New RO / DI Filter

FB · 07/11/2006, 08:53 AM

I've recieved my 6 stage RO / DI filter.

This is not my auction but this is the one I bought.

http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-2-110GP...QQcmdZViewItem

It's still in the box. The installation instructions seem pretty basic. Do you have to break them in. Anything I should know about setting it up.

Thanks

FB

AZDesertRat · 07/11/2006, 11:45 AM

Honestly the best thing would be leave it in the box and return it. Buy yourself a good unit that does not need upgrading to perform properly like a Typhoon III from www.airwaterice.com , Optima Automated from www.purelyh2o.com , ocean reef+ from www.thefilterguys.biz or Premium series from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com .
There really is a difference in the quality of these units and the one you bought. You get what you pay for with RO/DI and cheap is not good. For high quality expect to spend between $150 and $200 and never have to upgrade.

FB · 07/11/2006, 12:06 PM

Please explain why these are better.

They look the same to me. They both have similiar filters.

Thanks

FB

smleee · 07/11/2006, 12:17 PM

True 75GPD DOW FilmTec membrane. Full size vertical DI cartridge (there is a reason that unit uses 2 hollow tubes filled with DI resin). Things like TDS meter is mandatory and usually comes with the $150-$200 units, pressure guage, etc. Also, remember customer service, not sure about that vendor but with some it may be hard to contact them if you have a problem.

eee

fsn77 · 07/11/2006, 12:30 PM

Any newly set-up RO/DI system requires a short break-in period, some say just a couple of gallons while others say 5 gallons or more. It's usually stated in the instructions.

The difference... the most obvious one to me is the lack of a verticle DI chamber. Those 2 horizontal DI chambers will be less effective over time than a single 10" vertical DI chamber. Even in a chemistry lab, where water purity is an absolute must, all of the DI chambers I've seen in the various labs I've worked in are vertical. Water can easily cut a path through a horizontal chamber, causing most of the resin to never contact any appreciable amount of water. With a vertical chamber, the water is fighting gravity as it floods the resin, allowing for a more even distribution of flow through the chamber.

Buying a slightly more expensive unit now will save you money in the long run. For another $50 or so, you should be able to buy a better unit with less maintainance cost than that eBay unit.

Btw, it's unlikely those cartridges will last 12 months as stated in the auction. Six months is about as long as they are effective.

RFC · 07/11/2006, 01:01 PM

I have the same filter . Its been running for the past 4 months and thus far my tds have been a constant 0. IMHO, great filter at a great price. Just throw out the first 5 gallons and your set just to be careful and your set.

At times you will see advice based on theory and not hardcore experience on the net. I also run a canister filter 24/7 with carbon, purigen and sponges and my nitrates have also been a constant 0. I rinse out the sponges everyweek during my water changes.

Regards

RFC

smleee · 07/11/2006, 01:30 PM

There have been numerous users here who have had to replace/upgrade the membrane and DI configuration to get satisfactory results in units similar to this and also had non-existent customer service with some of the ebay vendors. That is not theory.

eee

AZDesertRat · 07/11/2006, 06:01 PM

One very big difference is the quality of the filters it comes with. granted they will be replaced every 6 months but why not start out with high quality filters and replacethem with high quality filters. Did you happen to notice they do not give any micron ratings on the carbon filters they use? They are very very poor quality and probably have lessthan 1/4 or less the chlorine removal capacity that a good quality 1 or 0.6 micron carbon blcok has. Same goes for the prefilter. I'll bet you could pour sand in it and it would pass a portion of it through.
The DI is a no brainer. Look at a true DI filter which is housed in an industry standard 10" vertical canister just like the pre and carbons are. Good units also come with a DI cartridge than fits in that canister and holds a full 24 oz of Purolite or other high quality nuclear grade resin.
Other things are the lack of a TDS meter or pressure gauge, the already mentioned use of a membrane other than the Dow Filmtec 75 GPD which is designed to operate at 50 psi rather than 65 psi like is required by this unit and normally produces a little better quality. Other less obvious things are the use of cheap screw on compression fittings in place of better more expensive John Guest fittings and no DI bypass valve so you can get RO only water.
Not to mention their blatant poor advertising and claims. Take a look at the graph they show there and then look at the one GE Desal has on their own website and you will see they are different? How can that be? FD certainly has not improved the GE membrane so either GE way underates their membranes or FD is providing false data to inflate their claims.

