New house: Well water help rodi

Amatuer21 · 09/13/2015, 09:18 AM

So after getting settled in to my new home, i plan on building a new reef. But, my house runs on well water and im unsure where to hook up an ro/di unit. I have a water softner in the basement which is where i think i should be hooking it up but im not sure. I took a few pics of a lead, is this where i should be running the water through my ro/di unit?

Amatuer21 · 09/13/2015, 09:21 AM

Sorry for the sideways pic. Here is another

shifty51008 · 09/13/2015, 09:40 AM

Yep run it on that valve will work fine, some people like to run it after the water softner but if thats not an option there will work.

Amatuer21 · 09/13/2015, 10:09 AM

I tried looking for another lead off the softer but i couldn't find one. should there be one somewhere?

Scorpius · 09/13/2015, 10:22 AM

If you can find the main water line that feeds the water softener then you can use a saddle valve to hook up to your water pre-water softener and bypass it. BRS supplies everything you need if you end up buying their RO/DI systems.

shifty51008 · 09/13/2015, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amatuer21

I tried looking for another lead off the softer but i couldn't find one. should there be one somewhere?

Some places put one on and others dont, just depends on who hooked up the water softner and what the home owners want. You can have a plumber come in and add one if you want though, shouldnt cost to much. I dont suggest useing self peircing valves though it can really reduce the water flow and i have even had them clog on me.

Amatuer21 · 09/13/2015, 10:41 AM

I want to do the least amount of tampering as possible!

azjohnny · 09/13/2015, 11:02 AM

If you have a laundry room, you can install a "Y" fitting off of the cold water feed to the washing machine. The "Y" valve can be bought at any Loews or HD. It is found in the Garden Dept.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_228717-30775...=50328303&pl=1

Stay away from a saddle valve

Well water is well known to have high amounts of CO2 and this causes you to go through DI very quickly. To combat this you will need to have the water post membrane to go into a large container than allowed to degass and than pumped to the DI

Amatuer21 · 09/13/2015, 12:01 PM

Ok i do have a Y valve on hand. Im confused on how to stop the water from entering the di, degass it in a container, than run it through di? Sounds complicated lol

Amatuer21 · 09/13/2015, 12:15 PM

I got 326 tds out of tap

shifty51008 · 09/13/2015, 12:39 PM

http://spectrapure.com/frequently-as...stions#calcc02

Go there first and find the calculating co2 first and make sure you have high levels first before makeing any changes

azjohnny · 09/13/2015, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amatuer21

Ok i do have a Y valve on hand. Im confused on how to stop the water from entering the di, degass it in a container, than run it through di? Sounds complicated lol

I agree with Shifty find out if you have to do it all. You have to disconnect the RO/DI line from the membrane to the DI canister at the canister and run the line to the large container, You would than need some type of pump you can use with RO/DI line and run it to the DI canister. You will need to get oxygen into the water that is in the large container

If you have CO2 issues with the feed water you will exhaust the DI very quickly

Amatuer21 · 09/13/2015, 05:57 PM

ok thanks a lot for the help guys. My next step with be to test the water.

azjohnny · 09/13/2015, 06:52 PM

Or you could just start making water and see how long your DI lasts. My DI cartridges typically last 6-9 months and I make 120-150 gals a month

yukimika · 09/13/2015, 09:59 PM

yeah I got a splitter with on/off for each branch and hooked up to the cold water of the washing machine. the cheap brass one at the big orange box store failed on me causing flooding. So I recommend getting a better one.

Johnseye · 09/14/2015, 08:24 AM

I have well water with about 280 TDS after treatment. IIRC I'm at 400+ before treatment. The water is pretty nasty before. I have a softener which reduces the minerals, as well as hydrogen peroxide treatment which essentially oxidizes the water. It takes away the iron/sulfer smell and taste.

After both the softener and peroxide treatments I put in a T to my copper pipe. Off the T is a shut off valve and lead to my Spectrapure RODI. I've found that if I don't have any salt in my softener I burn through my DI filter pretty quickly. Otherwise it lasts about 6 months or so.

tom obrecht · 09/14/2015, 10:39 AM

If you go to spectrapure's website they have a diagram and details on a degassing setup. That's where I set up mine from.

Amatuer21 · 09/14/2015, 01:52 PM

Ok great. For some reason even when i lived in the city my di never came close to lasting 6 months. Maybe a month and a half at most. I was making much water either, no more than 30 gallons every 2-3 weeks.

Greybeard · 09/14/2015, 02:15 PM

We're on a well here, and have a softner similar to yours. I recently put in an RODI system, and had many questions. Chris from AirWaterIce helped me out a great deal. Hard water will shorten the life of your filters and membrane. Put the RODI after the softner. Another issue with well systems is pressure. I ended up with a permeate pump on mine, helps with the low pressure problem. I put in a 5g pressure tank, after the RO, before the DI, with a 'T' to a drinking water faucet at my kitchen sink. Also feeding my ice maker and refrigerator water dispenser from there. Only water for the reef goes through the DI cart. TDS from the well is about 410, after the whole house filter/softner is about 260. After the RO about 12, after the DI it's 0.

