Sediment and Carbon filters -- Brand matter?

[ps2cho]

I have done Spectrapure before, but I am curious if on the prefilters if it really makes a difference on the brands?

 

I understand that the DI and RO membranes are very brand-important, but what about the sediment and carbon stages?

 

I am at 6mo now on them both so its about time to change. My RO membrane is giving me 99% rejection rate which is awesome.

[AZDesertRat]

They make a huge difference. The reason Spectrapure RO membranes and DI resins work so well and last so long is the quality of their filters which protect them. They long term test everything before the offer it for sale and there really is a difference.

Check out their FAQ section for answers to why they are different and why they fail so many filters, membranes and resin duri ng their testing.

[ps2cho]

Got it will do.

 

What micron sediment filter would you recommend for Mesa area?

[AZDesertRat]

0.2 micron ZetaZorb. I run one for about 18 months at a time in N. Phoenix then chicken out and replace it even though there is no measurable headloss and it is not dirty visibly. It can also be carefully rinsed if it does appear clogged or dirty.

My MaxCap UHE is over 6 years old now, I have always used their replacements even though I stretch the replacements out and the rejection rate is still over 99.4% with RO only. It saves you money when you use good quality protection. I expect to go over 10 years on the original membrane easily.

 

If you don't already have it, the absolute best thing you can do for your RO/DI, actually for all of your plumbing, is a water softener. Membranes love soft water since they do much of the work for them and make their job easier.

[ps2cho]

So if I go to the 0.2micron sediment, I could extend my 6mo interval to maybe a year or two before changing?

[AZDesertRat]

You may be able to. I use two pressure gauges, one before the sediment filter and the one after the carbpn block to monitor headloss. I also have their low range chlorine test kit to monitor for chlorine breakthru from the carbon. If I did not do both of those I would stick to 6 month intervals as recommended. Mesa uses the same wate ras the surrounding cities and the suspended solids are very low, it is the TDS and hardness that are higher than heck so easy on sediment filters but hard on membranes and DI, especially without softened water.

[ps2cho]

Got it.

 

Is this TDS meter good enough to use to check for TDS or is the COM-100 the only way to go?

http://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B002C0A7ZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397530108&sr=8-1&keywords=tds

[AZDesertRat]

No you do not want that one, it is not temperature compensated and if I remember correctly only 3% +/- accuracy.

 

For $20-$25 you can get a HM Digital TDS-3, TDS-4TM or AP-1, all of which are ATC compensated, 2% +/- accuracy and all have a built in digital temperature readout so serve dual duty.

For a little more the COM-100 or new COM-80 has definite advantages though, like different testing and calibration modes and the ability to read sown to fractions of a ppm TDS or low range electrical conductivity.

 

Any of the above works well, I used to have the TDS-4TM (not the TDS-4 which is a different meter) and it was great until I got the COM-100 but I still keep a AP-1 around as back up. I do have two of the DM-1 dual inlines but never even use them since they lack the accuracy i like to see.

[ps2cho]

whats the difference between the TDS4 and COM-80 for myself though? Would I even use the other features?

 

I will get a better TDS Meter. I have 2x HM Inline, and that basic HM TDS meter and both show 0 tds. After the RO membrane it is ~4ppm with regular water at about 450ppm, so my membrane is doing really great.

[AZDesertRat]

Pretty good at 99.1% rejection rate. Mine is around 99.4% after 6 years use and still kicking. If measuring down to the gnats a$$ is your thing the COM series is better, if 1 ppm is close enough as it is for most users then the TDS-5TM or AP-1 would be my choices.