Mighty Mite RO/DI, Are they any good?

[Sexy Shrimp]

If you have long verticle handle on your cupboards you can hang it on this - just slot the long hole on the back over it

[Todesengel]

I just bought the 6stage that Mr. Anderson posted up. Hopefully it will get here soon! If I would of gotten one of these when I started reefing, I would of saved TONS of money on top off water!

[ac_archie]

how does the faucet adaptor work? will it work in my faucet, even though its not a screw type one?

[mkriegal]

have one and it's great. 0 tds, but my water wasn't that bad to begin with (40-50tds). not enough pressure so had to get a booster pump. i still kinda wish i got a ro/di that did more GPD but I was on a strict budget. it's great, but 50gpd is only like 1-2 gallons per hour

[36and2]

How long do your filters last before they have to be replaced?

[NotAPiscivore]

It looks like the Typhoon III is 270 where the Mighty Might is about 110. The Typhoon is above my budget.

 

Anyone have the SpectaPure ProPlus? Is is 150 and 90 gpd.

 

Also, I have seen that some people mentioned needing a booster pump because their water pressure is low. Is there a good way to test what the water pressure is?

 

Thanks.

[fewskillz]

I have the SpectraPure ProPlus. I've only had it for a few weeks but no complaints so far. It comes with a 3/4" hose adapter. I've got mine hung in the laundry room and hook it up to the washer connection.

 

When mine arrived it had a faulty gasket, but their tech support helped me come up with a temporary solution and sent me three new gaskets. I'm pleased with it for $150.

[AZDesertRat]

You can pick up a 100 psi pressure gauge and hose bib adapter at your local hardware store for less than $10. Screw it on a outside garden hose bib or on the cold wate rsupply to the washing machine and monitor your pressure. As long as you are at or above 50 psi you are good, higher is better up to about 90-100 psi as it makes water faster and a little higher quality.

The Pro Plus is probably the best value in reef quality RO/DI systems considering all it comes with including the TDS meter and inline pressure gauge plus the batch tested RO membrane and hand blended SilicaBuster DI resins no one else offers at any price.

[NotAPiscivore]

Did you use a y-splitter? I looked at those but I was worried about leaks since they seem about garden hose quality.

 

Ok another beginner question. Do I need a pressurized collection vessel for the DI? I was hoping to just dump it into a bucket but I don't know if the system like SpectaPure requires back pressure or something to work (my guess why they are used)

 

I am getting the P gauge tonight. Hopefully my water pressure is high enough!

 

Thanks!

 

I have the SpectraPure ProPlus. I've only had it for a few weeks but no complaints so far. It comes with a 3/4" hose adapter. I've got mine hung in the laundry room and hook it up to the washer connection.

 

When mine arrived it had a faulty gasket, but their tech support helped me come up with a temporary solution and sent me three new gaskets. I'm pleased with it for $150.

[fewskillz]

I havent bought one of those splitters yet, but I'm going to. For now I'm just switching between the washer and the RO unit hoses whenever needed.

 

No extra back pressure required. We try to reuse as much of our waste water as possible so I catch all of that in a 32 gallon Brute and catch the filtered water in 5 gallon buckets and jugs.

[NotAPiscivore]

I bought a static water pressure gauge and 3/4 to 1/2 adapter and put in on my shower last night. 50psi on the nose. So I ordered the SpectaPure ProPlus. I'll let you know how it works when it arrives. Thanks for all the help.

 

So when you guys disconnect these things and store them to do you do anything special (eg. do the filters need to stay wet or anything like that). Don't want to ruin my filters accidentally.

 

I havent bought one of those splitters yet, but I'm going to. For now I'm just switching between the washer and the RO unit hoses whenever needed.

 

No extra back pressure required. We try to reuse as much of our waste water as possible so I catch all of that in a 32 gallon Brute and catch the filtered water in 5 gallon buckets and jugs.

[AZDesertRat]

Keep the canisters full and try to use the unit at least every 7-10 days. They work best without any backpressure so an open container works fine, I use a 23 gallon Rubermaid recycling can myself.

[pweissma]

They work best without any backpressure so an open container works fine, I use a 23 gallon Rubermaid recycling can myself.

RO/DI filters probably run fastest without any backpressure but backpressure doesn't degrade the quality of the water that comes out. RO/DI storage containers are like ballons. As they fill up with water the back pressure increases. Also like a ballon, the water goes out through the same opening as it came in driven by the pressure.

 

Under my kitchen sink I put in a Mighty Mite with a 2.2 gal storage container. The whole thing takes up very little space with the storage tank sitting over the filter on a small shelf. I live in an apartment and dream about having space for a huge water tub. Two dumps of the storage container gives me a water change. The install was a little complicated but Air Water Ice was helpful. Storage containers come in lots of different sizes and are probably the best way to store a supply.

[AZDesertRat]

Backpressure does change things, that is one of the reasons permeate pumps work so well with pressurized systems, they sort of level the playing field by using the backpressure to drive the pump and deliver better water with lower waste.

 

Given a choice I would buy a standard sized system every time as it is much more bang for the buck and gives you more options. Take a look at the pictures of the Mighty Mite and similar systems paying particular attention to the bracket it is all mounted on then compare it to a normal system with vertical sumps. Thye sue the same physical size bracket so the foortprint is the same. The small systems mount a series of less efficient horizontal filters on top of the bracket while the standard systems use 10 cansiters or sumps under the bracket. The result is the standard systems give you better water quality for a longer period of time, at a lower long term cost of ownership and for maybe an additional 3-5" of vertical space. Its a no brainer to me.

[pweissma]

Backpressure does change things, that is one of the reasons permeate pumps work so well with pressurized systems, they sort of level the playing field by using the backpressure to drive the pump and deliver better water with lower waste.

Could you please provide a bit more explanation? I thought permeate pumps were used when there is inadequaqte water pressure but I know nothing about them. I don't see how waste water factors in here. I've seen graphs of output and waste as a function of input pressure. Past a certain point only waste water increases. Makes sense that backpressure would effect this but it's not clear how.

 

My local tap has TDS of about 44 and I'm getting 0 TDS out from my storage tank and it definately adds backpressure by design. How is it that the water quality is degrated by the backpressure?

[AZDesertRat]

Permeate pumps have nothing to do with incoming pressure. What they do is harness the energy in the waste stream to help drive a mechanical pump which relieves some of the pressure on the treated side of the RO membrane making it function better. This only applies with pressure tank systems which create the backpressure.

It has to do with something called "transmembrane pressure". Basically the greater the pressure differential between the tap and treated sides of the membrane the better it works. You should be able to search transmembrane pressure for a better explaination.

[rick4him]

Permeate pumps have nothing to do with incoming pressure. What they do is harness the energy in the waste stream to help drive a mechanical pump which relieves some of the pressure on the treated side of the RO membrane making it function better. This only applies with pressure tank systems which create the backpressure.

It has to do with something called "transmembrane pressure". Basically the greater the pressure differential between the tap and treated sides of the membrane the better it works. You should be able to search transmembrane pressure for a better explaination.

 

I just sat this up and the water was running for about an hour and I had no 'good' water. I then did some research and realized that I didn't have put the flow restrictor on the end of the waster water line. (The instructions didn't really say anything regarding this.)

 

What do I do with this flow restrictor? Do I leave it open all the way? (If so, what is the difference between leaving the flow restrictor on or off?) If it's open all the way, then the water would just go through it like it wasn't on there, right? And if you close it all the way, I"m not sure what would happen, something exploding or something? ha,ha..

 

Anyways, just trying to figure out how to get this up and running...

[AZDesertRat]

By your description I assume you have a flow restrictor with a bypass for flushing. If so leave the valve in the closed position so all water goes through the restrictor and not the bypass. If you feel energetic, every time you make water, when you are done, open the bypass and flush to waste for a minute or two before shutting the system off. Personally I think its a waste of time and money but some day someone may prove me wrong. For now there is no documented proof bypass flush valves do anything other than lighten your wallet. As long as you stick to a 4:1 waste ratio and use high quality low micron replacement filter you are getting all the flushing you should need as much of the suspended solids are never making it to the membrane to begin with.

[bps7772000]

What do I do with this flow restrictor? Do I leave it open all the way? (If so, what is the difference between leaving the flow restrictor on or off?)

 

When I started using my Mighty Mite last year that I bought used, I talked to Air-Water-Ice about ordering some parts and how to use the thing. They advised me to turn the restrictor valve forward(parallel) before making water 1 minute for every day it hadn't been used and to flush all the water to waste for that period of time. Meaning if the unit sat idle for 14 days before I make water, turn the restrictor valve parallel and flush all the water for 14-15 minutes before turning the valve restrictor perpendicular to make low tds ro/di water. I have followed this procedure for the last 8 months and the water has been 0 to 1 tds consistently. There is a reason the restrictor is adjustable, and according to Air-Water-Ice, it is for thoroughly flushing bad water caught in the cartridges before making RO/DI water.

[AZDesertRat]

If it gives you a warm fuzzy then by all means do it, it has no proven value though. For it to possibly have any value it has to be done at the end of the treatment process though to remove all the built up suspended solids though before they have a chance to solidify on the membrane fabric. See no one agrees on how to even use it and I'm more accurate than they are and they sell the thing. I would use the valve and tees for a mor useful function like a DI bypass or a sample point so you can draw RO only water to test with your handheld TDS meter. Both are more useful.

[rick4him]

After you make the rodi top off are you supposed to put a power head in the jug for 24 hours before you can use it?

 

I had read that somewhere and didn't know if that was true...

[AZDesertRat]

Some people do, I don't myself unless I am making new salt water and intend to use it right away.

[Deleted User 6]

i upgraded my mighty mite to 150gpd with a new ro membrane and flow restrictor. it's amazing. yeah the other filters don't last as long, but they're like $20 to replace and they should at least last a year based on my output, so whatever.

[rick4him]

Question - I normally keep my water in those 5 gallon jugs you get from the LFS.

 

I have been using them for about a year bringing ro water from the LFS to my house. I have never cleaned them before, and from reading some of the posts on here, and seems as if what I'm doing isn't the best choice.

 

Is it bad to use the jugs to store ro water? If you are constantly putting fresh water in these, do they ever need to be deep cleaned? (to me it seems as if they are never getting dirty.)

 

Just wanted to get your thoughts.

[Deleted User 6]

i used to do that. keep them sealed up and away from light and I don't see a problem. might not hurt to rinse them out every so often if you feel up to it. i wouldn't really sweat it all that much.