who her uses Aquatic Life's RODI systems?

[Friendly]

if so...

- what system?

- do you like it?

- what don't you like?

- any regrets?

[ezreefer73]

I have the unit with the di cartridge which you can re-fill when it is exhausted. I have the 50 gpd unit. I love it. Been using it for about 4 months now. 0 TDS water. I actually got in on chewy.com for about 60 bucks. Mine is the simple unit that all the different cartridges clip together, it is considered a portable unit.

[Friendly]

2 minutes ago, ezreefer73 said:

I have the unit with the di cartridge which you can re-fill when it is exhausted. I have the 50 gpd unit. I love it. Been using it for about 4 months now. 0 TDS water. I actually got in on chewy.com for about 60 bucks. Mine is the simple unit that all the different cartridges clip together, it is considered a portable unit.

i'm guessing you mean this 4 stage solution from their 'buddy' line?

https://aquaticlife.com/products/aquatic-life-ro-buddie-3-4-stage-compact-reverse-osmosis-systems?variant=19263844286522

[jservedio]

If you have the room, get a normal RODI system and not one of the tiny AquaticLife ones. The upfront cost of the AquaticLife ones is far cheaper, but the cost to replace cartridges is more expensive and you get less out of them due to the smaller size. Plus you are limited to their proprietary cartridges with less options.

 

A standard 3 canister with a full-sized RO membrane is all you will need - doesn't matter if it is a generic from BRS or MarineDepot or if it is a name brand like SpectraPure. It allows you to customize the setup based on what kind of water you have - have high chloramines? Get a chloramine block. Have high silicates? Get a silica buster DI cartridge.

[ezreefer73]

24 minutes ago, Friendly said:

i'm guessing you mean this 4 stage solution from their 'buddy' line?

https://aquaticlife.com/products/aquatic-life-ro-buddie-3-4-stage-compact-reverse-osmosis-systems?variant=19263844286522

Yes that is the one. I caught it on a sale around Christmas time. Works great.

[Friendly]

10 minutes ago, jservedio said:

If you have the room, get a normal RODI system and not one of the tiny AquaticLife ones. The upfront cost of the AquaticLife ones is far cheaper, but the cost to replace cartridges is more expensive and you get less out of them due to the smaller size. Plus you are limited to their proprietary cartridges with less options.

 

A standard 3 canister with a full-sized RO membrane is all you will need - doesn't matter if it is a generic from BRS or MarineDepot or if it is a name brand like SpectraPure. It allows you to customize the setup based on what kind of water you have - have high chloramines? Get a chloramine block. Have high silicates? Get a silica buster DI cartridge.

indeed, but I do not have space for a RODI system, so need something portable, such as the buddy. are there other affordable solutions that use generic cartridges that maintain the portability?

 

also, I don't need a lot of 'production'...my first tank is going to be 5.5 gallons and should things work out, I won't go with anything bigger than a 22 gallon long.

 

if distilled water wasn't so bloody expensive up here in Canada, I could just buy gallon jugs. spending a bit more on a RODI would quickly pay for itself.   <_< 

 

also, a system that allowed for RO tap for drinking would be nice too.  😉

[jservedio]

1 minute ago, Friendly said:

indeed, but I do not have space for a RODI system, so need something portable, such as the buddy. are there other affordable solutions that use generic cartridges that maintain the portability?

My RODI system lives under my guest bathroom sink and I put it out on the counter to use it and put it back when I'm done. They are all portable (well, the 6-stage ones are huge and really aren't) - it's just a matter of what plumbing options you make. They all use JG push-connect fittings which are easy to remove and the 1/4" tubing is very flexible and if you are going to be disconnecting it from the water source after ever use, you can use a sink adapter, quick disconnect, etc.

[Friendly]

Just now, jservedio said:

My RODI system lives under my guest bathroom sink and I put it out on the counter to use it and put it back when I'm done. They are all portable (well, the 6-stage ones are huge and really aren't) - it's just a matter of what plumbing options you make. They all use JG push-connect fittings which are easy to remove and the 1/4" tubing is very flexible and if you are going to be disconnecting it from the water source after ever use, you can use a sink adapter, quick disconnect, etc.

