Poly-Bio-Marine's Kold Ster-il

sandhillcrane · 10/16/2006, 04:18 PM

Poly-Bio-Marine's Kold Ster-il (http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/koldproduct.htm) is advertised as an alternative to using an RO/DI system for water purification. Does anyone have any experience with this system?

Thanks.

GACDIVER · 11/15/2006, 12:55 PM

We typically use 300-500 gallons a day of purified water. The two advantages that brought us into using a Kold Steril system were the ability to run the system at 3.8 GPM and have no waste water. From there statistics that are provided it seems that it pulls all of the "bad" stuff out of the water and leaves all the "good" trace minerals and elements.

We installed a system on our large water holding bin about a year and half ago.

Since then I can tell you that the customer service at the company is horrible. They never return calls and have basically told us to go F ourselves when it comes to procuring replacement filters. Because of this we have switched back to RO/DI.

I will also tell you that I have heard that a large service company in CT that turned me on to the Kold steril system has subsequently stopped using them altogether due to the appearance of â€œless robust coral growthâ€. I did not witness this when using our system but we have given up on them basically due to the poor customer service.

Sean

gcarroll · 11/15/2006, 01:27 PM

I have one I bought used just in case of an emergency need for water. But other than that I have an RO/DI.

pjf · 11/16/2006, 08:36 PM

Iâ€™ve had a Kold Ster-il unit for the past two years and I find that it is very convenient to use. It gives me filtered dechlorinated water on demand and I donâ€™t have to wait for it to trickle into a reservoir. There is no waste water and no need for a pump. To top off my aquarium, I simply attach a hose to the Kold Ster-il unit and turn on a water valve.

The first several gallons from a new filter will show moderate levels of phosphates because carbon media in the filter is often rinsed with phosphoric acid. Certain minerals, such as silicates and calcium, will not be filtered. Aluminum media is available to remove silicates but I decided that moderate levels of silicates should not pose a problem if other water quality parameters are good.

I havenâ€™t had to replace my initial set of filtration media yet but I believe that replacement filters are available from:
â€¢ www.championlighting.com
â€¢ www.marineandreef.com

Iâ€™ve heard that customer service from the manufacturer, Poly-Bio-Marine, is poor but I havenâ€™t had to contact the manufacturer except to inquire about phosphates in the initial several gallons of water passing through the unit. Poly-Bio-Marine gave me a prompt email response and the phosphate level went down to zero after running more water through the unit.

FTDelta · 11/17/2006, 08:58 AM

Whew ! And I was going to ask about that system. I guess I'm skipping this product.

Tomzpc · 11/17/2006, 10:05 AM

I used one several years ago. IMO it is way overpriced for what it does. If I still had mine I "might" use it for drinking water or as a prefilter for my RO/DI, but that's about it. If you have any silicates or phosphates in your tap water it won't remove them unless you run the alumina media and slow the flow down to close to what an RO/DI will produce and for me that still didn't get all of the phosphates and silicates, which my Ro/DI does, at least as far as I can detect with my test kits.

sandhillcrane · 11/17/2006, 04:52 PM

Thanks for the responses. It appears that RO/DI is the way to.

bigt0706 · 11/17/2006, 11:33 PM

ro di is the way to go after several days of my buddy runing his he still had posphates and after talking to the company (horiable customer assistance ) they told him to slow it down . so we tried that and still had the same problem so after recontacting the company they then told us u had to use a phosphate remover along with ther system . so for the water u dont waste you will end up spending more on phos removers so as far as the system it s#$%

pjf · 11/18/2006, 09:42 AM

My Kold Ster-il unit is safe, ecological and convenient to use. Unlike deionization systems, there are no caustic chemicals used. Unlike reverse-osmosis systems, there is no water wasted. It can be used on demand and has a fast flow. I can attach a hose to it and turn on the tap. There is no need to carry jugs, to pump water, or to dispose of chemicals and waste water.

The fact that the Kold Ster-il does not remove silica can be beneficial because silica is required by certain invertebrates such as mollusks and sponges. Silica is feared because it is linked to diatom outbreaks. These outbreaks will not occur if water nutrient levels are low. When they do occur, diatom outbreaks are much easier to deal with than algae outbreaks. In fact, diatoms compete with algae for nutrients (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...03/feature.htm).

Because the Kold Ster-il unit uses carbon media that is manufactured with phosphoric acid, the first several gallons of my filtered water tested high in phosphates. After running many more gallons of water through the Kold Ster-il unit, the phosphate level fell to zero.

While the Kold Ster-il unit and its manufacturer have flaws, I believe that filtration products are far more convenient, far safer and far more ecological than many RO and DI products.

10/16/2006, 04:18 PM	#1
sandhillcrane Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 18	Poly-Bio-Marine's Kold Ster-il Poly-Bio-Marine's Kold Ster-il (http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/koldproduct.htm) is advertised as an alternative to using an RO/DI system for water purification. Does anyone have any experience with this system? Thanks.

