RO/DI unit recommendations?

[hollow]

Hi everyone,

I've been looking for a nice RO/DI unit but the problem is that I live in a rental and cannot touch the plumbing at all. I have already gotten into it with the landlord once for rerouting my air conditioner drainage from my shower to my washer drainage because I was tired of it rusting my showerhead+tub (why they decided to have the water drip into the shower is beyond me). Can anyone recommend me a good RO/DI unit with an adapter that will only require me to attach on the outside of a regular sink faucet or even a deeper kitchen faucet, that can be easily attached and deattached as desired? I only have a single 30 gallon tank so it doesn't need to be 100gpd or anything fancy. I would like to spend 300 bucks or less. Any suggestions would be very appreciated. I also read a few threads where people were using RODI water stored in buckets or garbage cans but where having them contaminate the water because of the materials they were made out of. Is this something that is widespread?

[intheb0x]

i got the kent marine 60gpd maxxim HI-S

and i also live in a rental, but my landlords could care less what i do but i got 2 bathrooms and in the one i dont use i just bought a faucet adatper that just screws on that on the other end has a hose adapter, because the maxxim comes with a garden hose adapter i just screwed it on and walla i was up and running, couldnt get any easier. there on ebay for about 220$

im very satisfed.

let us know what you decide to do.

[skh]

I highly recommend the mighty-mite. I don't know anyone who has anything but good things to say about it. It's compact, comes with the necessary faucet adapters and makes more than enough water for a 30G.

 

http://www.airwaterice.com/product/1MMDI/M...h_DI_Added.html

 

 

i got the kent marine 60gpd maxxim HI-S

and i also live in a rental, but my landlords could care less what i do but i got 2 bathrooms and in the one i dont use i just bought a faucet adatper that just screws on that on the other end has a hose adapter, because the maxxim comes with a garden hose adapter i just screwed it on and walla i was up and running, couldnt get any easier. there on ebay for about 220$

im very satisfed.

let us know what you decide to do.

[hollow]

So I just got to thinking would it be possible to run a RO/DI unit off my cold water line on my washer? Use some kind of Y connector and have one input into the washer another go into the RO/DI unit then have two jugs one for the good water collection and one for the bad? I could hide this pretty well and I wouldn't really have to mess with any plumbing seems like it would be simple in theory. My only question is would there be some kind of valve that i could shut on and off so when i needed to use the washer. Any input?

[CarterNichols]

So I just got to thinking would it be possible to run a RO/DI unit off my cold water line on my washer? Use some kind of T connector and have one input into the washer another go into the RO/DI unit then have two jugs one for the good water collection and one for the bad? I could hide this pretty well and I wouldn't really have to mess with any plumbing seems like it would be simple in theory. Any input?

 

some people have the waste water go straight into their washer.. just an idea. and the valve will actually look like a Y, like 2 bucks at home depot or you local hardware store.

 

 

something like this would be ideal because you easily turn on/off the water flow to the RO/DI unit.

[hollow]

some people have the waste water go straight into their washer.. just an idea. and the valve will actually look like a Y, like 2 bucks at home depot or you local hardware store.

 

 

something like this would be ideal because you easily turn on/off the water flow to the RO/DI unit.

That would work for me just drop the waste tube into the washer when in use. Have the good water output running into a jug on the floor. That y connector looks like it would work perfectly for what i need to do. Guess I should check out some hardware stores and see what they have lying around. That one in the pic is a little bigger than the faucet on the waterline connecting to the washer but im sure they make something like that in different sizes. Would lying the RO/DI unit on its side effect anything? I see most people have them mounted really nice vertically. I have a washer with a dryer unit attached to the top so I would have to lay it down and cant mount it.

 

This looks like it would work nicely.

 

My question which would work better a sink adapter or hooking to the washer waterline? I'm only going to be making small amounts of water I only have a 29g tank.Would the water pressure on one be more desirable than the other?

