LF: RODI water supply in Calgary

[mrhasan]

Does anyone know where I can find bulk RODI water? Safeway? Coop? Or preferably some home delivery company :)

[Delphinus]

Safeway yes, Coop, yes ... etc.

Or just buy your own RO/DI unit! :p http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-ro-di-system-75gpd.html

[mrhasan]

Safeway yes, Coop, yes ... etc.

Or just buy your own RO/DI unit! :p http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-ro-di-system-75gpd.html

Yap will buy that when I move to new place but for the next 2 months, I have to resort to buying water :(

Just on a site note, instead of BRS unit, this unit looks more promising for a fraction of cost. What do you think? :D

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/AQUARIUM-II-RO-DI-REVERSE-OSMOSIS-WATER-FILTER-AQUASAFE-/250842385194?pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item3a675f0b2a&_uhb=1

[Delphinus]

I guess 4/5 is technically a fraction :-)

But yes that's OK unit.

[Coralgurl]

From my experience, you are going to get tired of lugging jugs back and forth to a store....I did this for a while then bought an RO unit. You always have emergency water available, where a store may be closed. They are super easy to tie in and remove when required. Had mine under the kitchen sink for the first 6 months, then moved it to the basement. Get one, you'll be happy you did.

[lastlight]

the di resin works much better in a vertical cartridge in a reg 10" housing. It's much more likely to form channels laying on its side and then you don't get adequate exposure to all the resin.

i just run a single sediment, single caron, ro then di. my media lasts forever i think having so many stages is overkill at least for me.

[mrhasan]

From my experience, you are going to get tired of lugging jugs back and forth to a store....I did this for a while then bought an RO unit. You always have emergency water available, where a store may be closed. They are super easy to tie in and remove when required. Had mine under the kitchen sink for the first 6 months, then moved it to the basement. Get one, you'll be happy you did.

Oh the cost of running medium sized tank :cry:

the di resin works much better in a vertical cartridge in a reg 10" housing. It's much more likely to form channels laying on its side and then you don't get adequate exposure to all the resin.

i just run a single sediment, single caron, ro then di. my media lasts forever i think having so many stages is overkill at least for me.

Despite being overkill, I think the filter is nicely priced :D But do you think the di resins lying on its side can be a problem?

[Delphinus]

I'm sure it works fine in the end. Aquasafe has been around a while and I remember a few years ago when they first came on the scene there were a ton of Canreefers buying their units. There has to be some reason they're cheaper than average but I couldn't tell you what it is. As long as it's working and not leaking it's providing function.

With that said, I do notice they are using 100gpd membranes and not 75gpd membranes. While it might sound better because "oh hey, 25gpd more must be 25gpd better", it's actually not a huge difference in terms of the flowrate of water being produced, but in general, the 100gpd membranes tend to have a slightly lower rejection rate than 75gpd membranes. If say, your input water has tds 170, and the 75gpd outputs 1 tds (just say for example, I don't know the actual #'s) and the 100gpd outputs 2 tds, although this doesn't sound like much, you will go through way more DI in a year with the 100gpd unit than with the 75gpd unit. And the cost of that extra DI will be more than the difference in price of the membranes... So if cost is concern you want to pay more attention to the posted rejection rate over the actual gpd ratings.

There's a little more info in these two links:
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/75-gpd-reverse-osmosis-membrane-dow-filmtec.html
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/100-gpd-reverse-osmosis-membrane-ge-osmonics.html

They talk a little about rejection rates (98% vs 96%) in the descriptions of each.

[lastlight]

my unit actually is an old aquasafe.

i just added an inline tds meter, backflush valve and use the third 10" canister for my DI. i have an extra valve to divert the ro output down the drain until it's around 2TDS before allowing it to enter the resin. The ro output spikes to around 80 at first and within 20 seconds currently it falls to 2 or 1.

[mrhasan]

I'm sure it works fine in the end. Aquasafe has been around a while and I remember a few years ago when they first came on the scene there were a ton of Canreefers buying their units. There has to be some reason they're cheaper than average but I couldn't tell you what it is. As long as it's working and not leaking it's providing function.

With that said, I do notice they are using 100gpd membranes and not 75gpd membranes. While it might sound better because "oh hey, 25gpd more must be 25gpd better", it's actually not a huge difference in terms of the flowrate of water being produced, but in general, the 100gpd membranes tend to have a slightly lower rejection rate than 75gpd membranes. If say, your input water has tds 170, and the 75gpd outputs 1 tds (just say for example, I don't know the actual #'s) and the 100gpd outputs 2 tds, although this doesn't sound like much, you will go through way more DI in a year with the 100gpd unit than with the 75gpd unit. And the cost of that extra DI will be more than the difference in price of the membranes... So if cost is concern you want to pay more attention to the posted rejection rate over the actual gpd ratings.

There's a little more info in these two links:
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/75-gpd-reverse-osmosis-membrane-dow-filmtec.html
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/100-gpd-reverse-osmosis-membrane-ge-osmonics.html

They talk a little about rejection rates (98% vs 96%) in the descriptions of each.

