Instant CHEAP pure 0 TDS Water!

pierrelowey

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Hi Reefers, (this may be for UK reefers)

Just thought id share a new insight ive found to really help out and make water changes easier (imo).

(Back story)
When i started out in this hobby I read everywhere that using RODI water was paramount for success in the hobby, so I went out and bought a whole system, a brute trash can etc, costing a bomb. I then realized it would take me 3 days to fill my 300+ litre tank with and unspeakable amount of waste water going down my drain. So a lot of waste water, a lot of time to make RODI water, a wife who hates the sight of my water creation in the kitchen lol and to top it off (no pun intended) i have flooded my kitchen twice filling up the bucket... but the show went on. I have seen systems which have huge designated water stations in the garage, however I do not have this luxury.

Every week i have been making top up water for my ATO system, I even bought a booster pump to increase efficiency a little. Now, I know you can get water from your local fish store however, this isn't always convenient especially when during the week the store closes at 4:30pm and you finish work at, what I thought was normal, 5pm... If an emergency water change is needed do i want to wait 3 days to make RODI or wait for the weekend when i can finally make it to the store, by which point everything will probably be dead.

So, the actual point of this post.

I have many friends who are window cleaners who9 use the newish method of pure water poles to clean windows, which allows for no drying as the water dries clear and spot free. They told me there are water stations all across the country that produce this water. so i did my research. thats when i stumbled across 'Spotless Water' a company who have self-service water pumps that produce 0 TDS water 24/7 365 days a year! and it only costs 3.9p a litre! I want to add here I have no affiliation with the company or their product, I have just found it very useful and wanted to share.

So i signed up for an account immediately, got some 25litre barrels and went over to my nearest station which was around 5 minutes away.
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I was dubious the first time to use the system, so I tested the water myself, and lo and behold they were right! 0 TDS and they monitor this constantly and test to parts per billion! this has really changed the game for me, I now do not worry about water changes, top off water, flooding kitchens or emergency tank water replacement and you can have 200 litres pumped in 1 minute.

So i hope you've found this useful and can find a station near you to use you wont regret it! and if you want to help me out (and yourself lol) you can use my referral to get 10 pounds free water!
Code: spotless40627


Thanks for reading!
 
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pierrelowey

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That's much more expensive than making your own.
Once i factored in the cost for water on a meter, the electricity to run the booster pumps and the lack of a space and inconvenience for a water making station in a small kitchen it made for sense for me and maybe others.
 
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pierrelowey

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£50 cheap booster pump
£10 power supply
£100 RODI 5 stage system
£40 x 2 - £80 six monthly RO and DI replacement cartridges
£80 brute can
Total £320

3.9p per litre for RODI water purchased
30 litre (10%) water change per week = £1.17
14 litres a week evaporation = £0.54
Total £1.71 per week
£88.92 per year

3.6 years of RODI water to equal the cost of the system alone, not including the electricity or water cost at home. Plus the cartridges are a running cost and alone cost the same as the RODI water per year...

i hope that math is correct lol.
 

LiamPM

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UK here - Definitely a good alternative for those that cant or dont want to use RO units.

I would still get in the habit of testing the bought water though - After all its not being produced specifically for aquarium use. Probably far less strict on whats acceptable in the water. Not just zero TDS.

FYI - I havent changed my filters in over a year and still produce 0 on the inline TDS meter. DI resin i bought in bulk for something like 5kg for £30 and will last me an extremely long time. way over a year. Production needs etc will definitely change that per user.

Mine as an example - Changing 50 - 75litres every 2 weeks ish plus top off water.

4 stage 75GPD - £80 ish
2 x 40 litre food grade containers were something along the lines of £20 each years ago.
No booster required my end - Ran via a shower supply.
DI resin bulk - will last years - £30 ish - Not yearly
Replacement membrane / filters - £30 ish - Not yearly

Realistically my yearly cost after initial purchase is just my regular cost of water.

Ill replace the membrane and carbon filters etc soon enough but for my level of production its not likely to be close to yearly. For me, this makes sense having water on tap rather than travelling 4 miles each way to my nearest Spotless.

If i was starting a tank id definitely be going the Spotless route - Theyve made that part of it extremely easy in that sense.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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Just to be the devils advocate, I’m skeptical that this ends up being less expensive for the same quality. How could it? This is tap water run through a di. You can do that for far less than the math above.

Do they get di resin so much cheaper than you can that they can do the same thing you can, and still make a profit, and have it be less expensive?
 
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pierrelowey

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Just to be the devils advocate, I’m skeptical that this ends up being less expensive for the same quality. How could it? This is tap water run through a di. You can do that for far less than the math above.

Do they get di resin so much cheaper than you can that they can do the same thing you can, and still make a profit, and have it be less expensive?
I assume like most bulk/ industrial grade businesses producing a lot of one product, they have access to better rates, equipment and systems. They are mainly used for window cleaners, car valeting etc and I’ve seen people posting about using thousands of litres a week so the pay off for that equipment is pretty simple. Whereas purchasing a RODI system for single use in a home is an expensive venture with not a lot of water needed. That’s how I see it anyway.

In truth they don’t care about the little guy (reef tank applications) as this doesn’t pay off for them but it works in our favour having access to the system.
 

FUNGI

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I've looked for these in the US. At least in Jacksonville Florida all we get are RO ice and water machines. Super cool that this is available to you!
You're looking in the wrong places......go to a high-end carwash......they all use the spot less water system
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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I assume like most bulk/ industrial grade businesses producing a lot of one product, they have access to better rates, equipment and systems. They are mainly used for window cleaners, car valeting etc and I’ve seen people posting about using thousands of litres a week so the pay off for that equipment is pretty simple. Whereas purchasing a RODI system for single use in a home is an expensive venture with not a lot of water needed. That’s how I see it anyway.

In truth they don’t care about the little guy (reef tank applications) as this doesn’t pay off for them but it works in our favour having access to the system.

You think they use ro/di?
 

smitten with ocean life

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interesting. where i live we run de humidifiers. ive often wondered why i couldnt just use that water for top off. dump a couple of gallons a day down the drain....
 

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