RO DI unit

[fredflinstone]

Hi, Has anyone had any experience with PUREWATERCLUB products? I was looking at PW-22-64. They promise 1.5:1 ratio. I am not sure if this is possible with only one RO membrane, but then again I dont have any experience or expertise to comment. Can anyone help me? I was looking at miser from the filterguys but its a almost twice the price as this unit.

[Roland Jacques]

Got a link?

[fredflinstone]

www.purewaterclub.com
Model number is PW-22-64

[fredflinstone]

bump

[carlso63]

Fred:

I have the PW - 22 - 42 (?) The 100 gpd model.

I would not get the 150 gpd as I have a feeling the RO membrane is a lower % of rejection; IMO that's how they manage to get 50% more output out of basically the same unit as I have...



I have to say that I have had mine for close to 18 months now, and have been VERY satisfied with it. In fact, the ONLY negative I can think of is that my "100 gpd" unit is only good for around 65 gpd; other than that it has worked flawlessly... (Before someone else with ZERO firsthand knowledge jumps in here screaming that it is "an Ebay POS...") the only "modification" I made was I reoriented the 2 DI cartridges from horizontal to vertical to ensure all the water made HAS to pass through the DI resin, instead of over it.

HOWEVER, the MOST important question for you is =

Do you know your input (tap water) TDS level?

If it is less than 250 ppm then one of these units will suffice just fine. If it is much greater than that number, you should be looking for a "better quality" (read: more expensive) unit.

P.S. as far as the water ratio, I believe it is plausible. They use a Filmtec Membrane (at least my '100 gpd' unit does) that is supposed to be lower waste...

Hope this has been helpful to you.

[Buckeye Hydro]

Fred - That would not be my choice for a reef. Here's some input to consider:

You can get a very low waste to purified water ratio from ANY system if you install a flow restrictor that is mis-sized. That appears to be what you get with that system based upon the flow restrictor they show in their pictures. Expect a shortened life span from the membrane as a result.

Standard GAC as a prefilter is not a good choice on our high flow reef sytems. Look for a system that uses carbon blocks (only) as prefilters, unless you need catalytic GAC to treat chloramines. Have you checked with your water utility to see if they use chloramines?

For very little cost difference you can use a 1 micron sediment filter rather than a 5 micron. Same with the carbon block.

Look for a system with a full size, vertical, refillable DI cartridge. Horizontal DI stages are not a good idea - a fundamental misconfiguration usually found on retrofitted drinking water systems where the primary intent of the vendor is not to have to replumb the housings that come pre-assembled from overseas.

Self piercing needle valves are just an "ok" means to hook these systems up - there are better options.

Although the vendor indicates: "This system could start to generate the pure water at 35PSI, and the best situation is 65PSI." you'll probably not be happy if you have less than 60 PSI line pressure. Be advised that if you put the correct flow restrictor on that system, a Aquatec booster pump won't work with that membrane. Ideal pressure is higher than 65 PSI - limited by the lowest maximum working pressure of any of the components in the system.

The vendor indicates: "Please call your local water company to ask your water pressure." - That's really not a question your water utility can answer, as it varies house to house.

The system does not come with a pressure gauge or thermometer.

The system doesn't come with a TDS meter.

If you intend to also produce drinking water with the system, you'll want to do some replumbing so you can access the RO water before it goes through the DI resin. This plumbing is referred to as a "DI bypass."

Although the webpage says " Not clear bottom 3 filter housings. They are fragile, and caused bacteria due to the insolation." clear housings are a very useful and popular feature in the high flow systems used in this hobby.

I would think twice about the $729 retail valvue for that system. If you do some checking with RODI vendors who are sponsors of Reef Central I think you'll find that number to be just a little bit overstated.

Russ

[Roland Jacques]

Like Russ said, you can make any RO get 1:1 ratio by adjusting the resistor to do so. The question is how long will will the membrane last at 1:1 with your water conditions. They don't give any explanation as to how they achieve that. Or how long it might last doing so. They do have some BAD info on their site, so that really makes me question some of their claims also.

I do get 1:1 ratio out of my RODI. I run 3 membranes in a modified series, but each of my membrane get 4:1 flush. So far mine has lasted 2 years and 20,000 gallons of produced Good water. So I believe you can have a RODI have both low waste and long life. I'm just not sure they have are doing it right.

If you want to try it, know that membranes only cost $40-$50. A new resistor cost $10-$20. So if they are wrong, and the membrane only last 6 months to 1 year your not out that much.

I would recommend you Know your Tap water TDS, Pressure, and the amount of water you intend on using, before you by any RODI. That may help you pick a Rodi that is most economical for you in the long run.

[Buckeye Hydro]

If you look closely at the picture they provide of their flow restrictor you can see that they simply have the wrong restrictor on that membrane.

