Buying RODI vs Making

[wh1skey6]

My LFS sells RODI for $.25/gallon. Yes its 0 TDS. I go through an average of 4.5 gallons a week...so 234 gallons a year for $58.

 

Aquatic Life RO Buddy 4 stage - $60

Carbon Cartridge - $10 x 2

Sediment Cartridge - $10 x 2

DI resin - $20

TDS Meter - $20

 

This is based on "research" that you should be changing carbon/sediment out every six months to reduce bacteria growth. My tap water is ~100 TDS. I figure I can get the DI cartridge to last ~500 gallons. 

 

Year 1: $100 (Initial purchase, TDS meter, one set of cartridges)

Year 2: $40 (two sets of cartridges)

Year 3: $60 ((two sets of cartridges, one DI resin)

Year 4: $40 (two sets of cartridges)

Total: $240

 

Or spend $58/yr * 4 years = $232 and not deal with having to store the RODI unit. Or to deal with the waste water. Obviously if I don't have to replace carbon/sediment every 6 months, cost goes down.

[WV Reefer]

43 minutes ago, wh1skey6 said:

My LFS sells RODI for $.25/gallon. Yes its 0 TDS. I go through an average of 4.5 gallons a week...so 234 gallons a year for $58.

 

Aquatic Life RO Buddy 4 stage - $60

Carbon Cartridge - $10 x 2

Sediment Cartridge - $10 x 2

DI resin - $20

TDS Meter - $20

 

This is based on "research" that you should be changing carbon/sediment out every six months to reduce bacteria growth. My tap water is ~100 TDS. I figure I can get the DI cartridge to last ~500 gallons. 

 

Year 1: $100 (Initial purchase, TDS meter, one set of cartridges)

Year 2: $40 (two sets of cartridges)

Year 3: $60 ((two sets of cartridges, one DI resin)

Year 4: $40 (two sets of cartridges)

Total: $240

 

Or spend $58/yr * 4 years = $232 and not deal with having to store the RODI unit. Or to deal with the waste water. Obviously if I don't have to replace carbon/sediment every 6 months, cost goes down.

 

For me, the RODI unit would give me peace of mind that I could make water in an emergency situation. 

[Sancho]

Do you buy bottled drinking water? 

[wh1skey6]

53 minutes ago, Sancho said:

Do you buy bottled drinking water? 

Nope. I mean I have a hydroflask and use the filtered water from the my fridge. 

[Justind823]

1 hour ago, WV Reefer said:

 

For me, the RODI unit would give me peace of mind that I could make water in an emergency situation. 

This plus no lugging water home from the lfs or taking the time out to pick it up

[Sancho]

30 minutes ago, wh1skey6 said:

Nope. I mean I have a hydroflask and use the filtered water from the my fridge. 

The water here is terrible even after the refrigerator filter. Mines set up to provide both drinking water and DI. What I saved in 6 months of bottled water paid for it. Plus what WV said there’s been numerous occasions when the LFS was closed and I needed water in a pinch. 

[Indiana Reefin]

I would buy at .25 a gallon. I would just buy 20 gallons at a time or enough to last a month. 

[wh1skey6]

59 minutes ago, Justind823 said:

This plus no lugging water home from the lfs or taking the time out to pick it up

Oddly this hasn't been a huge issue. I either send my daughter to pick it up since I pay her insurance and gas or I'll stop by after work.

 

50 minutes ago, Indiana Reefin said:

I would buy at .25 a gallon. I would just buy 20 gallons at a time or enough to last a month. 

Yup, I get close to that each time. I have ~20 gallons in my rubbermaid container and another ~20 in jugs. I can always do 100% water change if I have to.

[Toxic enigma]

Years back I had the nitrate levels in my tap suddenly go from 0 to 100 ppm. I found myself spending about 60 bucks a month on waterchanges in two planted freshwater tanks. At that point I decided ro was the best option and got an ro buddy, soon after I rigged the system up to fill a big garbage can and since then I've never been able to go back. Hard to let go of having that much control of your water supply. If something is off I can work my way back to the source and fix it.

[Jono]

You have to factor in gas prices into picking up RODI. At least I would, my store is a good bit away, and on the busiest road around, so there is always traffic (=it takes time, which also is a "cost" for me). 

If they were closer, and didn't have weird store hours so I could get there easier, I would probably buy. However, I got my filter as part of a deal with my whole set up, so I guess it really hasn't cost me much other than water utilities.