I'm a computer guy...everything you said there is Greek.

 

are yours all inline or bundled up with tubing between them? I'd like something that could be pulled out and screwed into the sink tap. I likely would need to get a pump as we are very low pressure.  😛 

[jservedio]

8 minutes ago, Friendly said:

I'm a computer guy...everything you said there is Greek.

 

are yours all inline or bundled up with tubing between them? I'd like something that could be pulled out and screwed into the sink tap. I likely would need to get a pump as we are very low pressure.  😛 

Software Engineer here, you'll figure it out doing your research!

 

Yes, it's all bundled up and mounted to a bracket and most of them come with an adapter to screw into the sink where your aerator goes. If it doesn't come with this, you can grab one for about $10 for your sink since they all use standard size and type plumbing fittings.

 

Here is a picture of mine so you can see the bracket they are attached to:

 

The black line connects to the cold-water supply under my sink (in your case, it would attach to the faucet), the short yellow line facing upwards is the waste-water line and would just go in my sink, and the long coiled yellow and blue line with the clamp are the RODI line and they would get clamped into my bucket which I put in my tub so it can overflow without flooding my house.

 

[Friendly]

that would be something along the lines of the Aquatic Life 'Classic' system, right?

 

we have a lot of tannin in our water...like so much that our water is discolored at the tap. should I pay any particular attention to a type of filter to drop that out?

[xthunt]

I have the ro buddie 4 stage. Mounted under a sink, next to the tub. When I make water, I pull the lines out, screw the input to the bathtub or sink faucet (needed to buy adapter), run the waste line down the drain, and have the container sitting in the tub in case I forget to check on it (which is every time). 

 

I havent counted how many gallons Ive made with it, but its a lot cheaper than distilled bottles. $60 buys a little less than 60 gallons of distilled. I’ve made a lot more than 60 gallons with the ro buddie. A lot. My tap is around 160tds. Even if you treat the unit as disposable, and buy a whole new unit when the resin goes out or ppm shows, its still a lot cheaper than distilled. 

[jservedio]

5 minutes ago, Friendly said:

that would be something along the lines of the Aquatic Life 'Classic' system, right?

 

we have a lot of tannin in our water...like so much that our water is discolored at the tap. should I pay any particular attention to a type of filter to drop that out?

Yeah - it's just a name-branded 3-stage unit. Tannins shouldn't make it through an RO membrane, but you may want to add a flush-valve to your setup (they are about $15) at some point to increase the longevity of your RO membrane, which is the most expensive component in the system.

 

Edit: You will probably go through pre-filters and carbon blocks faster than most people - but that's why you don't get the small twist-in cartridges. A full-sized carbon block should be around $12 and a sediment filter around $6.

[Friendly]

how exactly would you use a flush valve to extend the life of of the RO membrane?

 

and any good off-brand pump suggestions? the water pressure at our place is pitiful...takes the washer about 20 min to fill with just cold water. 

[Gourami Swami]

I've been using the "buddy" 3 stage unit 100gpd for a few months now. Figured I could always add a fourth stage if I needed it; but the water comes out at 3TDS (tested with meter) which is perfectly fine for me.

I also have a "koolermax" 4 stage 150gpd unit which I used for years and years; Overall this buddy unit is much smaller, almost as fast to make water, and without the DI, it is only slightly higher in tds than the RO/DI 4 stage. You could of course get the buddy 4 stage unit, though as long as your source isn't ditchwater, I think the 3-stage should be fine.

Before I bought it, I read all the reviews here, all of which told me to get the full size RO/DI unit. I ignored them, figured for 70$ what the hell let's give it a shot and save space in my studio apartment. So far I'm happy with the purchase.

[jservedio]

1 minute ago, Friendly said:

how exactly would you use a flush valve to extend the life of of the RO membrane?

 

and any good off-brand pump suggestions? the water pressure at our place is pitiful...takes the washer about 20 min to fill with just cold water. 

Flush valve basically runs water over the membrane material (instead of through it) and rinses it off.  You can flush it without the valve (just by removing the flow restrictor), but the valve makes it way easier.