I think BRS puts up the NaCl rejection rate in their description. I checked in the manual of aquasafe rodi and NaCl has a rejection rate of 99%. Alongside, it claims to have a waste ratio of 1:1 which is pretty much the best isinit?

my unit actually is an old aquasafe.

i just added an inline tds meter, backflush valve and use the third 10" canister for my DI. i have an extra valve to divert the ro output down the drain until it's around 2TDS before allowing it to enter the resin. The ro output spikes to around 80 at first and within 20 seconds currently it falls to 2 or 1.

Seems too complicated :neutral:

[mrhasan]

I came to find out that Calgary is charged double the water used (because of wastage!). WTH :S So RODI unit is actually not coming out to be cheap. To make 5 gallon water, I will be using 20 gallon and be charged for 40gallon! And that's for only top off water :S Can anyone please clarify me on that?

I am just doing the calculation since moving to an apartment might be an option for me and I will have to pay the bills.

[Delphinus]

http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/Water/Pages/Customer-service/Water-and-wastewater-rates/How-to-read-your-water-bill.aspx

You pay for the water delivered to your abode and your wastewater carried away. It's not exactly double because the wastewater is a smaller percentage of what is delivered to account for things like irrigation and evaporation and so on. So you would be charged for 20 gallons delivered, and some amount less than 20 gallons for wastewater. I forget the exact ratio they use.

But even though you pay for water to AND from your abode, realistically, I don't think you will truly feel a huge impact in your water bill for the size of tank you have. It's part of the cost of having a tank. Overall it would likely be one of your more nomimal costs.

[mrhasan]

http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/Water/Pages/Customer-service/Water-and-wastewater-rates/How-to-read-your-water-bill.aspx

You pay for the water delivered to your abode and your wastewater carried away. It's not exactly double because the wastewater is a smaller percentage of what is delivered to account for things like irrigation and evaporation and so on. So you would be charged for 20 gallons delivered, and some amount less than 20 gallons for wastewater. I forget the exact ratio they use.

But even though you pay for water to AND from your abode, realistically, I don't think you will truly feel a huge impact in your water bill for the size of tank you have. It's part of the cost of having a tank. Overall it would likely be one of your more nomimal costs.

Oh Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa an :cry: The cost the COST!!!! :cry: :twised:

[Delphinus]

That said, if you're uncomfortable buying an RO/DI, just don't buy one! I don't think anyone is suggesting to buy one because they want to trick you into making a bad purchase. :p It's more of a convenience factor to be able to produce your own RO/DI. Plus, another thing to consider is that the grocery store water is RO, but not RO/DI. That means if you properly maintain your RO/DI unit, the water you produce will be superior to the water you buy at the grocery store. And last but not least, it just sucks to carry those jugs around: water is heavy. :lol:

The only reason I suggested to watch out for rejection rates is, well, 1) it's kind of interesting and thought you might find it interesting too, and 2) You will indeed notice a difference in the depletion rates of your DI resins if you go from one to another. It might not be so much a cost factor but the inconvenience factor of having to replace that stuff every so often.

Hope this helps!

[Delphinus]

Oh Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa an :cry: The cost the COST!!!! :cry: :twised:

Are you sure you're not my dad? That guy has figured out, to the PENNY, how much it costs him to water his grass using his sprinklers. "TO RUN ZIS (he's Dutch, therefore the accent, thought I'd better clarify that) SPREENKLER VOOD COST $3.64 PER VEEK. $3.64!!! $3.64!!!!! OH ZE INHUMANITY."

[spit.fire]

Can't beat the vertex rodi unit

[mrhasan]

That said, if you're uncomfortable buying an RO/DI, just don't buy one! I don't think anyone is suggesting to buy one because they want to trick you into making a bad purchase. :p It's more of a convenience factor to be able to produce your own RO/DI. Plus, another thing to consider is that the grocery store water is RO, but not RO/DI. That means if you properly maintain your RO/DI unit, the water you produce will be superior to the water you buy at the grocery store. And last but not least, it just sucks to carry those jugs around: water is heavy. :lol:

The only reason I suggested to watch out for rejection rates is, well, 1) it's kind of interesting and thought you might find it interesting too, and 2) You will indeed notice a difference in the depletion rates of your DI resins if you go from one to another. It might not be so much a cost factor but the inconvenience factor of having to replace that stuff every so often.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the information. Definitely useful :D

Are you sure you're not my dad? That guy has figured out, to the PENNY, how much it costs him to water his grass using his sprinklers. "TO RUN ZIS (he's Dutch, therefore the accent, thought I'd better clarify that) SPREENKLER VOOD COST $3.64 PER VEEK. $3.64!!! $3.64!!!!! OH ZE INHUMANITY."

LOL. I am too young to fit in the scene ;) :razz:

Its really not about the cost. I always try to give the best "I can afford" to my fish even if that means to not buy a nice shirt for a change (my fishes "wear" more brand stuffs than me :lol:). I get my scholarship, I go buy something for my fish instead of something for me :smile:

But this month has been horrible for me in terms of the tank (you might already be aware of that through my several "complaining" posts). Burnt skimmer, burnt reactor pump, dead fishes, foods + selcon, dead corals.....sometimes, its a bit harsh for me on my small amount I get as scholarship :cry:

And this hobby is not very "rental" friendly and with RODI...ummm....yah...just adds another "layer" to that :razz: