aquatec 6800 pump and found one cheaper with this site http://www.purewater4u.com/store/Aquatec6800.shtml
it is $26 cheaper then the pump at Buckeye's. The one thing that makes me second guess this would be the differance in fittings. the one at purewater4u.com says it comes with 1/4 inch John Guest fittings while the one at Buckeye's comes with 3/8-inch quick connect fittings. Would I still be able to make this work? Or would I need to buy new fittings from Buckeye's as well. Also, the transformer 120 Volt Transformer (US) is about $10 cheaper as well.

What do you all think?

sra_chipmunk · 02/21/2008, 07:41 PM

disreguard the above post. I am just going to go with The Filter Guys system

AZDesertRat · 02/22/2008, 06:56 AM

If you have a 75 GPD or larger RO unit you need to 8800 not the 6800. Whic system are you looking at? If its a dual membrane system you might want to hold off a little while until some very interesting research hits the press. I have seen some lab testing that really answers the dual membrane debate that should be available soon. Improperly designed dual membrane systems do not have the filter life, water savings or water quality some try to claim.

kzickovich · 02/22/2008, 07:28 AM

I HAVE THE SAME RO/DI YOUR LOOKING AT AND FROM DAY ONE IT LEAKED. IF I HAD TO DO IT OVER AGAIN I WOULD BUY A SPECTRAPURE

Buckeye Hydro · 02/23/2008, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sra_chipmunk
I am looking into hetting the Aquatec 6800 pump and found one cheaper with this site http://www.purewater4u.com/store/Aquatec6800.shtml
it is $26 cheaper then the pump at Buckeye's. The one thing that makes me second guess this would be the differance in fittings. the one at purewater4u.com says it comes with 1/4 inch John Guest fittings while the one at Buckeye's comes with 3/8-inch quick connect fittings. Would I still be able to make this work? Or would I need to buy new fittings from Buckeye's as well. Also, the transformer 120 Volt Transformer (US) is about $10 cheaper as well.

What do you all think?

We have both the 3/8" and the 1/4" pumps on the webpage...

Be aware that there is a significance difference in a 6800 vs an 8800 pump. If you have a system with a membrane of 50 gpd or more, you'll want the 8800.

Russ

02/20/2008, 11:33 AM	#1
sra_chipmunk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Georgia Posts: 235	RO unit help needed. I am getting my 75 gallon reef tank ready to be assembled and filled and I am in need of a RO unit. A buddy of mine has a Coralife unit and it does about 35GPD. I am looking at getting a similar one. I was thinking about this one http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=12093 CD-18782 50 gpd 3-stage $139.99 It dosnt come with the pump. I get pretty good water pressure at my house. I called the 1-800 number for the web site and asked them what my water pressure should be at for this unit to work and they didnt know. I heard something about 60PSI but I am not 100% sure. How do I check the water pressure on my home? Will this unit be a good one for me? Thanks in advance. Tom

02/20/2008, 11:44 AM	#4
liquidglass Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Portland, Or Posts: 70	You can get a pressure gage from home depot for about $9. If you are getting around 60psi thats great. I got mine from filter direct and only have about 40psi in my house so I had to get a pump to build presure. __________________ Click on the red house to see my tanks. Current Tank Info: 180g with 55g sump. Mixed Reef, PM Calcium reactor, Octopus RS skimmer, Blue line 70 return pump into two sea swirls and two Marine Vortec's, Neptune 3 controller. 3X400w MH 20K XM and 4X55w Actintics. Ozone, PhosBan reactor.

02/20/2008, 06:03 PM	#12
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	have a look at this thread before you buy a coralife: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1323420 __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock

02/22/2008, 07:28 AM	#21
kzickovich Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Zion Il Posts: 959	I HAVE THE SAME RO/DI YOUR LOOKING AT AND FROM DAY ONE IT LEAKED. IF I HAD TO DO IT OVER AGAIN I WOULD BUY A SPECTRAPURE __________________ Ken Current Tank Info: 90 Gal mixed reef 55 Gallon basement pump up Sump 25 Gal fuge 2 Mp40 DIY led light fixture Bubble King Mini 200 Gen2 skimmer BRS Duel reactor

02/20/2008, 11:40 AM	#2
plummike Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: near Pittsburgh Posts: 271	Lowes or Home Depot. Look at the price of your replacement filters.

02/20/2008, 11:42 AM	#3
cdbias2 Appalachian Reef Society Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alum Creek, WV (No more) Posts: 1,433	There is a device that hooks to a hose hookup. It has a dial gauge on it. It should be about $15. There should also be a pressure regulator somewhere in your house or sometimes it's outside in the meter box that can be adjusted to turn up the pressure if needed.