A new capillary flow restrictor can be had for $4 to $5

Russ

[AZDesertRat]

Their units are very low end quality. They are imported Chinese clones for the most part assembled for drinking water use at best and nowhere near reef quality systems.
I see several things I would consider RED FLAGs and make me shy away from doing business with them. Notice they do not tell you any brand names of the filters and components? Reputable vendors tell you up front what you are buying. Names like Dow Filmtec, Purolite, Matrixx and others are what you want to see. If they don't tell you, you can guarantee its not real name brand equipment. There is a difference.
Next, take a close look at the descriptions and how everything is written. You will se much of it makes no sense at all and is poorly translated into English. This also makes me believe its a Chinese or Taiwanese importer and not a business that is going to be around next year or the year after. The return address is for a computer importer?
Thye use low quality filters and components. As already pointed out, granular carbon is not a good choice. The prefilter could be a much better micron range and the DI configuration is a joke. The hollow tubes only hold a small amount of rein in comparison to a real vertical 20 oz DI filter and have horrible flow characteristics.

Stick with someone like www.buckeyefieldsupply.com and their 75 or 150 GPD system. They use the proper flow restrictor for good membrane life and water quality, use a real DI filter, name brand membranes, high quality carbon blocks and even include things like a RO bypass valve, handheld TDS meter, flush, and numerous other features for just a little more.

[fredflinstone]

I have to find out my TDS. The water company measured it for me and said its 72. I was looking at the RO miser from thefilterguys. They almost get 1.5:1 and they use two RO membranes. But costwise purewaterclub is very cheap. I can try and fail two times for the same cost as other companies.
Anyways I know more money means better quality. I just want to retain some money in my pocket. I use 15G for drinking and 10G for top-off every week. I thought I can get this PW-22-64 and by-pass the DI and send the water to the water tank for drinking purposes.

They are using TFC RO membrane and not filmtec. Con someone point me some good RO/DI units which are comparable in price and water wastage ratio?

[rlabriola]

FWIW, I purchased one of these units from ebay about a year ago to save $50-60 on purchasing one of the units from reputable company. in the end, i never got a good RO membrane, and i frequently had to replace the DI resin because it exhausted periodically. It is not worth the money at all, and although the equipment is sturdy and durable, what you pay for is the good Filters, membranes, and resins when you buy a more expensive unit.

[AZDesertRat]

TFC is Thin Film Composite or the material almost all membranes are constructed out of, not a brand name. Stick with a brand name from a trusted source not an e bay fly by night importer.

[bionube]

Go with Russ and Buckeye Field Supply! Russ will walk you through setup on your system and ship you a quality system. I am so happy I went with BFS, I just can't stop raving about them and my 75 gpd premium system!

[Roland Jacques]

Originally posted by fredflinstone
I have to find out my TDS. The water company measured it for me and said its 72. I was looking at the RO miser from thefilterguys. They almost get 1.5:1 and they use two RO membranes. But costwise purewaterclub is very cheap. I can try and fail two times for the same cost as other companies.
Anyways I know more money means better quality. I just want to retain some money in my pocket. I use 15G for drinking and 10G for top-off every week. I thought I can get this PW-22-64 and by-pass the DI and send the water to the water tank for drinking purposes.

They are using TFC RO membrane and not filmtec. Con someone point me some good RO/DI units which are comparable in price and water wastage ratio?

The filter Guys and Spectrapure are the only 2 companies selling what I consider good low waste water units. Spetrapure's being much better, especially for those with high TDS...

You use a very small amount if water and have Low TDS. So a cheap RODI is not a bad option. When you have to replace your prefilters in 6 months, be sure to get good quality prefilters 1.0 micron sediment and a 0.5 Carbon block.

You dont use much water so a low waste system will only save you about 300 gallons a month, which is about $1- $ 2. If you still want low waste water system you can DIY and add a second membrane in modified series like the water miser. Just ask them to send you an extra membrane, housing fittings, & hose. and you can do it yourself. Make sure the membranes are 96% or better rejection rate GE & Filmtec are good ones that I know of.

[fredflinstone]

I was looking at filter guys. But just that the system from purewaterclub is 100 dollars cheaper. So I was thinking when its time to replace the filters, I can get the new filters from filterguys.

So my question would be will the filters fit right?

[Roland Jacques]

Originally posted by fredflinstone
I was looking at filter guys. But just that the system from purewaterclub is 100 dollars cheaper. So I was thinking when its time to replace the filters, I can get the new filters from filterguys.

So my question would be will the filters fit right?

No there is $20 differance
apples to aplles this one is more comparable to the pw- 22-64
$135.00 - OCEAN WAVE FIVE STAGE 75 GPD RO/D

And yes to the 2nd question.

[eyebedam]

Originally posted by Roland Jacques
The filter Guys and Spectrapure are the only 2 companies selling what I consider good low waste water units. Spetrapure's being much better, especially for those with high TDS...

You use a very small amount if water and have Low TDS. So a cheap RODI is not a bad option. When you have to replace your prefilters in 6 months, be sure to get good quality prefilters 1.0 micron sediment and a 0.5 Carbon block.

You dont use much water so a low waste system will only save you about 300 gallons a month, which is about $1- $ 2. If you still want low waste water system you can DIY and add a second membrane in modified series like the water miser. Just ask them to send you an extra membrane, housing fittings, & hose. and you can do it yourself. Make sure the membranes are 96% or better rejection rate GE & Filmtec are good ones that I know of.

:blah::blah::blah:

[Roland Jacques]

If you don't have anything constructive to add to a conversation keep this kind of comments to yourself.

:blah::blah::blah