RO/DI unit question

Anyone heard of this?

GXRV10ABL - GE® Reverse Osmosis Filtration System - Features And Photos

Saw it on Craigslist close to my house for $75 and am thinking about getting it.

 

While I'd trust the GE name, this isn't an RO/DI. It's an RO unit only. For the $50 or so bucks you'd spend to bring a DI to the mix, why not just spend the $150 or so and get a well-trusted unit from airwaterice.com, or Buckeye Field Supply. They're both 3Reef sponsors and carry good stuff.

Good luck.

 

+1 on that. Also says only 10 gal per day. There are much better units out there for only a little more. Plus you may have to end up replacing the RO membrane right away since it is used.

 

Good Points. I noticed it was lacking the DI portion as I hit send, but I didn't think about having to change the membrane right away. Oh wait, the ad said it was only used for a couple of weeks. I don't need much water since I only have a 12 gallon and a 20 gallon tank so 10 gal/day is plenty.

What is the disadvantage of not having the water distilled?

 

Do you mean noy having the DI part? DI is deionization not distilled.

If your tap water is high in Total Disolved Solids (TDS) the RO filter won't eliminate all of the dissoved solids. What's left gets removed by the DI filter. You should geta TDS meter too. The other thing is that when you first start running the filter after it has sat idle for a few days the first few gallons out of the RO filter will still have a relativelh high TDS value. If you use a DI filter it will suck all of yhose DSs out. You don't want to only use DI since it will get dirty too quickly and stop working. In fact, when your DI resin gets too dirty it actually starts adding disolved solids back to the water. That's why you should get a meter to monitor the levels. I recommend a dual meter so you can watch the output of the RO and the output of the DI. They only cost about $30 at bulk reef supply.

 

Thanks for the help. I did mean dionization. I use distilled water now for the tank which is why I wrote that. Brain fart.

Your explanation makes perfect sense. I wonder what the TDS levels are in the distilled water I put in the tank. I'll have to get a meter.

Thanks for the help.

 

Buying used systems can be a mixed bag. In this case (as mentioned above), you are looking at an RO system configured for drinking water.

IF you know the history of the filters currently in the system, and
IF the system is currently in use at least once a week, and
IF the rejection rate of the membrane is still good, and
IF the capacity of the membrane is appropriate for your system, and
IF you don't think you'll need support from the original vendor, and
etc....

So if this is your first RODI system, going with a used system might not be the best approach. It can be a decent approach if you are very familiar with the systems already and really understand what you are buying.

Russ