LFS brand RO/DI

Hello I had a quick question about a RO/DI system at my LFS.
They have a generic brand RO/DI that they have their sticker on it, it is a 75 gpd system with dual DI filter, it does not have a TDS meter, and I do not believe it has a flushing system, I do believe it has a auto shut off though. They want in the ball park of 130 dollars for it. Does this sound like a good buy? And this being my first ro/di setup is there anything else I should be looking for with it?

 

75 GPD RO/DI 5 Stage *PLUS* System - English I have this one and for a little bit more you get a DI and the TDS monitor. No guessing. Worth it for me.

 

The generic one im talking about is double di though just no tds meter.

 

Does anyone think there will be any issues using this? they are all pretty much the same if im not mistaken right?

 

Without a TDs meter, you will have no idea when it's time to change the DI resin. Is it vertical, or horizontal DI canisters? If they are horizontal, it is crap.

 

I would be buying a tds meter seperate, and they are 2 horizontal canisters for the di resign. Gotcha so probably not a good buy, what makes them crappy when they are horizontal? I am curious for my future search for ro/di systems.

 

The DI resin can settle and the water can flow right over the top of the resin, effectively skipping the DI resin completely.

 

Wouldn't this be seen in your tds reading? Plus you can always relocate the di canisters correct?

 

RO/DI systems are not all the same, far from it in fact.
Find out all the particulars on the system before considering it.
What micron range is the sediment filter?
What micron range and cholorine capacity is the carbon block or blocks?
What brand and model numbe ris the RO membrane?
I am guessing the "dual DI" is little horizontal tubes which is a big strike against it already. They do not compare to a single 10" vertical 20 oz DI canister with a refillable cartridge.
How fresh is the DI resin? DI only has a 6 month shelf life even when vacuum sealed in mylar foil bags and kept in the refrigerator.
Forget about a flush valve, they provide no proven value other than to lighten your wallet and give you a warm fuzzy feeling.

Look for a 1 micron or less sediment filter and an absolute rated filter is better than a nominal rated filter. Many generics come with a 10 micron or larger filter and to put that in perspective, you can see 40 microns with the unaided human eye so 10 microns is pretty coarse.
Look for a single 1 micron or less carbon block with a name brand like KX Carbon. NMany generics have 5 or 10 micron carbons and some even use granukar carbon not a solid block. 0.5 or 0.6 microns is best and will last up to 20,000 gallons of normally chlorinated compared to 12,000 for a 1 micron, 9,000 for a 5 micron and as little as 1500-3000 for a 10 micron. Granular carbon lasts 300 gallons. These numbers are important since all water passes through the carbon and sediment filters so at the normal 4:1 waste ratio cheap carbon can be exhausted in as little as 300 gallons of treated water and 1200 gallons of waste!

Compare the one you are looking at to the RO/DI-90-REFURB forund here for $120 complete:

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A 0.5 micron absolute rated sediment filter, a 0.5 micron 20,000 gallon carbon block, a 90 GPD specially treated and batch tested RO membrane, a full size 20 oz vertical refillable DI filled with fresh reef specific DI resin, usualy blended the day they ship. It also has a capillary tube flow restrictor you trim for your specific water conditions and an inline pressure gauge and a hose thread adapter.
Add a $25 handheld TDS meter and you are in business with one of the best and oldest names in the business.

Others to consider are the BFS-161 from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com , the Optima series from RO DI | Saltwater Aquarium Water Filters | Reverse Osmosis Booster Pump and the Reefkeeper from Melevsreef.com - Welcome! . All are head and shoulders above a generic system and will last a long long time.

 

My only thing with the spectrapure is that its only 2 filters prior to the ro. the one im looking at is 3 filters, ro, 2 di