Ro Vs Ro/di

[ocholoco]

Whats the difference? ALso is it safe to drink from an RO unit?

 

[georgelc86]

RO pretty much removes all of the impurities of water such as chlorine flouride chloramine and it will filter out micron sized particles. The DI portion of the unit pretty much filters out the dissolved solids in tap water. Dont as me what those are I dont know. roDI water is the purest you can get and is what should be going into the tank. You can drink the RO water before it enters the DI stage. You do not want to drink DI water. In fact a brita is an RO device just not as sophisticated.

 

[oceangallery]

Whats the difference? ALso is it safe to drink from an RO unit?

Ok so I feel like writing a bit this morning......

The RO membrane is the workhorse of the water purification system. It uses a thin film membrane technology to "electronically" reject impurities. RO membranes are especially good at rejecting large atoms and molecules and those species which exhibit relatively strong electronic charge. RO membranes typically reject most contaminants including microorganisms, organic compounds, dissolved inorganic compounds. It is less effective in rejecting small atoms and molecules (smaller than water) and those with relatively weak electronic charge. RO membranes will allow all dissolved gases (such as ammonia and carbon dioxide) to pass through. The % rejection rating for a membrane is an indication of how much of these impurities will pass through the membrane and on to the DI cartridge. The direct result of using a 98% rejection membrane as opposed to a 96% membrane is that you will double your DI cartridge lifetime.

The DI cartridge serves as a final polish of the water before it sees the actual application. The cartridge contains a mixed bed of anion and cation resins which uses an ion exchange mechanism to remove impurities that pass through the RO membrane such as chloramines, silica, phosphates, nitrates, ammonium and other trace impuities.

RO water is for drinking, DI is not. An RO/DI unit can serve as a dual purpose unit, providing water for drinking, ice, cooking by using a ball valve tapping the RO water prior to going to the DI cartridge. A drinking water kit is commonly used to store this RO water in a pressurized storage tank.

 

[georgelc86]

Nice write-up Reefers.

 

[Wes]

In fact a brita is an RO device just not as sophisticated.

I'm pretty sure brita is a carbon filter, not an RO membrane.

 

[MikeyZO]

why cant you drink DI water?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I knew the title of this thread sounded familiar :tired:

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/reefs-beginners/46699-ro-vs-ro-di.html

You could read a little about this topic here in the above link.

 

[oceangallery]

why cant you drink DI water?

There are lot's of rumors about drinking DI water, but bottom line, it's pure water, but with the absense of electrolytes and minerals that our body needs, so drinking it really serves no purpose..If one drinks a lot of DI water, they will be dilluting out these minerals and ions (salt for one) that the body needs. Even with a lousy diet of junk food most of these minerals can be replenished so you would need to be drinking massive amounts DI water with practically no other food intake for it to cause any damage. So if you want to drink it..go ahead..just chase it with a bottle of Gatorade!

 

[georgelc86]

Hey Wes, like I said, not as sophisticated. Correct me if I am wrong but remove the sediment filter and RO membrane and your left with a $80 Britta device.

 

[bad coffee]

Hey Wes, like I said, not as sophisticated. Correct me if I am wrong but remove the sediment filter and RO membrane and your left with a $80 Britta device.

Sorry to say, George, but Brittas are just physical filters.

Inside is filter floss, (sediment) then some carbon, (taste/some minerals. It's most likely the second stage of your RO/DI setup)

That's it. There's no RO membrane or DI media.

I use DI only for my tank. I took the RO membrane out so I wouldn't waste so much water.

To be successful at it, you NEED a TDS meter, and BULK DI resin. I get between 100 and 150 gallons from each DI cartridge refill, depending on how fast I run the water through it. I change the DI whenever my output TDS hits 1.

Since I buy my DI in bulk, it's about $6 per filter change. If I were buying them as pre-made cartridges, it would be $40. So it's much cheaper.

Did I mention I can get about 50 gallons PER HOUR this way? Yep. No waste water=all tank water.

B

 

[georgelc86]

Bad, there is only carbon in my britta cartridge. I have never seen filter floss in it. And yes I do know that brittas are not DI units. So I really dont know what you mean by physical filter. My RODI unit has one sediment two carbon RO membrane and DI unit and gives me 100gpd. Remove everything and leave the carbon chambers and poof you have a britta that cost me $170. Anyway back to topic.

You took the RO out. You must not have much TDS in your tap water to begin with.