Is there REALLY a difference in RO/DI systems?

[jda]

Lastly, there are different tools that not all places sell that could be better than others. As one example, Axeon makes a 98% rejection that removes almost all silica, or at least a lot more than other membranes. This can save a ton of resin, but if you just shop at one place you could be missing out. If your water has special needs, then call around and talk to the folks at Buckeye, AWI, BRS, etc. and see what they can offer.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Any idea on why they've mostly abandoned the aquarium industry? They are still same products as they were 15-20 years ago. Obviously top of the line gear, but nothing new.

This market is TINY
Customers are likely a PITA
Margins are SMALL
Competition is EVERYWHERE

Why spend energy and advertising money on a market segment that has so much competition and downward price pressure, with no real upside? Their business elsewhere must be pulling more margin than dealing with the "but I can get it at BRS or Amazon cheaper" crowd that most reefers are.

 

[tzabor10]

I have the BRS 7 stage and like it a lot. The color changing resins are easy to pinpoint exactly when they need changing. Manually flushing the water is a pain but plan on getting the smart buddie to help with TDS creep

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I have the BRS 7 stage and like it a lot. The color changing resins are easy to pinpoint exactly when they need changing. Manually flushing the water is a pain but plan on getting the smart buddie to help with TDS creep

I have the smart buddy and love it. You will find you can produce more water and you don't have to worry about someone else using water in your household. Water pressure stay consistent even when we are doing laundry.

 

[cilyjr]

Has anyone talked about waste to pure ratio?
If you notice, the BRS water saver has two RO membranes on it.
They're forcing the water through two to hopefully get a less waste to pure ratio.

An average reverse osmosis filter at 60 psi will give you a roughly 4 gallons of waste to 1 gallon of pure water. Meaning 4 gallons goes down the drain for every one you get to drink or in this case put in your fish tank.

The bulk reef supply system touts a 1.5 gallon of waste to 1 gallon of pure. If you live somewhere like where I do in California that is important.

I'm sure @Buckeye Hydro can speak with more authority about this.

 

[KStatefan]

Has anyone talked about waste to pure ratio?
If you notice, the BRS water saver has two RO membranes on it.
They're forcing the water through two to hopefully get a less waste to pure ratio.

An average reverse osmosis filter at 60 psi will give you a roughly 4 gallons of waste to 1 gallon of pure water. Meaning 4 gallons goes down the drain for every one you get to drink or in this case put in your fish tank.

The bulk reef supply system touts a 1.5 gallon of waste to 1 gallon of pure. If you live somewhere like where I do in California that is important.

I'm sure @Buckeye Hydro can speak with more authority about this.

He said he had super hard water which is not good with the dual membrane models. The best thing would be to call a professional like Russ @Buckeye Hydro with your water report and get a system made for your needs.

 

[cilyjr]

He said he had super hard water which is not good with the dual membrane models. The best thing would be to call a professional like Russ @Buckeye Hydro with your water report and get a system made for your needs.

Sure, maybe. I have very hard water here as well but because of the expense and the water penalties, my water goes through a softener than to the RO unit.
I don't really know exactly how much water I'm using. But I stopped getting penalties which made our water bill extremely expensive

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

We've made many posts on this issue of plumbing membranes in series to "save water."

Say you have hard water and use a 75 gpd membrane with a 75 gpd restrictor and your system runs @ factory spec pressure and temperature. All makes sense. You’d have something around a 4:1 ratio of concentrate to permeate and get a reasonable lifespan from the membrane.

Now say a vendor sold you a kit that has you plumb a second 75 gpd membrane in series (so now, functionally, you have a single long 150 gpd worth of membrane), and they have you continue to use the 75 gpd flow restrictor you’ve always used. Hmmm. A 150 gpd membrane with a 75 gpd restrictor… will you have a lower concentrate to permeate ratio? Sure. Will you get a reasonable life span from the membranes? Nope.

