My RO/DI unit experience

[F R e N c H 3 z]

RO/DI unit experiences

Well after a lot of searching I finally decided on one and hooked it up tonight. I took a shot at one that seemed nice for the price and so far I'm very happy with the results. Being in a high clay zone our water is naturally high in minerals so I figured the DI filter wouldnt hurt to add in order to get the cleanest water possible.
I hope this helps a lot of you guys that are debating on one, so far after 1 night the results are great IMO.
The only downside I find to it is that clean water is a tad slow to come out but that is the case with all units. That is just the process of RO in general. This unit claims to get about 1-2 gallons an hour. I believe the ratio is 4:1 waste to pure.
It's very light and compact, and as you can see I placed mine on top of a toilet in our un-used 1/2 bath downstairs. It connects directly to the faucet through an attachment and comes with tubing as well as a plastic valve for on and off control.

I *so far* highly recommend the Mighty Mite simply due to the price ~$130 and the results ( from 262 ppm to <.01). Replacement filters are $33. It's an overall save for me as I was going through 6 gallons a week and needing more most of the time. The same company manufactures another model without the DI filter, but for an extra 20 bucks it's worth the investment.

System: RO/DI Mighty Mite
Manufacturer: Air Water & Ice
Price: ~$130 including shipping
Results: Dropped from 262 ppm to <.01 ppm
Weight: 7 lbs
Number of filters: 4
Rate: 1-2 gallons per hr
Ratio: 4:1
Replacement filters: $33
Block or granulated: Granulated Carbon filter



Here is the after math and the difference in water quality, sorry for the low light conditions.
Hope this helps some of you!

 

[swords]

Looks... well like a plugged on RO looks! I wish there were a simple way to hide 'em and still use them. Mines in my kitchen taking up the dishes drying area, after 6 years you'd think I wouldn't even see it anymore but there it is!

If yours is in a basement that's good, incase you forget to check it in time. I'm on the second floor and have forgotten mine a couple times before, flooding my own kitchen but luckily not the folks downstairs! I know mine takes 2 1/2 hours to almost fill a 5 gallon pail so now I always set a timer for 2 hrs for an empty pail so I always have the jump on it.

I suggest poking the drain hose into the sink drain just incase it should get a surge and spring out on you and dump the waste water out all over, which will flood the room a lot faster!

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

haha yup that's what the black tube in the sink is, the drain hose. Of course only after I figured out that *to drain* meant TO the drain and not to drain the system XD I'll have to insert into the drain now to prevent those surges. It was a nice little to clean up before I realized where the tubing was suppose to go

Even with the lack of instructions, I was able to finally figure everything out and hook it up being a first timer. I'll be using those empty 2.5 gallon plastic water tanks to fill. Hopefully I can do a couple of those on weekends and be set for the weeks.

Swords: What does your water pre-filtering read and how often do you change your filters? I was planning to change the filters only when the PPM starts reading high but I dont know the effects that it would have on the membranes.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

If you are on municipal water then it is very important to replace the carbon prefilter on a regular basis. The carbon filter is there to remove chlorines that would punch holes in your RO membrane. They are usually rated for how much total water can go through the membrane before replacement. For example say you make 5 gallons of RO water and you have 20 gallons of waste each week. That's 25 gallons a week etc. With such low usage I would probably opt to replace the carbon every 6 months just to be safe. The sediment filter if you are on clean municipal water will probably last years... although you can tell when that needs replacing as your water flow through the unit will slow noticeably as it clogs. Or simply replace it once a year and be happy.

The DI post filter on the other hand you can tell by using the TDS meter. When the water starts to creep up in TDS to 10ppm or so then you know it's time.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Thanks a lot for the feedback Tony, and yes I am using minicipal water straight out of the tap.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

They are usually rated for how much total water can go through the membrane before replacement.

Woops that should say how much total water can go through the Carbon Filter before replacement.

Just as a side note. If you have a choice, go with at least a 5micron sediment filter. 1micron is even better and carbon block over granulated carbon in the carbon filter section.

 

[nightsky]

Reviving this old thread to find out if you still like the system french3z. I'm runnimg through about 15 gallons a week, and this would be much easier than running to the store. It would save me money also.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Hi Nightsky: I love this system, to this day (about 3 months) I've yet to replace any of the filters, my water still tests at 0 ppm. I expect within the next 2-3 months it will be time to replace the filters (according to the manufacturer).
I run through no less than 6-8 gallons a week. I accidentally left the thing on over night and let the jugs overflow a few times so I highly recommend using a timer when you turn it on.
The replacement filters are not too expensive but I cannot comment on how easy/hard they are to replace since I've not had to replace mine.
I highly recommend it!

 

[nightsky]

Good to hear. Where did you get yours from?

