Cheap Source fpr RO water.

Ajmal C

Ajmal C

Member
Hey CR,
a heads up to all the reefers who never purchased an RO/DI unit and still lug buckets from their respective LFS's.

A few months back I noticed my corals were not fully extending their polyps like they used to, mostly zoas. After a few days of pondering and measuring parameters, I was still baffled, everything was where it was supposed to be. The only thing left was the freshwater reservoir I used for topping off. I didn't have a TDS meter so I took a sample to the LFS where it was purchased and had mine measured, a whopping 160 ppm!!. They measured theirs and it was equally astonishing at 170 ppm.

After the Reefwise Holiday party I was lucky enough to win a TDS meter and went on a 2 week long investigation spree to a few different LFS's. Attained several values from 40 ppm on up!.

I decided to stick with Distilled water from the grocery store which read 0 ppm., at a $1-$1.40/ gallon it wasn't too bad but wasn't great either.

Yesterday I, went to purchase some more distilled water and happened upon a water dispensary machine, at a Marianos, read that it was 39 cents per gallon if you bring your own container. I called the 1-800 no. and the polite lady told me they filter the water via Reverse Osmosis. Bought some water, came home and measured TDS at 3 ppm. I know that its not the desired zero value, proly due to the fact that they don't have the final De-ionization process, but it's good enough for me especially at 39cents/ gallon.

I know it's is a gazillion times cheaper and safer bet to just own an RO/DI machine but for those of us who don't I believe this is a great alternative. I am sure lots of supermarkets have such water dispensaries. Wish I would have encountered this earlier.

So be cautious of what kind of 'distilled' water you are lugging back from your LFS, not all are vigilant with membrane or cartridge changes. Companies that specialize in purified water have to be vigilant in their testing since it is their main trade. Thanks for reading and I would love to hear your input on the matter. Haters included :)
 
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Very True about tds being way off. All the more reason to have your own RODI system if your serious about reefing. It's cheaper in the long run.
 
7Hogwarts said:
Very True about tds being way off. All the more reason to have your own RODI system if your serious about reefing. It's cheaper in the long run.
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True that, will definitely get an RO/DI in the future, always wanted one. On top of being cheaper it is more convenient and saves a lot of time, which we all don't have enough off.
 
William Lutman said:
I bought my RODI after similar issue finding phosphates in LFS "RO" water. never again
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Interesting, love how you measured the actual dissolved solids not just that there are dissolved solids.
So the last 1% or less of dissolved solids could potentially be harmful.

I remember you mentioning at the party that you got the TDS in your RO/DI to a remarkably low value, can't quite recall it, something like .001 ppm. So that's like 0.000 ***lots more zeros*** .1 %. Basically a very minute fraction right?
 
Obviously they know they are at 170ppm. The others know at 40ppm and up as well. Really upsetting. Not acceptable business practice. Blatant.

I am sure they will not fix the problem either. Everytime they are called on it they will profess innocence.
 
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fit said:
Obviously they know they are at 170ppm. The others know at 40ppm and up as well. Really upsetting. Not acceptable business practice. Blatant.

I am sure they will not fix the problem either. Everytime they are called on it they will profess innocence.
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Yep, they've been waiting on a membrane for 1.5 months now.
 
Best decision I ever made was my ro system. Another thing to be aware of is your ro bucket clean it regularly as the slime that builds up will reak havoc on your levels
 
Ive heard walmart has that dispenser tging to and the levels check good . There was a post about it while back . Ive never tried since i have my own
 
I just got my TDS last week and I also use distilled water .89¢ for me at walmart. I have an RODI that I havent setup again, I need to order new membranes and I probably need a buster pump(cant afford it at the moment). None the less I been using distilled water for the past 3yrs without a problem.
 
Twitch said:
Best decision I ever made was my ro system. Another thing to be aware of is your ro bucket clean it regularly as the slime that builds up will reak havoc on your levels
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Sounds good, plastic seems like a magnet for binding chemicals. I usually do rinse throughly but will now be more vigilant with scrubbing.

On a side but semi-related note. Do you use a plastic reservoir for your Top-off fresh water, and if so you think it's possible that some chemicals from the container leach out after prolonged use?
 
Bommie said:
I just got my TDS last week and I also use distilled water .89¢ for me at walmart. I have an RODI that I havent setup again, I need to order new membranes and I probably need a buster pump(cant afford it at the moment). None the less I been using distilled water for the past 3yrs without a problem.
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Reassuring to know you've been using it for the past 3 years. I just started a few months back, and was a little paranoid at first.

I believe the bottles are the safest bet reading 0 ppm TDS. Sometimes the dispenser machines are neglected and can get a TDS reading of 10ppm. But it is half the price. So it's a trade off price Vs. Ultimate safety. You never know what the last 1% of dissolved solids are.

Colour me stupid but I risk it anyways. Been getting a reading of 3 - 5 ppm from the machine at the Mariano's near by.
 
It blows me away how many people lug jugs to LFS' or supermarkets. An RO system is essential in my opinion. Just so convenient and allows you to monitor your own supply for those that worry about creeping levels at public dispensaries. Not to mention its way cheaper in the long run.
 
chiblackhawks4 said:
It blows me away how many people lug jugs to LFS' or supermarkets. An RO system is essential in my opinion. Just so convenient and allows you to monitor your own supply for those that worry about creeping levels at public dispensaries. Not to mention its way cheaper in the long run.
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Whole heartedly agree, just don't have the basic technical (plumbing etc.) savvy to set one up, nor the immediate funds or the convenient environmental and extra curricular circumstances.

Having said that, I am definitely going to invest in one and learn the ins and outs of running and maintaining one, once I have my feet on the ground and hands fully back in the hobby.
 
chiblackhawks4 said:
It's really not that expensive and its as easy as unscrewing your faucet head and sttaching a new one. AWI has a nice site n customer service.
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Wow, I wasn't aware of that. Thanks. Plus it's Proly a better source for drinking water. Way better than tap water. Will look into this, if not for my tank then for myself :)
 
Just an FYI if you're going to be using your RO/DI system for drinking water you should probably install a T valve before the deionization stage of the filter. Deionized water while not particularly harmful will leach minerals from you body since deionized water is so reactive (this is why it's used in Chem labs). Also deionized water tastes odd because it has nothing in it (minerals/etc).
 
rowdie said:
Just an FYI if you're going to be using your RO/DI system for drinking water you should probably install a T valve before the deionization stage of the filter. Deionized water while not particularly harmful will leach minerals from you body since deionized water is so reactive (this is why it's used in Chem labs). Also deionized water tastes odd because it has nothing in it (minerals/etc).
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+1 don't drink di water
 
rowdie said:
Just an FYI if you're going to be using your RO/DI system for drinking water you should probably install a T valve before the deionization stage of the filter. Deionized water while not particularly harmful will leach minerals from you body since deionized water is so reactive (this is why it's used in Chem labs). Also deionized water tastes odd because it has nothing in it (minerals/etc).
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Thank you so much for that heads up. If it can leach minerals for us can it not alter the mineral balance in coral and fish? Or is it a different chemical ball game?
 
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