The concept of running membranes in series is applied commonly/routinely in commercial RO systems. How do they do it and still get a good membrane lifespan? If you read the specifications regarding required feedwater quality, you’ll see this:

Maximum Feedwater Hardness: 0 grains per gallon.

This is why commercial RO systems have a softener before them.

If you have a functioning softener that is set up for 0 gpg hardness (no bleed through), or if you have naturally soft water, then YES you can get away with a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of concentrate to permeate.

You don't need to plumb in a second membrane if all you're looking to do is reduce concentrate flow by 50%. Simply buy a tighter flow restrictor for $4. The end result will be the same in terms of membrane life, but you'll have some extra $ in your pocket.

So… what’s a guy with hard water (most of us) to do if he wants:
-Reasonable membrane life
-Less concentrate (less overall water use)
-Faster production
but he doesn’t want to spend the money to install a water softener to treat all the water coming into his house?

Yes- there are solutions. Give us a call if you're in the market.

Russ

 

[cilyjr]

We've made many posts on this issue of plumbing membranes in series to "save water."

Say you have hard water and use a 75 gpd membrane with a 75 gpd restrictor and your system runs @ factory spec pressure and temperature. All makes sense. You’d have something around a 4:1 ratio of concentrate to permeate and get a reasonable lifespan from the membrane.

Now say a vendor sold you a kit that has you plumb a second 75 gpd membrane in series (so now, functionally, you have a single long 150 gpd worth of membrane), and they have you continue to use the 75 gpd flow restrictor you’ve always used. Hmmm. A 150 gpd membrane with a 75 gpd restrictor… will you a lower concentrate to permeate ratio? Sure. Will you get a reasonable life span from the membranes? Nope.

The concept of running membranes in series is applied commonly/routinely in commercial RO systems. How do they do it and still get a good membrane lifespan? If you read the specifications regarding required feedwater quality, you’ll see this:

Maximum Feedwater Hardness: 0 grains per gallon.

This is why commercial RO systems have a softener before them.

If you have a functioning softener that is set up for 0 gpg hardness (no bleed through), or if you have naturally soft water, then YES you can get away with a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of concentrate to permeate.

You don't need to plumb in a second membrane if all you're looking to do is reduce concentrate flow by 50%. Simply buy a tighter flow restrictor for $4. The end result will be the same in terms of membrane life, but you'll have some extra $ in your pocket.

So… what’s a guy with hard water (most of us) to do if he wants:
-Reasonable membrane life
-Less concentrate (less overall water use)
-Faster production
but he doesn’t want to spend the money to install a water softener to treat all the water coming into his house?

Yes- there are solutions. Give us a call if you're in the market.

Russ

Thank you for clarifying.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

No differences… all housings are the same although you might get different di resin or carbon blocks which I’ve never noticed much of a difference honestly. I buy my replacement cartridges and di resin in bulk on Amazon for cheap!

After spending the last 25 years optimizing RO and RODI components, I do not agree that all housings are the same - far from it. Do they look very similar? Absolutely.

 

[Debramb]

I am looking for a 7-stage RO/DI system but cannot figure out why there is such an insane markup on the BRS RO/DI systems and I am hoping for some enlightenment.
These are the 3 main options I am looking at;

Liquagen 7 Stage RO/DI with Gauge & TDS Meter - $259.00 150GPD
Oceanic Water 7 Stage RO/DI System - $194.99 150GPD
BRS 7 Stage RO/DI system with Gauge & TDS - $390.99

Has anyone used either the Liquagen or the Oceanic water? any issues?
Is there any valid reason to go with BRS other than the brand name?

Check out Mark at Melvee’s Reef.com in Fort Worth, Texas. He developed them 20 years ago and we’ve had ours 1 week and took our TDS from 395, after the softner and removed the high Alkaline to Zero He’s also live on YouTube Saturday’s and will answer your questions on air. His 400G will be where I rehome my Tangs when they outgrow the 125, he’s that good
Debra