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

I ordered mine off of Amazon.com, they have a system with the DI filter and a system without the DI filter, a $20-$30 difference if I remember correctly.

 

[Fred P]

Just thought I would chime in here. I'm just curious why neither of you bought the storage tank for the RO System. Most RO systems have an automatic shutoff when the tank is full so you don't ever have to worry about it. There is a complete set-up for under your kitchen sink for just under $150 (and free shipping). This particular one is a 5 stage 50GPD system that is quite easy to install. Here is the link for the one I purchased which includes a 2.8 gal storage tank and the faucet for the kitchen sink. www.affordablewater.us/5-Stage-50-G...UserID=1473447&SessionID=heIJ5EYn1S6jmipDalaW

I use 15 to 20 gallons per day for my collection and this system has been working great for me for a year and a half now. I have extremely hard water here in southern California...about 550 to 700ppm and this RO System brings it down to 10ppm.

Below is a typical setup for an under-the-sink system and looks just like mine.

Here are a few pics of my installation in my kitchen. The hardest part of the install was drilling the whole in the stainless steel sink.

The RO faucet is the one on the left and its pressurized just like your other faucets in the house. It comes out very fast until the tank is empty (2.8 gals) and then just stops until it purifies more water.

All nice and neat so there are never any visible filters or hoses (or timers) to worry about. All you have to do is fill jugs and store them.

Good Growing,
Fred

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Wow nice setup Fred! How often do you have to replace your filters with such hard water? We use to have this setup for drinking water but when I tested our water it never came out below 80 ppm from the small faucet.

Since I only go through a couple gallons a week I do not yet need to get a huge holding tank. For my Sarrs I will fill up 2 2.5 gallon jugs and for the indoor plants I fill up 6-8 1gallon jugs at a time. This usually lasts me all week indoors. The outdoor bogs do not usually need any extra watering except during the summer.

I did pick up a 55 gallon drum one year when I lived at my parent's house. Though there was A LOT of cleaning up inside the drum since it was a Mike's Car wash soap drum, it held plenty of water once it was cleaned. You can go and pick those up for free if you catch them at the right time. They make great water tanks under downspouts.

 

[Rocketcaver]

Nice looking installation!
Thanks for the link.

 

[antechron]

Yeah, Fred, that is pretty much the same system that i have. Lucky for me, my mom was all about "healthier drinking water" when i started into this hobby so she already had a REALLY high quality one professionally installed. I love the thing as i too finally have water that doesn't taste like mud and pipes. Though... I do need to buy a TDS meter just to see how well it is actually doing. I am also using a distiller unit.

When it was said that it wourld be hard to hide i thought about posting a pic of mine but I'm glad you did because i have no idea how to post pics. ;P

-isaac

 

[Fred P]

Wow nice setup Fred! How often do you have to replace your filters with such hard water?

Once a year on the actual filters and every two to three on the membrane based on its performance (only when the TDS starts to increase toward 50ppm).

Fred

 

[nightsky]

Got my Mighty Mite the other day. So far, it's great. Water out of tap is 560 TDS, after the filtering it's 0. Yeah, it is a bit slow, but I just fill a few bottles at a time. Not too shabby for the price.

We don't own this place, so no drilling into pipes or into the sink allowed. Once we buy a home I plan on getting something similar to the top post with the tank and faucet.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Glad to hear this post was able to help someone out! Dont forget to check on the bottles every once in a while, I've made the mistake of forgetting the thing and it ran all night XD

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Well it's been a little over 5 months now and the ppm reading is starting to rise. After 5 months my readings right now are at 2 ppm post DI. I purchased replacement filters for about 30 ish bucks straight from the vendor. Once my readings hit 5 ppm I will be replacing the filters.

 

[Frilleon]

Well it's been a little over 5 months now and the ppm reading is starting to rise. After 5 months my readings right now are at 2 ppm post DI. I purchased replacement filters for about 30 ish bucks straight from the vendor. Once my readings hit 5 ppm I will be replacing the filters.

One thing you should keep in mind is the TDS of your tap water fluxuates through out the year (typically higher in the winter in my area). Which in turn could possibly change the ppm of the RO water. 5 ppm is a little low to be replacing in my opinion. I would replace at 10-20ppm. For me personally I would change at around 20 ppm.

 

[Fred P]

Yann - Below 50ppm is fine for CPs. I change mine when it reaches 35ish. Mv TDS is reading about 9 right now and was about 17 a month ago. Greg is right, it does fluctuate with the seasons especially out here in CA so make sure its not a seasonal fluctuation before you waste money on changing the membrane. 0-25ppm is perfect IMHO. Neps are more forgiving of hard water than Sarrs are and you know how well mine grow. I would certainly wait if I were you.