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Water softner and RO/DI


rickztahone

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rickztahone

Hello all. Just wanted to double check this. I have a water softner all through the house. Can I use an RO/DI filter on this type of water or does it need to be straight tap? I have a bypass, but currently it is hooked up to my discus tank and the pressure coming from that line is ridiculously high. Please advise.

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HarryPotter

Hello all. Just wanted to double check this. I have a water softner all through the house. Can I use an RO/DI filter on this type of water or does it need to be straight tap? I have a bypass, but currently it is hooked up to my discus tank and the pressure coming from that line is ridiculously high. Please advise.

I use a water softener before my RODI.

 

The more pressure the better most likely, up to about 120 psi. Have a pressure gauge?

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rickztahone

I am yet to buy the ro unit. However, the pressure coming out of that line is fast. It fills my 55g aging barrel in roughly 2 minutes

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jamescstein

After the softener. The softener will pre-filter your water for the RO/DI and your membranes and filters will last longer.

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AZDesertRat

ABSOLUTELY use softened water. Membranes love soft water since it does much of the work for them ahead of time. ALL membrane manufacturers recommend softened water and most will not honor a warranty claim of soft water is not used.

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rickztahone

Very cool info guys. Yesterday I had a palm-forehead moment, I realize that I actually do have a line that I tapped in to a long time ago to hook up an RO/DI system where the pressure isn't ridiculously high. Talking to a fellow member about possibly purchasing their current RO/DI unit. Will see how that goes. Thank you all for the help.

 

One last question, and this one will show how much of a noob I am. Currently, I have a 55g barrel for my discus tank. I am aware I will need a smaller barrel for water for the SW tank, however, I am wondering, do I need to have 2? Is it absolutely necessary? Or can I have a supply of fresh water and simply mix a day prior to WC in a couple of 5g buckets? Once a week WC's would be nothing for me as I currently do 75% Daily WC's on my discus tank which is 75g and a 40g sump. However, I really do not want another unsightly barrel if I can avoid it. It is safer for my marriage...

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AZDesertRat

Don't reduce the pressure. The higher the pressure the more efficient the RO membrane becomes. I have boosted mine to 100 psi for the last 8 years and get 99.4% rejection rate. If it is a quality RO/DI system the components will be ANSI/NSF and UPC rated with a 125 psi working pressure and membranes are rated at 150 psi or higher.

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jamescstein

One last question, and this one will show how much of a noob I am. Currently, I have a 55g barrel for my discus tank. I am aware I will need a smaller barrel for water for the SW tank, however, I am wondering, do I need to have 2? Is it absolutely necessary? Or can I have a supply of fresh water and simply mix a day prior to WC in a couple of 5g buckets? Once a week WC's would be nothing for me as I currently do 75% Daily WC's on my discus tank which is 75g and a 40g sump. However, I really do not want another unsightly barrel if I can avoid it. It is safer for my marriage...

 

Just mix your salt up in 3-5 gallon bucket. Give it an hour or 2 after you mix it before you use it. Or mix it up the night before. Mix to the salinity you want, aerate it, heat it to temp.

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AZDesertRat

I never mix water more than an hour ahead of time. As long as the salinity, pH and temperature are close to the display there is no reason to mix any longer. Some salt manufacturers recommend using it right away in fact. In 30+ years of reefkeeping I have never once had an issue doing it this way. I have a Rubbermaid Roughneck trashcan on wheels that gets wheeled next to the tank, I mix 20-25 gallons of new saltwater, siphon the old, check the new and pump it in with an old powerhead or return pump in the can.

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rickztahone

Thank you both for your responses. That makes me a little more at ease with the whole process. I don't mind having a barrel full of SW, but didn't want to have another with mixed salt water as well. I will have a 22g and a 30g sump. Give or take, I'd say it will hold 35g total. Would 10g WC's be too much?

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