Opinion on RO unit

[Bobbofin]

Going to participate in the upcoming Bulk Reef Supply group buy. I have a LPS tank, no SPS. Is getting the RO/DI with all the bells and whistles really needed? Will I notice a diferance in having a 5 micron or .6 micron final cartridge before the membrane? Their ecomony RO/DI is $140 and top of the line is $200. If I go with economy then how do I know when to change the filters? Do I get a TSD meter or just guess?

 

[Joel A]

go with the 5 stage "standard" system. The 200 dollar system is with a pressure gauge, dual inline TDS meter, and a membrane flush kit, all of which are nice, but not necessary.

The price on the standard 5 stage will drop down to 140 with the group buy...

 

[afboundguy]

And the price of the 5 stage plus will drop to $160

Either way you'd need a TDS meter to see when to replace the filters. I'm getting the plus because I like the extras and will make things easier in the long run...

 

[malawinovice]

I have the plus and it is really a nice unit. Nice to know when to change the filters and not guess. The pressure gauge and the TDS monitor are nice.

 

[EddieM]

All RODI units are pretty much built the same. The diffrences are primarily in the filters which you have to replace regularly anyway and the bells and whistles (i.e. tds meter).

Once you get your RODI unit, you may find that other filter combinations work better for you. As long as the unit has the basic features you're looking for, go with it.

I notice the brs systems run the following filters
5 micron depth sediment filter
5 micron MATRIKX CTO/2 carbon block
0.6 micron MATRIKX+1 carbon block
Refillable DI cartridge filled with color changing DI resin

Personally I have a Spectrapure 4 stage unit and I added a 5th chamber to it. I prefer to use the smaller micron filter on the sediment, which is much cheaper to replace. I run dual sediment cartridges. The 1 micron sediment acts as a prefilter. Sediment filters are relatively cheap, especially the 1 micron. So using this as a prefilter is ideal. I then run a .5 micron sediment, .5 micron carbon, followed by RO and DI

Depending on your water, other "specialy" cartridges may be required in additon to the ones outlined above. ie chloramines removal or lead removal. These can always be added later.

 

[ljr]

You may want to look at AirWaterIce (one of our sponsors). With the 10% of discount to BRS members the price may even be cheaper.