Which RODI unit and where to buy?

[rabson]

Hey All,

I'm looking for a cheaper RODI unit, however I am willing to pay a bit more for a quality unit that has a cheaper cost of ownership once I start having to buy replacement filters  ;-)

I think that I'm going to go for a 4 stage unit (maybe 5), sediment, carbon, di, then ro.  I've heard that some people rotate the carbon filter with a sediment since carbon filters have a shorter shelf life and not really required at "all times".  Thoughts?

I've seen some cheaper units on ebay, 78.95 US for a noname brand unit.  I'm a bit affraid of the UPS "stick it to you" charge at the border...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370008743011&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:1123

Are there any other places to get RODI systems that are cheaper then what your LFS has to offer?

Thanks!

[chujai]

if you wait a bit ive seen some people sell them for very good prices here on the classifieds section.

but if you want a brand new one, redbelly sells the purely H20 ones... it has been the only one i used but never had a problem... 6 months is up and about time to change up the cartridges..

[Tynan Rasmus]

I use a purely H20 from Pat as well, works great.

[rabson]

I ended up going with a $95, delivered to your door, aqua-safe 6 stage unit off ebay.  We'll wee if you "get what pay for" with these cheaper units...  I just couldn't resist the price tag!

[Tynan Rasmus]

The first thing to do will be to replace the RO membrane. I have not heard one good thing about the membranes in those cheap ebay units. I guess the best thing to do is get a TDS meter and test the water before you use it to make sure.

[Heidi]

Aqua safe I believe is the unit I have downstairs and I also bought it off of ebay. I bought the more expensive unit however BUT that being said I haven't had any problems with it - well have had water floods but that was just me making water and forgetting about it and my container overflowed....not once, not twice but 3 times. Sigh 

[Tynan Rasmus]

You and me both!

[rabson]

Ha ha ha  That's pretty funny...  I'll try to make sure not to leave the house when filling buckets!  It's the aqua-safe unit alright...  the ro membrane comes from applied membranes.  I also bought a tds meter so I'll be able to test its effectiveness regularly.

[Tynan Rasmus]

Sounds good

[pwrca]

I would also recommend the Perfectly RO, available from Pat aka Redbelly.  As far as overflowing buckets, that has happened here also.  Just have to remember you have the water running or better yet have an auto shut-off.

[tandao78]

Funny topic to read... I too also have my share of overflowing my RO/DI unit.  2 from last year.. hope i can do better this year!!

I am using aquasafe rightnow too.. so far so good with almost zero measurement on the tds meter..

[groupie02]

I've also had more than my share of RO/DI floods.  I even had one between the time I bought my float valve and solenoid for the unit and the time I installed them. 

I've been running an AquaSafe 100GPD unit for about a year. My TDS meter still shows a nice 0 at the output. I'm sure that won't last much longer.

[veron]

my input, not a very good unit. not the worse but not very good.
what many peope do not understand is 0 TDS doesn't mean absolute zero. things can make it thru without being measured as a TDS things that aren't good.
also, its better to have clear canisters to see how your filters are doing.
its also way way better to have a vertical canister of DI than the tiny horizontal ones supplied with EBAY units.
we also use chloramines in our water so catalyic carbon is best at removing these.
the membrane is also soso.
you will have to change your filters every 6 months to be on the safe side. and when your membrane is done next year [last 2 to 3 years] I'd chuck it and buy a better unit.
PURELYH20
SPECTRAPURE are 2 of the BEST units going. you have a pressure gage [tells you when your membrane is done] and 2!! TDS meters hooked up properly. you can tell whats out of the tap,after the prefilters, before the DI and final product.

[redbelly]

my input, not a very good unit. not the worse but not very good.
what many peope do not understand is 0 TDS doesn't mean absolute zero. things can make it thru without being measured as a TDS things that aren't good.
also, its better to have clear canisters to see how your filters are doing.
its also way way better to have a vertical canister of DI than the tiny horizontal ones supplied with EBAY units.
we also use chloramines in our water so catalyic carbon is best at removing these.
the membrane is also soso.
you will have to change your filters every 6 months to be on the safe side. and when your membrane is done next year [last 2 to 3 years] I'd chuck it and buy a better unit.
PURELYH20
SPECTRAPURE are 2 of the BEST units going. you have a pressure gage [tells you when your membrane is done] and 2!! TDS meters hooked up properly. you can tell whats out of the tap,after the prefilters, before the DI and final product.

Very good info here.

[veron]

thanks pat