Again you can do much better for not that much more initial capital outlay. Certainly less than waht it would cost you to upgrade that unit to make it comparable to the unitsI have already suggested. If you really want to see how poorly it is constructed look at the Spectrapure Select units, they are leaps and bounds better but again you will pay a little more for that initial quality but it will also probably last your lifetime with normal maintenance wher I can guarantee you that one won't.

xtrstangx · 07/11/2006, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by smleee
True 75GPD DOW FilmTec membrane. Full size vertical DI cartridge (there is a reason that unit uses 2 hollow tubes filled with DI resin). Things like TDS meter is mandatory and usually comes with the $150-$200 units, pressure guage, etc. Also, remember customer service, not sure about that vendor but with some it may be hard to contact them if you have a problem.

eee

They may not use the best filters, but they do have good customer support and are very easy to reach.

TaubBaer · 07/11/2006, 06:04 PM

How about Spetrapure CSP-DI-xx?

AZDesertRat · 07/11/2006, 06:17 PM

The Spectrapure CSP-DI is the best RO/DI unit available today. Their select membranes are individually hand tested and guaranteed to produce better than 98% rejection. No one else offers this in a stock RO/DI system that I am aware of. You pay a little more but the savings in DI changes will recoup the difference in your investment in a short time. Spectrapure also has a new add on DI system that is just hitting the market which they call the Max Cap DI system that has 3 times the capacity of any other mixed bed DI cartridge on the market. I am testing one right now with great results so far. Our Phoenix water is extremely high in TDS, 500 to over 1000 at times, so if I can get 3x the life out of my DI I am all for it. So far its produclng water in the 18 megaohm range consistently.

07/11/2006, 08:53 AM	#1
FB Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Georgetown, ON Posts: 1,305	New RO / DI Filter I've recieved my 6 stage RO / DI filter. This is not my auction but this is the one I bought. http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-2-110GP...QQcmdZViewItem It's still in the box. The installation instructions seem pretty basic. Do you have to break them in. Anything I should know about setting it up. Thanks FB

07/11/2006, 06:04 PM	#10
TaubBaer Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 316	How about Spetrapure CSP-DI-xx? __________________ Your opinion is about as valuable to me as a screen door on a submarine. Current Tank Info: Current: 54g corner (RIP)

07/11/2006, 11:45 AM	#2
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Honestly the best thing would be leave it in the box and return it. Buy yourself a good unit that does not need upgrading to perform properly like a Typhoon III from www.airwaterice.com , Optima Automated from www.purelyh2o.com , ocean reef+ from www.thefilterguys.biz or Premium series from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com . There really is a difference in the quality of these units and the one you bought. You get what you pay for with RO/DI and cheap is not good. For high quality expect to spend between $150 and $200 and never have to upgrade.

07/11/2006, 12:06 PM	#3
FB Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Georgetown, ON Posts: 1,305	Please explain why these are better. They look the same to me. They both have similiar filters. Thanks FB

07/11/2006, 12:17 PM	#4
smleee Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 1,344	True 75GPD DOW FilmTec membrane. Full size vertical DI cartridge (there is a reason that unit uses 2 hollow tubes filled with DI resin). Things like TDS meter is mandatory and usually comes with the $150-$200 units, pressure guage, etc. Also, remember customer service, not sure about that vendor but with some it may be hard to contact them if you have a problem. eee

