Victoria Water

[Werbo]

Kinda off topic but might of interest to those Victorians who do not have an RO unit. If you buy your RO water from Thrifty's, Safeway, ect for $3 there is a new store on the Island Hiway selling 5 G jugs for $2 a refill. If you live out that way this might alliviate the costs of buying RO water if that is your current situation.

[TheReefGeek]

Why not plumb the RODI into the water tap used for your washing machine? Just get a Y-adapter with valves for $10 or less at the hardware store. Heck while you are at the hardware store, buy a sprinkler solonoid to screw into the RODI side of the Y adapter, and plug the solenoid into a timer so that you have some failsafe when filling a container for RODI water?

[Jaws]

The problem I have with that is the John Guest style connections on most of the RO units. It's such a tiny piece of white plastic that's securing the tubing and if one day it pops from the pressure then you're coming home to an aweful mess. My Aquasafe unit leaks where the pressure guage screws in to the tube fixture too. I have mine set up in my bathtub when I need it. This is really annoying and not the best to look at but I feel better about leaving the house for the day while it's hooked up.

[RonD]

Originally Posted by Jaws

The problem I have with that is the John Guest style connections on most of the RO units. It's such a tiny piece of white plastic that's securing the tubing and if one day it pops from the pressure then you're coming home to an aweful mess. My Aquasafe unit leaks where the pressure guage screws in to the tube fixture too. I have mine set up in my bathtub when I need it. This is really annoying and not the best to look at but I feel better about leaving the house for the day while it's hooked up.

Jaws.. if you grab a small slotted screw driver and slip in between the fitting and the grabber portion of the fittting and then push harder on the tube that should help possible leaks.. I noticed earlier in the thread about your water params.. your alk is thru the roof .. 8 is where actual seawater is. So your algea problems are more likely coming from that. Water change or buffer it .. I use Kents Tech CB A&B with reasonabliy good results but am looking into a calcium reactor to make it even better...oh goodie, more money lol

Some good reading and hit the sublink's as well
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php


Re the RO/DI question... I am carey rd area and my TDS without the rodi can run from 15-22 ppm and with the rodi I get a flutter from zero to one. We (victoria) may have better tap water than most but the better you can make it, the better your displays results will be, plain and simple. Like reeferaddict.. mine is also in the laundry room... I 'T'ed it of the washing machines feeder as well and then used the washers drain to get rid of the waste water as well.. nice and simple.. we move and its a five minute job to take the unit with us.

[reeferaddict]

Originally Posted by TheReefGeek

Why not plumb the RODI into the water tap used for your washing machine? Just get a Y-adapter with valves for $10 or less at the hardware store. Heck while you are at the hardware store, buy a sprinkler solonoid to screw into the RODI side of the Y adapter, and plug the solenoid into a timer so that you have some failsafe when filling a container for RODI water?

What he said - that's what I did sans the fancy solenoid thingy, (haven't gotten around to it yet), & just pretty much keep water rotating out of a 55g drum in the laundry room and a 25g mixing container under one of the tanks. Best part is the laundry room is built for "accidents"..

Truly the 5 minute solution, (I spent more time mounting the thing to the wall than I did plumbing), and in my case with a Coralife RO/DI all the necessary fittings actually came with it...