SpectraPure RO/Di cartridge/filter replacements

[rahorman]

Hey all,

 

I have an MPDI RO/Di water maker from spectrapure and was going to order replacement filters, and cartridges. I've had the water maker for a year , (my tap water is pretty clean, and I have a 34 gallon tank), I do a 10% water change once a week. So I was looking to order the Sediment Filter, Carbon block, RO Membrane, and DI cartridge, and it came out to $112 bucks, before shipping!! I mean I bought this thing on sale for 150 bucks a year ago. This seems like a lot of money for a couple of filters and cartridges. It almost makes more sense to spend the extra money and just buy a new water maker, plus you won't have to go and spend the time to change everything. What does everyone else think / do?

[paneubert]

Same concept as computer printers. The ink is more $$$$ than buying a new printer. I guess they have to make money somehow.....

[rahorman]

Yea seriously...I'm really contemplating just buying a new water maker...except now they're 199 bucks. But still, for the extra 80 bucks you don't have to deal with changing all the crap out

[alex1237]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, and you probably should just test it with a tds pen, but isn't the ro membrane usually good for a couple years especially considering the comparatively small volume of water this filter has processed. Not changing the ro membrane would put a big dent in that bill.

[rahorman]

Is that true?? What about the DI cartridge?

[AZDesertRat]

First off, why are you replacing the membrane? Whay are you replacing the DI, does your TDS meter tell you the final TDS is siomething other than 0 TDS?

 

Spectrapure membranes easily last 5-10 years IF you keep up with the prefilter and carbon block replacements every 6 months as recommended and use their high quality replacements. The prefiler is $12 for a 0.5 micron and the carbon block is $13 also for a 20,000 gallon 0.5 micron, thats pretty inexpensive for the quality you are receiving.

 

http://www.spectrapure.com/email/customer-...eciation.html#1

 

Even if you did want or need to replace the RO membrane thats only another $30 and the SilicaBuster DI cartridge is only $18 which all totaled up is only $73 not $112. Even if you wanted a new RO/DI system, the CSP-DI is only $145 complete with a dual inline TDS meter and inline pressure gauge.

 

 

Spectrapure is a sponsor here on N-R and has a Sponsors Forum page, you could discuss it with them directly.

[rahorman]

Those are not the prices on their website and I saw nothing about a sale on their website, and the SpectraPure customer service guy did not give me those prices when I talked to him on the phone.

 

Also, this is my first tank, and first time using a machine like this, so I was not really sure when to change anything. I've had the water maker for a year now, and haven't changed anything yet. Can I still get by with just changing the prefilter and carbon block? The final TDS right now on the out is 0, and in ranges from 2-5. The filter canister all the way on the right of the machine (not sure which one this is exactly), is fairly colorful at this point, with oranges and browns).

[AZDesertRat]

The prefilter and carbon block must be changed every 6 months and the system should be disinfected following their instructions at that time. If these are followed the others, membrane and DI are judged strictly with a TDS meter so can vary from person to person. Spectrapure includes very detailed instructions with all their units and they are also on their website if you no longer have them.

 

The sale ad has been posted and discussed on this forum hundreds of times over the last 6 months or so and I though was common knowledge, sorry you hadn't seen it yet.

[driftsaru]

That's funny. I just received an email for their fall sale yesterday.....

[Hans Dorn]

The prefilter and carbon block must be changed every 6 months and the system should be disinfected following their instructions at that time.

I guess this just applies if you plan on drinking your RO water.

[AZDesertRat]

No, that is not the case, all RO membranes should be disinfected at least annually.

Bacterial growth can hinder the performance of a membrane regardless if its for drinking water or for RO/DI. Yes it is critical you do it for drinking water but I have seen slime bacteria fouled membranes in the aquatics hobby too, bacteria doesn't care how you use it.

Its probably more critical in our hoby when you think about it. Most drinking water systems are sealed meaning they are directly connected or piped to the water supply and feed into a presurized tank and faucet so the chance of introducing contaminants is relatively low.

Many of us use our units portable so they are exposed to atmosphere on both the tap and treated water sides and increasing the likelyhood of contamination.

[Hans Dorn]

OK.

 

Guess I'm due a filter change on my crappy little RO. (It's been running for at least 6 years now...)

 

Its's one of these small units with 5" prefilters.

 

 

What kind of disinfectant should I use? The manufacturer doesn't have any on their page.

 

 

The unit still does 97% btw, go figure

[AZDesertRat]

You really have nothing you can disinfect with a system like that since the filters are throwaways. Normal full size systems have housings which you remove the 10" filters from, disconnect the line to the membrane then run a weak bleach solution through then add a new prefilter and carbons and reconnect to the membrane.

With your it might be a good idea to remove the membrane from the housing, inspect the membrane surface for signs of fouling, build up or discoloration, rinse the housing out with a bleach or hydrogen peroxide solution then reinstall the membrane and install the new prefilter and carbon.

 

I use two tablespoons of regular unscenetd bleach to about a gallon of water.

 

Fresh bleach is 50,000 parts per million chlorine so it does not take much and more is not better in this case. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta has determined 0.5 ppm bleach or 1/2 part per million will kill almost anything with a 5 minute contact time so it does not take much.

[Hans Dorn]

Thx.

 

Guess I'll go with H2O2. The disinfectant shouldn't go anywhere near the membrane, right?

[AZDesertRat]

Hydrogen peroxide will not damage the membrane but bleach will.

[Hans Dorn]

[rahorman]

The pressure on my RO/DI unit has not dropped at all. Does this mean I do not need to replace the pre filter or carbon yet?

[Genj]

You should call Spectrapure and talk to the tech support guy there. I think his name was Bill. He was really nice to speak with and can answer all of your questions easily.

[AZDesertRat]

A pressure drop is one indication but thats not everything. Its also hard to judge a pressure drop with only one gauge. I use two gaiges on my systems, one before the prefilter and one downstream of the carbon block so I can see at a glance the pressure drop, with one gauge you need to open the tap water side and shut the treated and waste lines so you get a static or non flowing reading then let the system run to compare readings to get an accurate pressure drop.

 

The prefilter and carbon block can also house and breed bacteria and viruses since you have a nice clear housing which can receive direct lighting, a water supply that may contain nasties and a carbon block that is removing the residual disinfectant. When the system is shut off with water in the housings as there should be you have the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and virial growth. Changing them every 6 months and disinfecting the system reduces the odds of this happening.

[thewire]

I know the Spectra pure membrane is cool and whatnot...can I buy the prefilter and carbon filters from a different company? If so what is the size I should look for? The shipping kills for Spectra..a $6 carbon block will cost me another $7 shipping wtf!

[AZDesertRat]

I wouldn't if it were me.

Spectrapure uses better filters than most and that is one reason their units perform better and last longer.

Look up the difference between a nominal rated prefilter and an absolute rated prefilter, there is a big difference in quality with only a small difference in price.

I have no idea what shipping charges are, I'm local so pick my stuff up directly from them.

 

Look at their 0.5 micron absolute prefilter and 0.5 micron 20,000 gallon Chlorine Guzzler type carbon block. At $12 and $13 you won't find any better no matter what the shipping charges are.

http://www.spectrapure.com/email/customer-...eciation.html#1

[rubadakis]

I wouldn't if it were me.

Spectrapure uses better filters than most and that is one reason their units perform better and last longer.

Look up the difference between a nominal rated prtefilter and an absolute rated prefilter, theer is a big difference in quality with only a small difference in price.

I have no idea what shipping charges are, I'm local so pick my stuff up directly from them.

 

Look at their 0.5 micron absolute prefilter and 0.5 micron 20,000 gallon Chlorine Guzzler type carbon block. At $12 and $13 you won't find any better no matter what the shipping charges are.

http://www.spectrapure.com/email/customer-...eciation.html#1

 

+1 on ^

[B.C.]

AZDesertRat,

What if city water is treated with monochloramine,would a chloramine specific filter be needed??

I have seen a system advertised for this and dont know if its legit or they are just blowing smoke.

Tia

[Captain Billy]

Sediment filters are unnecessary in most situations using city water.

 

Your machine should go:

 

10 micron carbon

5 micron carbon

50 gpd Dow Filmtec Membrane

D.I.

 

Call Katie at http://www.purelyh2o.com/

 

Tell them Billy told you to call because you want a better deal on your replacement parts.

[AZDesertRat]

Wrong, sediment filters are what protects the more expensive and more important carbon blocks. Carbon is made up of billions of tiny microscopic pores so you need to protect those pores from filling up, plugging or fouling. To do this you need a prefilter rated at the same micron rating or smaller and an absolute rated prefilter is even better since it is 99.9% efficient vs. 85% or less. If you use a 1 micron carbon block you want a 1 micron or smaller prefilter in front of it. If you use a 0.5 or 0.6 micron carbon block you want a 0.5 or 0.2 micron prfilter in front of it.

When the carbon fouls or plugs it allows chlorine to pass through which melts the RO membrane.

 

Why get a 50 GPD membrane when you can have a 75 or 90 GPD membrane and make the same quality water much faster so less standing around watching it drip, drip, drip.

 

A good 0.5, 0.6 or 1.0 micron carbon block such as the KX Carbon Chlorine Guzzlers are excellent for chloramines when they are at 4 mg/L or less like in drinking water. There is no need for granular products or so called chloramine filters. Many will fool you into believing carbon removes chloramines but that is not so, it does remove the chlorine portion which is actually easy but it takes very good DI resin in a properly filled and designed cartridge to get the ammonia which is much tougher.