Purewaterclub Is there really a difference between a $300+ unit and these?
I just bought a 6 stage rodi from pure water club for 109.00 including shipping unit is constructed nicely and water is reading 0 tds
Sent from my SPH-M910 using Reefs
There has to be a reason for the lower cost. From pictures and a little reading the fittings look cheaper than other units as well as the tubing. Why 2 DI units? Perhaps sub par media requiring 2 of them to reach 0 TDS? The cost is appealing but I question the quality. Also see only 1 clear media canister. Auto shut off doesn't look as nice as other units.
Is the savings worth the long term health of your setup? RODI water can make a huge difference is algal control and coral health. I would like to see more reviews before I jumped at saving a few dollars.
JMO's
I agree that the health of the tank is paramount, but the fittings and tubing? Come on. As long as they don't leak, that's not an issue. I think in terms of cost, even if they too need to be changed, we're talking pennies.
The filter media is what counts here. They utilize a TFC membrane. Pretty standard from what I can tell. Two DI is fine by me. They actually have a seven stage with an additional activated carbon filter to further polish the water.
I don't see how much variation there can possible be in something that is so simple in mechanics and operation. The only issue I have is some of their units say "coconut carbon filter". I wouldn't use that. Activated is the only way to go. The cartridge sizes are all standard and can be replaced with what ever the higher priced units use.
The OP asked for opinions and I gave mine. Obviously your happy with yours and that's what counts. Also likely the reason your so defensive of it. Yes, cheap plastic fittings can/do crack over time along with the tubing. I guess there is only one type of plastic made nowadays? Knock into one of those fittings on accident and see if they hold up. Yours didn't leak so I guess they all won't leak? At least one gentleman had to re-assemble his whole unit to get it working correctly. I prefer clear housings to see the condition of my media. No pressure gauge and no provision for flushing the membranes. If you think keeping an eye on pressure drops or increases isn't important that's fine but its' an important part of keeping production up and constant.
I still ask WHY the use of 2 DI units? Almost every other high priced unit only uses 1.
There can be quite a bit of variation. Materials used as well as media included can be a big difference.
Your happy obviously and that's what matters to you. As I said the OP looked for information and I provided it.
As I said I'm all for saving money in this hobby but not at the expense of the tank. If they work as advertised that's great. I would just like to see more than a single POV on them before making the purchase.
I will chime in here on this, my first rodi was the six stage unit from purewaterclub. Right off the bat the system had several leaks, I was able to redo some fittings to get it tolerable. It still leaked a little bit, I used to hook it up to my kitchen faucet only when needed and kept the unit in a rubbermaid bucket. It was ok while we were living in an apartment. Once we moved into a house I took that opportunity to get a better unit from thefilterguys.
Some things to consider, the membranes are of lesser quality than some of the other units out there. Also the horizontal style of the canisters are way less efficient when compared to vertical. You will get 0 TDS water out of it though, you may go through DI resin quicker.
If you are on a really tight budget it will work but the more expensive units are definitely worth it IMO.
Appreciate your input James. I read the various threads regarding these units on the net. Some good some not so good.
I did state the filter media may or may not be of issue, but they can be swapped out as needed. From what I can see the media is not proprietary save a few - IE. GE's new system and Sears Kenmoore system.
As for the orientation of the filter media, I guess only testing can prove otherwise, but I don't believe it matters much if any. Even some of the expensive systems have the DI cell mounted horizontally. The system is under pressure, thus providing for full contact along all surfaces. However if this were to be an issue, simply changing the orientation of the DI cell would be easy enough to accomplish.
Regarding the connections working out of the box - I assume every recipient of a new tank checks it for water-tightness before loading it with livestock. I suspect the same is deserving of a new RO unit. I think most any of use would be capable of making the necessary adjustments.
bought mine on ebay 6 years ago and still works like a charm. only down side is not having a clear tube on the di but checking the output lets me know when it needs changed, best $109 ive spent oh and only thing i had changed in 6 years was the filters a couple times and never the membrane and checked was only 7 on tds. not great but 6 years and thousands of gallons ran through it is pretty good for a cheapo membrane.
just like most equiptment in this hobby, there really are only a handful of manufacture's, but alot of re-named stuff, because one carries a know name does that make it better then the non-named one ? esoecially seeing it came from same plant