another RO/DI question

[apexifd]

this probably been asked before. but, I am going to asking again.

I am planning on ordering an RO/Di system from aquasafe this month for both fish tank and drinking water.

and I notice the home system only has 1 DI canister while the aquarium kit has 3. What are the difference of having 1 vs 3?? effect on drinking or fish?

thanks

Peter

[Lampshade]

Just water polishing. For drinking water 0 TDS makes water taste like air. Everyhing else should be taken out by the time it gets to the DI canisters, all that should be left is minerals. In drinking water haveing a small amount of minerals is not the end of the world, or unsafe. For a fish tank a small amount of iron or copper can be very bad.

[mark]

been using their home system for years with only the single DI cartridge. Don't even think they has an aquarium kit when I bought mine. Can get 0 TDS with it.

[DiverDude]

As long as you can get 0 TDS, then the extra stages are just costing you money.

My guess is that not many people on Canreef have more than 1 DI stage.

[Rogue951]

I have no DI and I get 0.

[BWI]

take a look at our units.. we currently have a sale on right now. also if you spend more then $199 you get free shipping!

[intarsiabox]

Are you sure it has 3 DI chambers and not a prefilter/carbon/DI chamber set up? This is the most common way. I can't see any advantage in having any more than 1 DI chamber.

[apexifd]

Are you sure it has 3 DI chambers and not a prefilter/carbon/DI chamber set up? This is the most common way. I can't see any advantage in having any more than 1 DI chamber.


http://aquasafecanada.com/aquariumsystem.html

3 DI canisters... I want the system more for family use, but, in the mean time. enough for my other family stuck inside the glass panels

[MrGoodbytes]

I agree, three DI canisters seems pretty redundant. One will work just fine and you can always replace the resin a year or more (or whenever) down the road when it starts to creep.

[mike31154]

In your area you might not even need a DI stage at all. I thought you folks in greater Van had tap water with a very low TDS to start with. RO might be all you need. Check your tap water TDS with a meter before spending big bucks on overkill filtration, especially DI. See Rogue951's post, he lives in your neck of the woods. Cheap handheld TDS meters are available in Walmart and similar retailers in the RV/outdoor section.

Edit: Aquarium specific RODI systems are not much different, if at all, from generic RODI systems. I purchased mine from BWI and am very pleased with it. Great quality and competitively priced. You can choose from different setups that will better suit your particular needs with respect to source water TDS, rather than buying more than you need just because it's marketed as an 'aquarium' system.

[mike31154]

http://aquasafecanada.com/aquariumsystem.html

3 DI canisters... I want the system more for family use, but, in the mean time. enough for my other family stuck inside the glass panels

Just had a quick look at the two systems on the page you linked to since I was curious about the 3 DI stages. The last paragraph of the system description confuses me.

"STAGE 5, Stage 6 and Stage 7: (Demineralization by Ionization DI Resin Bead Filtration)
Resin Filter / Demineralization by Ionization– Removes hard water minerals through an ion exchange process. Intended to prevent hard water scaling and staining on the R.O. membrane that are caused by inorganic calcium, magnesium, and soluble iron. Greatly increases the working life of the membrane."

If these are indeed stage 5, 6 and 7 (meaning they are plumbed in after the RO membrane), how can they extend the life of the membrane by removing the minerals described in this statement? If one or more of the DI stages are plumbed in before the membrane, you'll be replacing DI media (not cheap) like nobody's business (depending on the hardness of your source water). So yes, it may increase the working life of the membrane, but you'll be paying through the nose replacing DI media. Probably be more cost effective to get a more conventional system and replace the membrane every two years. Several other things worth noting on the Aquasafe systems is that they don't have clear filter housings for the pre stages and all the DI stages are horizontal. I believe a vertical DI stage is more efficient.

[sphelps]

In Richmond you shouldn't need DI so I would avoid it all together since it'll just add cost to maintenance with little gain and it's a pain to change.

If you do go with DI the one will be more than adequate but you can go with three if you're planning on failing behind on filter changes as the extra DI will help.

For drinking water just tee a line in before the DI to your faucet or whatever. Just be sure to also have your pressure water storage tank also plumbed in prior to the DI. Also if it has a final polishing filter use that only on the drinking line.

[sphelps]

Also keep in mind if it's not much more to add the three DIs you can get that system and remove all or some of the DI canisters and add them later if needed or use them for quick changes.