We were able to quit buying bottled water for drinking with this setup.

azjohnny · 09/14/2015, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greybeard

We're on a well here, and have a softner similar to yours. I recently put in an RODI system, and had many questions. Chris from AirWaterIce helped me out a great deal. Hard water will shorten the life of your filters and membrane. Put the RODI after the softner. Another issue with well systems is pressure. I ended up with a permeate pump on mine, helps with the low pressure problem. I put in a 5g pressure tank, after the RO, before the DI, with a 'T' to a drinking water faucet at my kitchen sink. Also feeding my ice maker and refrigerator water dispenser from there. Only water for the reef goes through the DI cart. TDS from the well is about 410, after the whole house filter/softner is about 260. After the RO about 12, after the DI it's 0.

We were able to quit buying bottled water for drinking with this setup.

you have a 96% rejection rate, if you increased it to 98% you could double the life of your DI. Do you know what your water pressure is before the RO/DI. I suspect it is on the low side

Greybeard · 09/14/2015, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azjohnny

you have a 96% rejection rate, if you increased it to 98% you could double the life of your DI. Do you know what your water pressure is before the RO/DI. I suspect it is on the low side

I suspect it is also. In fact, based on my shower pressure, I'm sure of it.

Only the water for my reef tank goes through the DI cart... drinking water gets T'd off before the DI. It's a 60g tank, I loose about 10 gallons a month to evaporation. Maybe 20g / month, once I start doing water changes (tank isn't old enough to need one yet). I don't expect, at this rate, that DI resin is going to be a major ongoing cost

tom obrecht · 09/14/2015, 03:21 PM

I guess one option you have also is to buy di resin in bulk and not fiddle with the degassing. I have done both and currently I replace my first di cartridge every 30-45 days and my last cartridge every 2 months or so. I personally got tired of the hassle of "double running my water thru the degassing chambers but to each their own. The well water I have is so hard (1200+ at times) and still is 650 or above after an iron filter and softener that I have just succumbed that di cartridges are part of my monthly routine. I know this isn't in everyone's budget but I figure I couldn't spend $20-$25 a month on something more important than 0 Tds water.

Amatuer21 · 10/05/2015, 11:52 AM

Did a test using kH/pH and my results showed that i have approximately 20ppm of CO2. Not sure how accurate that is but if thats so i have a good level.

Amatuer21 · 10/06/2015, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom obrecht

I guess one option you have also is to buy di resin in bulk and not fiddle with the degassing. I have done both and currently I replace my first di cartridge every 30-45 days and my last cartridge every 2 months or so. I personally got tired of the hassle of "double running my water thru the degassing chambers but to each their own. The well water I have is so hard (1200+ at times) and still is 650 or above after an iron filter and softener that I have just succumbed that di cartridges are part of my monthly routine. I know this isn't in everyone's budget but I figure I couldn't spend $20-$25 a month on something more important than 0 Tds water.

I think im going to go this route and see how long my di resin before i get into a degassing system. Seems like a headache ha

Windy2 · 10/06/2015, 07:21 AM

My TDS entering the home is 26. Our water is snow melt from Mt. Hood glaciers.

09/13/2015, 09:40 AM	#3
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	Yep run it on that valve will work fine, some people like to run it after the water softner but if thats not an option there will work. __________________ 75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder

09/13/2015, 10:09 AM	#4
Amatuer21 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Cuyahoga Falls Posts: 1,303	I tried looking for another lead off the softer but i couldn't find one. should there be one somewhere? __________________ Josh Current Tank Info: Waterbox

09/13/2015, 10:22 AM	#5
Scorpius Stick Head Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 1,208	If you can find the main water line that feeds the water softener then you can use a saddle valve to hook up to your water pre-water softener and bypass it. BRS supplies everything you need if you end up buying their RO/DI systems. __________________ Current Tank 65gal DSA rimless. Vortech MP-10 x4 Vectra M1. Kessil A360we x3 4-24in T5's. BRS 2 part LPS/SPS mixed reef. Will do ______ for Acropora.

09/13/2015, 10:41 AM	#7
Amatuer21 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Cuyahoga Falls Posts: 1,303	I want to do the least amount of tampering as possible! __________________ Josh Current Tank Info: Waterbox

09/13/2015, 12:01 PM	#9
Amatuer21 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Cuyahoga Falls Posts: 1,303	Ok i do have a Y valve on hand. Im confused on how to stop the water from entering the di, degass it in a container, than run it through di? Sounds complicated lol __________________ Josh Current Tank Info: Waterbox