 

Booster pumps are expensive no matter what and add significantly to the bulk of your system. Before buying one, you need to check your pressure - as long as you are close to 40psi (not very much pressure), you will be fine without one, especially for a nano where you don't need tons of water and never need lots of water immediately. If you are close, you can use the unit on the first floor since you will have higher pressure there (or even better in the basement if you have one).

[Friendly]

gotcha. I wouldn't be surprised if our water pressure is below 40 psi...have to see if any of my friends have a pressure gauge I can test with.

 

like I said, the washer takes forever plus a day to fill, the shower is laughable...you actually want to get out as quick as possible it's so feeble.  😞  

[jservedio]

6 minutes ago, Gourami Swami said:

and save space in my studio apartment. So far I'm happy with the purchase.

I think this is the only case where a tiny unit makes more sense than a full-sized unit!

[Friendly]

Js, can you link me to the cartridges you buy? I just want to compare their costs vs. the AL Buddy system...  😉 

[jservedio]

1 hour ago, Friendly said:

Js, can you link me to the cartridges you buy? I just want to compare their costs vs. the AL Buddy system...  😉 

My source water is actually decent, so I just use what is cheapest at the moment - I just check Bulk Reef Supply and Marine Depot for their sediment and carbon blocks and use the bulk color-change DI Resin and pack my own cartridges.

 

I'm using this Sediment Filter in 1 micron ($3.99): https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/10-purtrex-depth-sediment-filter.html

This carbon block ($7.99): https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/matrikx-cto-carbon-block-5-micron.html

And this DI Resin: ($12.99): https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-bulk-deionization-resin-color-changing.html

 

Total replacement is $25. If you shop around, you can probably get an even better deal. Since my source water is actually good, I only have to replace my cartridges once every 12-18 months.

[Friendly]

man...stuff up here in Canada is so expensive! I was looking at Max Water who makes kits for aquariums. 3x - 5x the price.  <_< 

 

biggest question is how can you trust something so cheap with something so important? that's not to say they aren't legit...but don't you question their pricing? if it's too good to be true, it usually is. I've found this rule of thumb to almost always be true...

[jservedio]

2 minutes ago, Friendly said:

man...stuff up here in Canada is so expensive! I was looking at Max Water who makes kits for aquariums. 3x - 5x the price.  <_< 

 

biggest question is how can you trust something so cheap with something so important? that's not to say they aren't legit...but don't you question their pricing? if it's too good to be true, it usually is. I've found this rule of thumb to almost always be true...

Because I have an inline 2-channel TDS meter hooked up to my RODI system that measures the TDS post-membrane and the TDS coming out of the DI resin to verify everything is working properly. Typically 1-3ppm post-membrane and always 0ppm coming out of resin. If it gets above 0ppm out of the resin, I change it.

[Friendly]

ahhh...evidence.  😉

 

yours is a four stage RODI. how do you have the filters oriented?

[jservedio]

Just now, Friendly said:

ahhh...evidence.  😉

 

yours is a four stage RODI. how do you have the filters oriented?

Raleigh Tap Water > Sediment FIlter > Carbon Block > RO Membrane > DI Resin > Homer Bucket with 0ppm TDS

[Friendly]

thanks for all the thoughts Js.

 

where did you buy the RODI unit from? BRS or elsewhere?

[Melfy77]

On 4/30/2019 at 11:41 AM, Friendly said:

man...stuff up here in Canada is so expensive! I was looking at Max Water who makes kits for aquariums. 3x - 5x the price.  <_< 

 

biggest question is how can you trust something so cheap with something so important? that's not to say they aren't legit...but don't you question their pricing? if it's too good to be true, it usually is. I've found this rule of thumb to almost always be true...

I love Canada, but yeah stuff is expensive!!!!! Just ordered a spectra  RO/DI 4 stage 90gpd from reef supplies for 200$ CAD. I was using tap water (I have a 30g FO saltwater tank) but keep getting diatoms so pretty sure there's silicate and phosphate in that water. Po4 tests are useless but ordered the silicate one. Plan on keeping it in the basement by the sink and book it up to the faucet.