[CarterNichols]

well the ones like the mighty mite posted above are portable so i think setting it on its side (as pictured) would be fine.

 

you could always get those sticky hooks reserved for like hats or whatever and stick them on the side of the dryer/washer combo and place the RO/DI unit's screw holes on that, although i don't know if they have to be perfectly level to work.. i just buy water, haven't upgraded to my own system yet.

 

for small amount of water i would go with the sink adapter because you can just easily store it away when you aren't using it, throw the waste water tube in the sink to drain, however if you are into saving the environment using the waste water for laundry would be better, its all personal preference, i would think though that the water pressure coming from your faucet and the water source to the washer are the same.

[hollow]

well the ones like the mighty mite posted above are portable so i think setting it on its side (as pictured) would be fine.

 

you could always get those sticky hooks reserved for like hats or whatever and stick them on the side of the dryer/washer combo and place the RO/DI unit's screw holes on that, although i don't know if they have to be perfectly level to work.. i just buy water, haven't upgraded to my own system yet.

 

for small amount of water i would go with the sink adapter because you can just easily store it away when you aren't using it, throw the waste water tube in the sink to drain, however if you are into saving the environment using the waste water for laundry would be better, its all personal preference, i would think though that the water pressure coming from your faucet and the water source to the washer are the same.

 

Yeah I'm assuming that the pressure will be the same either way. I'm just going to go with a Y connector with the shut off valves run from the waterline and have the drainage into the washer. I'll just leave the unit sitting on top of the dryer that way I don't have to constantly pull it out from storage.

 

Went ahead and ordered the Kent Marine Deluxe Hi-S Maxxima 35 GPD RO/DI System over the other one because it has a built in pressure gauge and purity monitor.

[CarterNichols]

thats a good choice, if i ever get one, it'll be one with a monitor like that.. good luck with it!

[hollow]

thats a good choice, if i ever get one, it'll be one with a monitor like that.. good luck with it!

 

Thanks for all the help! Off to home depot tomorrow! Going to try to find a nice way to mount it somehow.

[HankB]

you could always get those sticky hooks reserved for like hats or whatever

 

 

Those units weigh a bit. They'll eventually pull the hook off the side of the dryer and when they drop, they might break. If that happens and you have water pressure on the system, you will have a flood. That will probably not make the land lord happy.

 

If you mount one of these somewhere, be absolutely sure it is very secure. This is definitely a "better safe than sorry" situation.

 

-hank

[Izzue]

EBAY...check out the WaterGeneral setups...Made by Filter Direct.

0.02

 

Izzue

[bdare]

melev's reef makes a VERY nice 100gph unit and it priced very well.

[Kenny2008]

Can one get by with just an RO unit and without the Deionizer? Or maybe I'll just buy distilled water, which I believe is equal in purity as with RO.

[CarterNichols]

 

Those units weigh a bit. They'll eventually pull the hook off the side of the dryer and when they drop, they might break. If that happens and you have water pressure on the system, you will have a flood. That will probably not make the land lord happy.

 

If you mount one of these somewhere, be absolutely sure it is very secure. This is definitely a "better safe than sorry" situation.

 

-hank

 

my bad, i had no idea how much those things weighed..

[bellsofireland]

Big fan of my Optima-V Series by purelyH2O

[hollow]

 

Those units weigh a bit. They'll eventually pull the hook off the side of the dryer and when they drop, they might break. If that happens and you have water pressure on the system, you will have a flood. That will probably not make the land lord happy.

 

If you mount one of these somewhere, be absolutely sure it is very secure. This is definitely a "better safe than sorry" situation.

 

-hank

 

Thanks for the info but I plan on sitting it on top of my dryer and securing it up there somehow.

[Scott Riemer]

I have Filter Direct on ebay<<LINK attached with this:

 

I've been very pleased with this unit, especially for the price. I've been using it for over a year and still get 0 TDS water.

