Reverse Osmosos water from Water Machine on the corner

the LFS store where i will be moving sells RO water for 75 cents per gallon. That adds up pretty quick, thats why when i saw those water vending machines that sold 5 gallons for 1.50 i got excited. It shows that it goes thre 5 filters, and is RO and also goes thru a UV sterelizer.

 

What! $.75/gal is rediculous. My LFS sells it for $.50 which is bad enough but you can also get RODI premixed saltwater there for only $1/gal which is actually really reasonable. If I owned a LFS I would sell the water as cheap as possible because that would be a reason to get more people in to get water and more than likely when you're at the LFS you buy something more than what you went in for. For $145 shipped you can get the one I have and save alot of money in the long run. 483 gallons will cost you that much and thats not considering the fuel for your car to go to the store every time. Figuring in the initial fill up and water top offs (my 46bow takes 1-2 gallons per day) the unit will have paid for itself in 6 months. The convenience factor is great too. Also, you can put a valve on it to bypass the DI and have great drinking water.
Here is the one I have:
WATER-GENERAL AQUARIUM REEF OSMOSIS RO+DI FILTER SYSTEM - eBay (item 200446568117 end time Mar-17-10 18:00:03 PDT)

 

Lol me either, I had to re-read that a couple times!

 

$0.75/gallon is a lot. My LFS sells RO/DI water for $0.25/gallon. I know $150 seems like a lot right now, but it is really worth the investment.

 

Got the same dispenser in my local grocer, tested the water params and everything was 0. Don't have a TDS meter so I didn't measure that but I see no difference in the tank.

The digital readout says when the machine was last serviced, its serviced about once a month, I've been using it since December and no issues so far.

I go thru about 7 gallons a week.

 

Keep in mind saltwater test kits are not intended for testing RO or RO/DI water so the results are probably not accurate. A TDS or conductivity/resistivity meter is the only accurate method short of lab analysis.

I was in part referring to the Mighty Mite and others like it. They are not full size units. They use a normal membrane in some cases but the prefilters, carbons and DI's are all throwaway types different from replacable cartridges inside 10" canisters. Look at the cost of a replacement prefilter and the available micron ranges in the throwaways and in the standard spun poly or pleated type filters and there is a world of difference. Same with the carbons, with throwaways you only havea couple choices whereas standard 10" carbons come in all sorts of micron ranges and chlorine or chloramine capacities. The DI is where you really see the difference. The throwaways are usually 16 oz or less while a refillable canister and cartridge holds 20 oz and hundreds or different resin blends are available.
Larger filters in lower micron ranges filter better, last longer and cost less to replace. By filtering better they do a better job of protecting the Ro membrane or the carbon block making both last longer and function as intended. By costing less and lasting longer the operating cost and life cycle cost of the unit is less. They really are not a bargain nor do they save much real estate.

 

I have used those machines before. Its better than tap water I guess. They also serviced ours once a month, but that doesn't mean filters. I watched the guy service it, he cleaned everything off, checked to make sure all the mechanical parts where working and walked away. He didn't even test the TDS to see if it needed a new filter.SO its still hit and miss. Also these units do not have DI, just RO. Phosphates and other things can pass threw just RO.
Here in Nevada we have water stores too.

 

I realize that when it comes to money, a big part of the equation is initial outlay, but if the $159 for an RO/DI system is difficult; then buying it from a store doesn't make much sense in the long run either. When you consider the expense of time, gasoline, and the water itself--it won't be long before you've spent more going to the store for water. Additionally; you'd be taking a great risk to engage in such a practice without using a TDS meter to confirm the store isn't selling you swill. Let's not even consider the fact that you're lugging 4-5 gallon totes (which are about $25 total too) each time. That's 40 pounds from car to tank once a month. If you're young and don't mind that's fine, but I'm older and there's a price to be paid for convenience, right? Bread, eggs and milk costs nearly 3 times as much at a 7-11 for this reason. Sometimes convenience trumps expenditure. Not with reef tanks, IMO.

As you state, you'd pay $1.50 for 5 gallons. If you're doing 20 gallon water changes once a month, you'd spend about $80 in 6 months on water not including time and gas. Don't forget the $25 for the gas cans.

Sure; the smaler, less frequent cash outlays are more attractive than the one-time expenditure of buying an RO/DI system, but I feel this is the truth: if you're going to seriously provide for and maintain a reef tank, the price of an RO/DI system makes up for the time, effort, and chance involved in buying your water from a store.

Heck, if you didn't do any water changes for 4 months, and instead put $10 a week into your mattress, you could buy an RO/DI system after that time.

 

I've bought 3 of these systems....yes three (3). No offense, but talk about a disaster waiting to happen!! Left one at my condo in San Diego, gave the other to my Mom & am about to replace the one I have under my sink with a MaxCap.

 

Im Military, and moving into a Housing area where the Gas Station with the water station is Directly Across the street from where I will be living. I will be using 5 gallon Home Depot buckets with lids for the water 2 dollars each, and putting the water in a plastic trash can to mix the water. I was just looking at doing it this way instead of dumping 150.00 right away. In the long run, I will invest in a RO unit. But I think if I tell my wife that I am going to spend another 150.00 on an aquarium that doesnt even have saltwater fish or coral in it, she will kill me. Then I will have no use for any water.