I, too, have the four-stage RODI Buddie and it seems to work fine. I only have a 29 gallon tank so my weekly water changes consist of one-five gallon bucket, so the unit isn't exactly getting stressed. I've lived in three different places since purchasing the unit, with TDS of water going in ranging from 200-450ish and the RO Buddie always gets that down to zero. I've only replaced the resin once (using the bagged resin) after my TDS was showing 1-2 and it's back to zero. Before replacing the resin, I checked what the TDS was showing after only the RO and it was ~14 so I decided to not replace the RO filter itself and instead only the DI resin.
RO Buddie vs.... More expensive stuff
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For the upfront cost of a couple hundred it lasts longer and the upkeep (replacing media instead of whole cartridges) are more cost effective. That being said-I have a 40, a 20 and a 10. I have the 75 gallon ro buddie 4 stage and it lasts about a year before I have to change di resin. It’s all preference in my opinion. Mine works just as well but probably wastes a little more water than say a brs unit would.
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they are pretty small cartridges and the higher the tds going through them the faster they’ll bind up.
have you tested the water through the Ro filter without the di resin on it? It could be pretty high before going through the resin causing it to get spent that much faster.
Think of di as more of a polisher. You want the water to enter it as low tds as possible so you’re not wasting resin.
My tds goes in around 300 and comes out around 10 before the di resin and then out the di at zero.
I’ve never done it but I heard you can run the ro membrane backwards to wash them out which I assume would help lower it a bit.
Tds our of RO membrane is 6.
I did try shaking it to condense it. I got a 0 tds this time, so...hopefully it's good for now.
I am going to look at another system real soon though.
I did try shaking it to condense it. I got a 0 tds this time, so...hopefully it's good for now.
I am going to look at another system real soon though.
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Oh ok it was 6 coming out of both. Yeah there must have been a path the water
was sneaking through. Glad the shaking helped! I think it should work fine now.
ive been thinking about getting a new standard system as well but I’m only running a 10g tank so it’s pretty manageable for me.
I have the 4 stage rodi buddy, and it suits my needs. I only have a 20 gallon tank and the incoming tds is 32, i collect the waste water and i get approx 2.5 gallons of waste to gallon of ro water at 80 psi. If i had a larger tank i would go bigger
If you are lucky, you can always find ppl getting out of the hobby and selling their rodi. Thats how I got my 4 stage BRS. All you need is to buy all new filters.
Recently BRS finally got their water saver upgrade kit in stock, with that I am getting 1:1 ratio.
My TDS from tap: upper 200, lower 300. Going in the DI resin was 4 without the water saver, after water saver its around 8.
Faster fill up, save more water.
I am planning to upgrade to 6 or 7 stage in the future
Recently BRS finally got their water saver upgrade kit in stock, with that I am getting 1:1 ratio.
My TDS from tap: upper 200, lower 300. Going in the DI resin was 4 without the water saver, after water saver its around 8.
Faster fill up, save more water.
I am planning to upgrade to 6 or 7 stage in the future
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I have bought resin from several diff places and let me tell you it can be hit or miss. I have had resin last months and then more then a few batches exhaust themselves almost immediately. Like I watched the bottom change color after just filling up a few buckets. Buy it from a trusted source that is fully sealed. I always have good luck with premium aquatics online store.
There is something about resin I don't quite understand yet but the good stuff lasts longer. Find a good source! I get super annoyed when I realize I just installed a bad batch and have to replace it quickly. It happens!
There is something about resin I don't quite understand yet but the good stuff lasts longer. Find a good source! I get super annoyed when I realize I just installed a bad batch and have to replace it quickly. It happens!
I watched lots of rodi videos before getting the one I have, if you are exhausting DI resin that fast, it probably better if you invest in 6 or 7 stage rodi. with the 2 or 3 separate DI resins.
No... it is not an issue with my water. I spoke with the town water dept in the past. It is not chloramines or CO2. I have reports from them. It is not my ro system. I even replaced a RO membrane earlier then I should have. The things last for many many years. I have 4 testing points so I know my RO water was coming out below 10 before it hits the resin.
Sometimes you get bad batches of resin over the years. One was bought from a LFS that I visit rarely. In a plastic bag with a knot to seal it. They obviously packed it themselves. I have no idea how long it might have been sitting there. Another was ordered from a place I rarely order from. I forget the name. I am talking about doing this over 15 years or more and lived in 3 diff homes. I understand the system well. The same exact unit btw. The core parts.
And as this "bad batch" gets depleted.. I quickly order from my fav place premium aquatics, replace it as I always do (packed super tight), the problem is gone. The resin lasts a long time.
Thus... all resins are not created equal. It is possible to get a "weak" batch. I don't understand how you can tell fresh/high quality from stock that has been sitting around for ages or bad. I just know it happens if you do this long enough. Maybe the people packing it left it sitting out over night. Maybe it was not vacuumed packed in the proper bag allowing CO2 to seep in as it sat for 6 months in a hot warehouse. I dunno.
Just meant as an fyi
Aww cool ty. sorry if I misunderstood. but I agree that we should buy from a trusted place. There are reasons why BRS/Premium aquatics are in business for long time.
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what i did not see is how many gallons of water you have produced. i have the (BRS 4 Value) It is rated at 75gpd. i have 1 TDS coming out 206 going in. i got it second hand so i don't know how many gallons went through it before i got it, maybe 200? i have produced about 300 gallons. i have replacement media on the shelf. my resin has changed color about half way. so i am ready. what i have noticed is that it takes a couple of minutes to get down to 1TDS when i start flow. that may be contamination in line or in my sample cup. rinse a couple of times 6,3,2,2,1,1. put hose into barrel.
Ro systems are notoriously bad at producing small amount of water. Thus when you start it the ro membrane, for a lack of a better scientific way to say it, has to get warmed up. Once it is going for a few minutes it is optimized and and happy. Thus making large batches is optimal. I would never use a ro/di system in a way that makes it turn on and off often for small batches. That is how u burn out your resin quickly.
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that is one reason i do not run my ATO's from the RODI. i make 25 gallons at a time and transfer to ATO's or mixing drum as needed. not criticizing those who do, just personal preference.
I replaced my sediment and carbon cartridges with ones from BRS. I also added a booster pump and that really helped make my Membrane last longer.
Added this: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-dual-reactor.html
With these: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/matrikx-cto-carbon-block-5-micron.html
www.bulkreefsupply.com
And the booster pump: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/smart-buddie-rodi-booster-pump-aquatic-life.html
Added this: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-dual-reactor.html
With these: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/matrikx-cto-carbon-block-5-micron.html
2.5" x 10" Purtrex Depth Sediment Filters - GE Water Technologies
Most sediment filters in aquarium RO systems are inexpensive surface filters that quickly lose their effectiveness when the surface becomes clogged. Purtrex Depth Sediment filters are true graded density filters that capture larger particles at the surface and smaller particles towards the...
www.bulkreefsupply.com
Wait.. your out tds should be 0. I have the same BRS 4 stage value.
Everytime I start mine, I flush the membrane for a min to get the TDS going in the DI to be single digits.
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yes 0 is perfect, if i test DI water from the store i get a 0 or 1 reading.i am happy with 1
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