09/13/2015, 11:02 AM	#8
azjohnny Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Gold Canyon Posts: 2,914	If you have a laundry room, you can install a "Y" fitting off of the cold water feed to the washing machine. The "Y" valve can be bought at any Loews or HD. It is found in the Garden Dept. http://www.lowes.com/pd_228717-30775...=50328303&pl=1 Stay away from a saddle valve Well water is well known to have high amounts of CO2 and this causes you to go through DI very quickly. To combat this you will need to have the water post membrane to go into a large container than allowed to degass and than pumped to the DI

09/13/2015, 12:15 PM	#10
Amatuer21 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Cuyahoga Falls Posts: 1,303	I got 326 tds out of tap __________________ Josh Current Tank Info: Waterbox

09/13/2015, 12:39 PM	#11
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	http://spectrapure.com/frequently-as...stions#calcc02 Go there first and find the calculating co2 first and make sure you have high levels first before makeing any changes __________________ 75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder

09/13/2015, 05:57 PM	#13
Amatuer21 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Cuyahoga Falls Posts: 1,303	ok thanks a lot for the help guys. My next step with be to test the water. __________________ Josh Current Tank Info: Waterbox

09/13/2015, 06:52 PM	#14
azjohnny Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Gold Canyon Posts: 2,914	Or you could just start making water and see how long your DI lasts. My DI cartridges typically last 6-9 months and I make 120-150 gals a month

09/13/2015, 09:59 PM	#15
yukimika Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: DC Posts: 67	yeah I got a splitter with on/off for each branch and hooked up to the cold water of the washing machine. the cheap brass one at the big orange box store failed on me causing flooding. So I recommend getting a better one.

09/14/2015, 08:24 AM	#16
Johnseye Reef Addict Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Naperville, IL. Posts: 1,196	I have well water with about 280 TDS after treatment. IIRC I'm at 400+ before treatment. The water is pretty nasty before. I have a softener which reduces the minerals, as well as hydrogen peroxide treatment which essentially oxidizes the water. It takes away the iron/sulfer smell and taste. After both the softener and peroxide treatments I put in a T to my copper pipe. Off the T is a shut off valve and lead to my Spectrapure RODI. I've found that if I don't have any salt in my softener I burn through my DI filter pretty quickly. Otherwise it lasts about 6 months or so. __________________ - John New 260g build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2557715 Current Tank Info: 260g reef, Giesemann Spectra MH/T5/Kessil A160, Dastaco CaRx, Vortechs, Lifereef skimmer, Red Dragon 3, Apex, Genesis, Angles, Tang, Trigger, Clowns, Anthias, Wrasses, Cardinals, SPS, LPS

09/14/2015, 10:39 AM	#17
tom obrecht Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: WI Posts: 3,014	If you go to spectrapure's website they have a diagram and details on a degassing setup. That's where I set up mine from. __________________ Reef keeping is where Murphy's Law and your bank account collide!! TOTM May 2006

09/14/2015, 01:52 PM	#18
Amatuer21 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Cuyahoga Falls Posts: 1,303	Ok great. For some reason even when i lived in the city my di never came close to lasting 6 months. Maybe a month and a half at most. I was making much water either, no more than 30 gallons every 2-3 weeks. __________________ Josh Current Tank Info: Waterbox

09/14/2015, 02:15 PM	#19
Greybeard Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Buffalo, MO Posts: 651	We're on a well here, and have a softner similar to yours. I recently put in an RODI system, and had many questions. Chris from AirWaterIce helped me out a great deal. Hard water will shorten the life of your filters and membrane. Put the RODI after the softner. Another issue with well systems is pressure. I ended up with a permeate pump on mine, helps with the low pressure problem. I put in a 5g pressure tank, after the RO, before the DI, with a 'T' to a drinking water faucet at my kitchen sink. Also feeding my ice maker and refrigerator water dispenser from there. Only water for the reef goes through the DI cart. TDS from the well is about 410, after the whole house filter/softner is about 260. After the RO about 12, after the DI it's 0. We were able to quit buying bottled water for drinking with this setup.

09/14/2015, 03:21 PM	#22
tom obrecht Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: WI Posts: 3,014	I guess one option you have also is to buy di resin in bulk and not fiddle with the degassing. I have done both and currently I replace my first di cartridge every 30-45 days and my last cartridge every 2 months or so. I personally got tired of the hassle of "double running my water thru the degassing chambers but to each their own. The well water I have is so hard (1200+ at times) and still is 650 or above after an iron filter and softener that I have just succumbed that di cartridges are part of my monthly routine. I know this isn't in everyone's budget but I figure I couldn't spend $20-$25 a month on something more important than 0 Tds water. __________________ Reef keeping is where Murphy's Law and your bank account collide!! TOTM May 2006

10/05/2015, 11:52 AM	#23
Amatuer21 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Cuyahoga Falls Posts: 1,303	Did a test using kH/pH and my results showed that i have approximately 20ppm of CO2. Not sure how accurate that is but if thats so i have a good level. __________________ Josh Current Tank Info: Waterbox

10/06/2015, 07:21 AM	#25
Windy2 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Washington Posts: 257	My TDS entering the home is 26. Our water is snow melt from Mt. Hood glaciers.