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Newbie Question About Water Filtration


Mrj7

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I am starting my first saltwater aquarium soon. The main question I have right now is if I can use water from the filtration system already in my home for water changes. I will probably buy salt water to get the aquarium started. Water coming into my house goes through a water softener/carbon filter unit first. Then at the faucet I get my drinking water from I have a 6 stage RO filter, there is no DI filter. The 6th stage is an alkalinity filter which restores a “healthy” alkalinity to the water and adds “beneficial” minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. I don’t have a way of measuring the alkalinity yet but from the numbers I am seeing I am thinking it should be Around 8-8.5.
 

Here is a link to the filter I have 

 

iSpring RCC7AK 6-Stage Superb Taste High Capacity Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System with Alkaline Remineralization-Natural pH

 

 

 

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You really want to be adding your salt mix to a blank slate of RODI (or distilled) water with 0 TDS.  I think using water with minerals in it is too much of a wildcard.   The salt mixes in the hobby are carefully designed to have all the necessary elements for corals, so you'd be altering the consent ration and the ratios between different elements. 

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Thanks for your answers! I could easily bypass the alkaline filter to get straight RO water for the aquarium. Sounds like this still might not be ideal because there is no DI filter in the system. If that’s right I will most likely buy distilled water and mix my own saltwater from that for water changes.

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Your link doesn't work

 

Anyway, I will assume it is an RO drinking water system

 

I don't know what the "alkaline" filter is

 

But if you put a valve before it. After the RO filter. Add a DI canister with DI cartridge for $40. $13 for DI resin

 

PS, alkaline water for drinking is silly, if that's what the alkaline filter does. As soon as it hits your stomach, it reacts with the gastric acid and will just give you gas. That's all it does. Take a pepcid, no gas.

 

Easy peasy

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/single-deionization-canister.html

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30 minutes ago, farkwar said:

Your link doesn't work

 

Anyway, I will assume it is an RO drinking water system

 

I don't know what the "alkaline" filter is

 

But if you put a valve before it. After the RO filter. Add a DI canister with DI cartridge for $40. $13 for DI resin

 

PS, alkaline water for drinking is silly, if that's what the alkaline filter does. As soon as it hits your stomach, it reacts with the gastric acid and will just give you gas. That's all it does. Take a pepcid, no gas.

 

Easy peasy

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/single-deionization-canister.html

Thank you for this. I hadn’t even thought about just adding a DI in the current system. This is probably the route I will go. Does it matter what order they are in? I think what I have seen normally is DI and then RO. Possibly just to preserve the life of the RO Membrane? 
 

PS The the best benefit of the alkaline filter is that it adds minerals back into the water, so I’m not just drinking “empty” water.

 

iSpring RCC7AK 6-Stage Superb Taste High Capacity Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System with Alkaline Remineralization-Natural pH, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LJ8EXU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_dlC_IZbXFbQ4KJBE9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

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Sediment

Carbon

RO

RO(I like two, twice the production)

Splitter valve

One side to your alkaline filter

One side to your DI filter

 

RO is a bypass filter,

DI resin is an adsorption filter

 

If it goes through DI, it will go through RO

I have DI after RO, to catch what goes through RO

 

The way you mention, other way, appears to be standard way. It was how BRS made them when I bought mine, I had them make it my way instead

 

I got mine back in 2013. Same RO membranes. 0 TDS on the out side

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45 minutes ago, Mrj7 said:

The the best benefit of the alkaline filter is that it adds minerals back into the water, so I’m not just drinking “empty” water.

I usually just add stuff like coffee and soup to mine

 

I bought virtually a pallet of water in March for the Covid

 

I only mention the alkaline water, because some coworkers were pushing it as 'health' water for awhile.  And they should know better, they have all taken a chemistry class

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I am curious to what the TDS of my water is considering I have a water softener before the RO filter. From what I have read a water softener does the same thing as a DI filter (minus the saltwater regeneration) just not as good. I ordered a TDS tester so I can know for sure. I will most likely be adding a DI filter into the system.

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11 hours ago, Mrj7 said:

I am curious to what the TDS of my water is considering I have a water softener before the RO filter. From what I have read a water softener does the same thing as a DI filter (minus the saltwater regeneration) just not as good. I ordered a TDS tester so I can know for sure. I will most likely be adding a DI filter into the system.

Softener softens the water it doesn't remove chlorine, chloramines, etc

 

Di removes chemicals - make the water pure h2o

 

The proper set up of rodi for reef use is sediment, carbon, membrane, di. What carbon you use and how many chambers in total is all dependent on your water quality and treatment.

 

I have sediment, regular carbon, chloramine carbon, membrane, di because my water has tds levels between 300- 480 and is treated with both chloramine and chlorine.

 

 

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Thanks for your help everyone! I added the DI filter to my RO system and it seems to be working great. It is setup as follows
Supply
1.PP sediment filter
2.Carbon KDF filter
3.Carbon block (CTO) filter
4.RO Filter
5.Pressurized Storage Tank
6.Fine GAC filter
This is where I put in the T fitting
One side goes to the alkaline filter then up to the faucet
The other side goes to the new DI filter with a hose and valve on the end. The plan is to put jugs on the kitchen floor and fill from underneath the sink.


I included a picture just for fun. It is kind of hard to see exactly how it is plumbed. My cat had to be right in the action the whole time while I was doing the install.😆

The TDS of the RO/DI side reads 0ppm compared to 54ppm on the RO + ALK filter and 450+ppm for tap water from my water softener. 
I still need to put a little work into managing the lines better, I will do that eventually.... maybe.😆

 

Filter System.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 11/29/2020 at 1:29 AM, Mrj7 said:

Water coming into my house goes through a water softener/carbon filter unit first.

Carbon in the house filter would grab most/all of the chlorine from your tap water.  

 

If you don't already test chlorine I would get a low-range chlorine test kit to go with your TDS test kit.

 

On 12/3/2020 at 6:58 AM, Mrj7 said:

2.Carbon KDF filter
3.Carbon block (CTO) filter

These two should be redundant to the house filter.   (test so you know)

 

Both of these stages could probably be eliminated, or at least reduced from two canisters to one.  And use the most basic activated carbon filter you can get instead of these fancy ones.

 

On 12/3/2020 at 6:58 AM, Mrj7 said:

6.Fine GAC filter
This is where I put in the T fitting

I think that carbon stage is to remove the weird flavor the pressure tank can put on the water.

 

Unless I'm mistaken, you want your Tee right after the RO membrane, but before the tank and before the secondary GAC canister.

 

On 12/3/2020 at 6:58 AM, Mrj7 said:

The plan is to put jugs on the kitchen floor and fill from underneath the sink.

...and repeatedly flood the floor?  Filling at only 3 gallons per hour (or less) you will be apt to stop paying attention before your bucket is full.

 

That has NEVER happened to me, BTW.  That's how I know about it.  😉

 

I do not recommend running the filter without a float-shutoff being connected to shut off the flow even if you aren't paying attention.

image.png.4471bcb0d419cfcf05cd6f68cca44528.png

https://spectrapure.com/products/adjustable-arm-mini-float-valve-0-25-inch-compression-fitting-v-float-4-pp?_pos=15&_sid=dd53c2cdd&_ss=r

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