11/15/2006, 01:27 PM	#3
gcarroll Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Orange, CA Posts: 9,666	I have one I bought used just in case of an emergency need for water. But other than that I have an RO/DI. __________________ Greg Carroll I will be at REEF-A-PALOOZA! SPS = Stability Promotes Success Be wary of advice coming from those who will not show you the fruits of their success! Current Tank Info: building: 250g AGE Euro tank, Abyzz A200, Vertex Supra-G filtration, Ecotech Radion Pro LEDs, ...

11/16/2006, 08:36 PM	#4
pjf Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,954	Positive Experience Iâ€™ve had a Kold Ster-il unit for the past two years and I find that it is very convenient to use. It gives me filtered dechlorinated water on demand and I donâ€™t have to wait for it to trickle into a reservoir. There is no waste water and no need for a pump. To top off my aquarium, I simply attach a hose to the Kold Ster-il unit and turn on a water valve. The first several gallons from a new filter will show moderate levels of phosphates because carbon media in the filter is often rinsed with phosphoric acid. Certain minerals, such as silicates and calcium, will not be filtered. Aluminum media is available to remove silicates but I decided that moderate levels of silicates should not pose a problem if other water quality parameters are good. I havenâ€™t had to replace my initial set of filtration media yet but I believe that replacement filters are available from: â€¢ www.championlighting.com â€¢ www.marineandreef.com Iâ€™ve heard that customer service from the manufacturer, Poly-Bio-Marine, is poor but I havenâ€™t had to contact the manufacturer except to inquire about phosphates in the initial several gallons of water passing through the unit. Poly-Bio-Marine gave me a prompt email response and the phosphate level went down to zero after running more water through the unit.

11/17/2006, 11:33 PM	#8
bigt0706 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dover , Fl Posts: 1,645	ro di is the way to go after several days of my buddy runing his he still had posphates and after talking to the company (horiable customer assistance ) they told him to slow it down . so we tried that and still had the same problem so after recontacting the company they then told us u had to use a phosphate remover along with ther system . so for the water u dont waste you will end up spending more on phos removers so as far as the system it s#$% __________________ if it dosent break the bank something else will Current Tank Info: 5'' 120 2x 250radiums vho atinics mp40 and tunse 6055 with multicontroller das dual resec skimmer , 70 tech oceanic with 6x36 teck t5 custom sump and miracle mud with bubble magnus cone skimmer

11/18/2006, 09:42 AM	#9
pjf Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,954	Filtration >> RO/DI My Kold Ster-il unit is safe, ecological and convenient to use. Unlike deionization systems, there are no caustic chemicals used. Unlike reverse-osmosis systems, there is no water wasted. It can be used on demand and has a fast flow. I can attach a hose to it and turn on the tap. There is no need to carry jugs, to pump water, or to dispose of chemicals and waste water. The fact that the Kold Ster-il does not remove silica can be beneficial because silica is required by certain invertebrates such as mollusks and sponges. Silica is feared because it is linked to diatom outbreaks. These outbreaks will not occur if water nutrient levels are low. When they do occur, diatom outbreaks are much easier to deal with than algae outbreaks. In fact, diatoms compete with algae for nutrients (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...03/feature.htm). Because the Kold Ster-il unit uses carbon media that is manufactured with phosphoric acid, the first several gallons of my filtered water tested high in phosphates. After running many more gallons of water through the Kold Ster-il unit, the phosphate level fell to zero. While the Kold Ster-il unit and its manufacturer have flaws, I believe that filtration products are far more convenient, far safer and far more ecological than many RO and DI products.

11/15/2006, 12:55 PM	#2
GACDIVER Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 153	We typically use 300-500 gallons a day of purified water. The two advantages that brought us into using a Kold Steril system were the ability to run the system at 3.8 GPM and have no waste water. From there statistics that are provided it seems that it pulls all of the "bad" stuff out of the water and leaves all the "good" trace minerals and elements. We installed a system on our large water holding bin about a year and half ago. Since then I can tell you that the customer service at the company is horrible. They never return calls and have basically told us to go F ourselves when it comes to procuring replacement filters. Because of this we have switched back to RO/DI. I will also tell you that I have heard that a large service company in CT that turned me on to the Kold steril system has subsequently stopped using them altogether due to the appearance of â€œless robust coral growthâ€. I did not witness this when using our system but we have given up on them basically due to the poor customer service. Sean

11/17/2006, 08:58 AM	#5
FTDelta Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Central NY Posts: 1,124	Whew ! And I was going to ask about that system. I guess I'm skipping this product.

11/17/2006, 10:05 AM	#6
Tomzpc Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: NY Posts: 1,738	I used one several years ago. IMO it is way overpriced for what it does. If I still had mine I "might" use it for drinking water or as a prefilter for my RO/DI, but that's about it. If you have any silicates or phosphates in your tap water it won't remove them unless you run the alumina media and slow the flow down to close to what an RO/DI will produce and for me that still didn't get all of the phosphates and silicates, which my Ro/DI does, at least as far as I can detect with my test kits.

11/17/2006, 04:52 PM	#7
sandhillcrane Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 18	Thanks for the responses. It appears that RO/DI is the way to.