07/11/2006, 12:30 PM	#5
fsn77 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: SC Posts: 777	Any newly set-up RO/DI system requires a short break-in period, some say just a couple of gallons while others say 5 gallons or more. It's usually stated in the instructions. The difference... the most obvious one to me is the lack of a verticle DI chamber. Those 2 horizontal DI chambers will be less effective over time than a single 10" vertical DI chamber. Even in a chemistry lab, where water purity is an absolute must, all of the DI chambers I've seen in the various labs I've worked in are vertical. Water can easily cut a path through a horizontal chamber, causing most of the resin to never contact any appreciable amount of water. With a vertical chamber, the water is fighting gravity as it floods the resin, allowing for a more even distribution of flow through the chamber. Buying a slightly more expensive unit now will save you money in the long run. For another $50 or so, you should be able to buy a better unit with less maintainance cost than that eBay unit. Btw, it's unlikely those cartridges will last 12 months as stated in the auction. Six months is about as long as they are effective.

07/11/2006, 01:01 PM	#6
RFC Moved On Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 157	I have the same filter . Its been running for the past 4 months and thus far my tds have been a constant 0. IMHO, great filter at a great price. Just throw out the first 5 gallons and your set just to be careful and your set. At times you will see advice based on theory and not hardcore experience on the net. I also run a canister filter 24/7 with carbon, purigen and sponges and my nitrates have also been a constant 0. I rinse out the sponges everyweek during my water changes. Regards RFC

07/11/2006, 01:30 PM	#7
smleee Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 1,344	There have been numerous users here who have had to replace/upgrade the membrane and DI configuration to get satisfactory results in units similar to this and also had non-existent customer service with some of the ebay vendors. That is not theory. eee

07/11/2006, 06:01 PM	#8
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	One very big difference is the quality of the filters it comes with. granted they will be replaced every 6 months but why not start out with high quality filters and replacethem with high quality filters. Did you happen to notice they do not give any micron ratings on the carbon filters they use? They are very very poor quality and probably have lessthan 1/4 or less the chlorine removal capacity that a good quality 1 or 0.6 micron carbon blcok has. Same goes for the prefilter. I'll bet you could pour sand in it and it would pass a portion of it through. The DI is a no brainer. Look at a true DI filter which is housed in an industry standard 10" vertical canister just like the pre and carbons are. Good units also come with a DI cartridge than fits in that canister and holds a full 24 oz of Purolite or other high quality nuclear grade resin. Other things are the lack of a TDS meter or pressure gauge, the already mentioned use of a membrane other than the Dow Filmtec 75 GPD which is designed to operate at 50 psi rather than 65 psi like is required by this unit and normally produces a little better quality. Other less obvious things are the use of cheap screw on compression fittings in place of better more expensive John Guest fittings and no DI bypass valve so you can get RO only water. Not to mention their blatant poor advertising and claims. Take a look at the graph they show there and then look at the one GE Desal has on their own website and you will see they are different? How can that be? FD certainly has not improved the GE membrane so either GE way underates their membranes or FD is providing false data to inflate their claims. Again you can do much better for not that much more initial capital outlay. Certainly less than waht it would cost you to upgrade that unit to make it comparable to the unitsI have already suggested. If you really want to see how poorly it is constructed look at the Spectrapure Select units, they are leaps and bounds better but again you will pay a little more for that initial quality but it will also probably last your lifetime with normal maintenance wher I can guarantee you that one won't.

07/11/2006, 06:17 PM	#11
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	The Spectrapure CSP-DI is the best RO/DI unit available today. Their select membranes are individually hand tested and guaranteed to produce better than 98% rejection. No one else offers this in a stock RO/DI system that I am aware of. You pay a little more but the savings in DI changes will recoup the difference in your investment in a short time. Spectrapure also has a new add on DI system that is just hitting the market which they call the Max Cap DI system that has 3 times the capacity of any other mixed bed DI cartridge on the market. I am testing one right now with great results so far. Our Phoenix water is extremely high in TDS, 500 to over 1000 at times, so if I can get 3x the life out of my DI I am all for it. So far its produclng water in the 18 megaohm range consistently.