02/20/2008, 01:41 PM	#6
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	You can get a much better RO/DI unit than the RO only filter you are looking at for about the same price. The Coralife has a prety bad track record due to numerous complaints on poor craftsmanship, leaks and faulty parts. Look here on RC at vendors whon sell RO and RO/DI units as their main business. You will get a better unit and a company that will stand behind their products. www.spectrapure.com www.melevsrteef.com www.buckeyefieldsupply.com www.purelyh2o.com www.airwaterice.com www.thefilterguys.biz With the Coralife it is rated to produce 50 GPD at 65 psi. You can get a better unit which includes DI which that one does not and produces 75 GPD at only 50 psi and more like 100 GPD at 65 psi. A good example is the 75 GPD Premium from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com . It includes much better filters, a better membrane, a full size vertical refillable DI filter, and inline pressure gauge, a RO bypass valve, a handheld TDS meter and more for only $161. A much better deal by far. The other vendors all have similar systems too. Don't do the Lowes and Home Depot route either. The Whirlpool units at both along with Sears and some others use a different RO membrane than the standard 1810-xxx series and they are not interchangable.

02/20/2008, 03:42 PM	#7
sra_chipmunk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Georgia Posts: 235	Well I just bought a guage from Lowes and hooked it up to the outside spickit and turned it on. I am only getting 36PSI. CRAP!!!!

02/20/2008, 05:29 PM	#8
sra_chipmunk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Georgia Posts: 235	I checked all the fossits around the house and the reading ranges from 36-40PSI. It looks like I am going to have to buy a pump

02/20/2008, 05:40 PM	#9
cdbias2 Appalachian Reef Society Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alum Creek, WV (No more) Posts: 1,433	It will not change from one faucet to the next. It will even read the same on the end of a garden hose.

02/20/2008, 05:59 PM	#10
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Do one more thing. Look to see if the house has a pressure regulator somewhere on the incoming water line. Some houses have regulators and they are adjusted down low to protect pipes and plumbing fixtures as well as lower the consumption. Its worth a shot. If you do need a pump you will find once you install it you will get better efficiency from the membrane by just raising the pressure. You will get better rejection at 80 psi than 60 psi or less.

02/20/2008, 06:02 PM	#11
sra_chipmunk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Georgia Posts: 235	Is there a way to tap into your bathroom sinks water supply line to use for the RO water feed? I looked under my bathroom sink and it looks like I have 3/8ths inch lines. If there is a way for me to use that as my water feed line that would be awsome. Thanks again for the advice/tips/info Tom

02/20/2008, 06:16 PM	#14
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	That plain old sucks! Yes you can easily tap into the cold water line under a sink. Look at www.thefilterguys.biz , on the main page along the left side are various buttons, pick the tap water fittings for all the various ways to hook up to the cold water. You can even get a tee with a side outlet valve that installs right on the existing wall valve so you do not have to pierce or cut anything. You can get some of these at Lowes and HD. I agree with capn , don't buy a Coralife, it would be about my last choice next to most e-bay units. Soe ar just OK for drinking water but most are no where near a reef quality unit.

02/20/2008, 07:11 PM	#16
sra_chipmunk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Georgia Posts: 235	Thanks for the help. I will be hooking my system up to my bathroom sink. Does anybody know where a good cost effective pump is? I looked at the e-bay ones and they go for about $70 plus $20 for shipping.

02/20/2008, 07:18 PM	#17
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	The only pump to even consider is the Aquatec 8800. All the RO/DI vendors sell it and its usually about $100 with the power supply and pressure regulator. Be careful when you find it for less as some do not include either the power or pressure regulator. You have to have the power supply since its a DC pump and you really should have the regulator although some will argue with me on that. Its what I use by the way.

02/21/2008, 04:43 PM	#18
sra_chipmunk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Georgia Posts: 235	I am looking into hetting the Aquatec 6800 pump and found one cheaper with this site http://www.purewater4u.com/store/Aquatec6800.shtml it is $26 cheaper then the pump at Buckeye's. The one thing that makes me second guess this would be the differance in fittings. the one at purewater4u.com says it comes with 1/4 inch John Guest fittings while the one at Buckeye's comes with 3/8-inch quick connect fittings. Would I still be able to make this work? Or would I need to buy new fittings from Buckeye's as well. Also, the transformer 120 Volt Transformer (US) is about $10 cheaper as well. What do you all think?

02/21/2008, 07:41 PM	#19
sra_chipmunk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Georgia Posts: 235	disreguard the above post. I am just going to go with The Filter Guys system

02/22/2008, 06:56 AM	#20
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	If you have a 75 GPD or larger RO unit you need to 8800 not the 6800. Whic system are you looking at? If its a dual membrane system you might want to hold off a little while until some very interesting research hits the press. I have seen some lab testing that really answers the dual membrane debate that should be available soon. Improperly designed dual membrane systems do not have the filter life, water savings or water quality some try to claim.