[Phixion]

Scott, I notice they now sell an inline UV sterilizer that I guess connects either before or after the DI stage... I'm considering getting it as I've tested slight phosphates in my water outpot... =/

[HecticDialectics]

For a temp apartment connection, I think THIS is actually the far superior choice

http://www.airwaterice.com/product/FAUCETA...et_Adaptor.html

 

 

It installs on the sink faucet... and there's a black knob on the side you can't see in the picture. When you flip the knob, water comes out the spigot... flip it back and it's in normal sink mode.

 

Whenever you want water... connect the ro/di input line, turn knob to spigot mode, turn on faucet, water starts arunnin'

 

When you're done, flip the knob back to regular mode, wash the dishes!

[Phixion]

For a temp apartment connection, I think THIS is actually the far superior choice

http://www.airwaterice.com/product/FAUCETA...et_Adaptor.html

 

 

It installs on the sink faucet... and there's a black knob on the side you can't see in the picture. When you flip the knob, water comes out the spigot... flip it back and it's in normal sink mode.

 

Whenever you want water... connect the ro/di input line, turn knob to spigot mode, turn on faucet, water starts arunnin'

 

When you're done, flip the knob back to regular mode, wash the dishes!

 

Cheaper than the Ebay company's offer of the same too!

 

Only advantage of hard plumbing to your cold water line, is there's NO risk of accidently running hot water through the system, of course providing you hook it up to the correct water line in the first place.

[Kenny2008]

Argh!!!!!!! The MightyMight RO/DI unit doesn't ship to Canada

 

Anyone fellow Canuck know of anywhere I can get one? <sigh>.

[CarterNichols]

Argh!!!!!!! The MightyMight RO/DI unit doesn't ship to Canada

 

Anyone fellow Canuck know of anywhere I can get one? <sigh>.

 

ebay duh.

[HankB]

Hi all,

I just got my RO/DI unit hooked up so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

 

This is the RD-106 from filterdirect on eBay. It is made by Watergeneral. It is shown in this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/WaterGeneral-RO-DI-2OU...oQQcmdZViewItem

 

The other candidate from this seller was the RD-102 shown here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-RO-2DI-REVERS...oQQcmdZViewItem

 

I think either system would be suitable. The RD-102 has two DI stages whereas the RD-106 has one DI and one carbon stage. The RD-106 also has a storage tank which is why I went with that one. It includes a sink spigot too which at present I am not using.

 

On the RD-106, the carbon and DI stages are plumbed in parallel. It is intended that the RO output be run through the carbon filter and to the sink spigot. The DI stage has a separate output that produces the RO/DI water. I suppose this makes it a dual purpose system.

 

The storage tank is plumbed between the RO stage and the two filter stages so it stores RO water for either purpose. The instructions indicate that better operation of the DI stage is had by closing the tank valve when using that. The flow rate directly from the RO stage is much lower and allows longer contact time with the DI resin. I bought the TDS meter along with it and run with a brand new cartridge, it reads 0 on the output at both high and low flow rates. Nope... Now that the tank is full, it goes up to 1 ppm at the high flow rate. That's still probably good enough for making reef water.

 

This unit also includes a pressure gage and it indicates that my incoming pressure is at 80 psig. Inlet TDS reads 127-130 PPM. I recall when working in the steel industry years ago, the hardness of the (Lake Michigan) water was 135 ppm as CACO3, so this seems to be in the ball park.

 

Instruction's seem clear enough and the unit went together without any difficulty. The equipment looks sturdy and well built. So far I've taken 1 gallon of water out of it to put in my FW tank and it's working great!

 

thanks,

hank

[bamaboy333]

I highly recommend the mighty-mite. I don't know anyone who has anything but good things to say about it. It's compact, comes with the necessary faucet adapters and makes more than enough water for a 30G.

 

http://www.airwaterice.com/product/1MMDI/M...h_DI_Added.html

 

 

That site seems to say that it is a RO unit only. maybe i am just reading it wrong. I was just curious, because I definantly like the size and price. i have a 28g so it would be perfect for me.