RO/DI setup (new to this hobby)

i just got a free

75gallon tank with stand
protein skimmer
a power head and a hydra fan
sump with bio balls
pump that sits in the sump that pumps the water back into the tank
coralife aqua pro light 48" that sits on top of the tank

so far i bought

overflowbox from LFS
aquamaxx RO/DI from LFS
Live Rocks from Craigslist seller had a pool full of rocks backyard
60 pounds of live sand

so confuse what i have to do....
tank been running on tap water with a PRIME declhorine liquid solution for 3 weeks

i just bought a RO/DI today and was curious a better alternative on how i should hook this up to my bathroom sink
i didnt come with a tank(dont know why) but i have a spare reverse osmosis tank. bought watts premier reverse osmosis i bought off craigslist was only a RO not RO/DI (came with the unit and tank)

 

You won't want the pressure tank with the RO/DI, for one you don't appear to have an autoshutoff valve so it will continue to run even with the tank full. Another is bladder or pressure tanks cause a RO or RO/DI system to cycle or start and stop frequently so you get lots of TDS creep which concentrates in the tank.
A better option is to fill buckets, 5G jugs or a brute trashcan so the unit gets a nice long run with few starts and stops. This can be automated if its a trash can by using the afore mentioned autoshutoff valve and a float valve or solenoid and float switches.

The faucet adapters work fine if you can spare a sink for a length of time. A better alternative is a brass wyefitting like used to hok two garden hoses to a single hose bib like found at the hardware for $5 or so. You hook it to the cold water faucet that feeds your washing machine so you still have the washer on one side and the RO on the other. Othe roptions are more permanent like taping into the cold water feeding a faucet with a self tapping valve or with a real nice tee with built in valve which again fits on the cold water line with one side still feeding the faucet and the other feeding the membrane. You can then store the RO unit under the sink when not in use.

I do the washing machine type myself and mounted the RO/DI on the wall above my laundry sink. It feeds a Rubbermaid 23 gallon recycling can which feeds my auto topoff system.

 

thanks for the info very helpful

how do i know when to change the filters

should i get a auto shut off valve and a float valve to make life easier?
right now i have to unplug everything once am done and set it aside

when am done using the ro/di do i need to drain the water when am done?
if so how would i do that

i believe i have a autoshut off valve (looks like a box with 4 tubes connected on it) on my other ro unit i got from craigslist can i take that and use it?

 

Prefilters and carbons should be changed out and the system disinfected with bleach according the mfgs. directions every 6 months like clockwork. The membrane should last 3+ years if the prefilters and carbons are tended to. Your TDS meter and your eye will tell you when the membrane needs to be changed out. One indicator is higher RO only TDS or lower rejection rate, say 90% vs the 96-98% it started out at. Another is reduced production rate (GPD) observed even though the tap water pressure and water temperature are still about the same. DI gets changed out when you first start seeing signs of anything other than 0 TDS. Don't wait on this as DI resin starts releasing weakly ionized substances even before it is exhausted and some do not register well on a hobbyist grade TDS meter. These include nitrates, phosphates and silicates so change the resin at the first sign of TDS.


The ASOV and float valve make life easier if you can leave it hooked up. If not I use a $8 electronic kitchen timer as a reminder to tell me when my bucket, jug or trash can is about full. After flooding the wifes kitchen a time or two the timer came in handy! I can link you to drawings showing how to plumb the ASOV valve, its is easy to confuse, I have done it myself more than once.

When you are done making water, leave the water in the housings. You must keep the RO membrane and DI resin wetted at all times once they have been in use or they go bad quickly.

 

DAMN gotta love this site feed back is to amazing. thanks a lot.

you think you can help me with my coralife aqualight pro 48" what timing dueler it should be on comes with two metal halide bulbs

 

I installed one of these I got at Home Depot. No cutting. It screws right on and goes straight to my RO/DI unit. You put it in between the cold valve under the sink and the hose. Hope this helps!

 

Yep, thats the last item I referred to in post #2, they work great and can be removed easily with no permanent damage if you are renting or decide to move.