ro/di users

[teen]

well, im tired of going to the lfs every other day and filling up jugs of water and lugging them home, so ive decided to buy an ro/di unit.
for those of you that already have a unit, if you could post
1- make/model
2- how many gallons per day yours pumps
3- and if you've noticed a considerable rise in your water bill. how much do you think it costs to run each month.
thanks in advance

 

[the j.o.p.]

a friend of mine thinks it costs him about half a cent per gallon to make his own. not to mention the savings on gas.

 

[teen]

i was under the impression that the water bill may go sky high (considering all the waste water), but then again ive never had a unit. this is the reason ive held out so long.

 

[tahoetanks]

I use the Kent Marine Maxxima. It does 50 gpd and I have noticed no change in the water bill. I have 2 tanks (1 is 46 gal and the other is 125) so I don't need 50 gpd. I use it, fill my storage tanks and turn it off. Then use it when I need more. Kind of a hassle, but nowhere near the hassle of hauling water. Lots easier. Hope this helps.

 

[garfunkle]

Originally Posted by tahoetanks
I use the Kent Marine Maxxima. It does 50 gpd and I have noticed no change in the water bill. I have 2 tanks (1 is 46 gal and the other is 125) so I don't need 50 gpd. I use it, fill my storage tanks and turn it off. Then use it when I need more. Kind of a hassle, but nowhere near the hassle of hauling water. Lots easier. Hope this helps.
How much was this system?

 

[azaintcold]

reefkeeper typhoon III. 75 GPD, no rise in water bill. 150 gallon tank..

 

[teen]

im glad to hear this. i really thought these things used a lot more water.

 

[seannmelly]

ive nly had mine for a couple weeks now but i love it, the hair algea is going away! ill have to get you the name but its a 6 stage 100 gpd and havnt had long enough to notice diff in bill. i dont think there will be a huge diff in the bill anyway

 

[dirkdaplr]

I have an aqua-safe system 6 stage ro/di 100 gal/day. I bought it for about 150 and with the 3 gal storage tank it is a life saver. The water bill went up a little but nothing even close to what I was paying at the lfs.

 

[anonome]

I also have the aqua-safe 6 stage ro/di unit. 100gpd. I fill a 30g covered storage container with small powerhead and heater. I have seen maybe a 4-5 dollar raise in my water bill. Has been a life saver when an emergency water change is needed.
Get creative with the waste water. I have a lot of house plants, so I collect some of the waste water to water them. Also during the summer, I have also caught the waste water for the many flower pots I keep outdoors. :happyfish

 

[teen]

Originally Posted by Anonome
I also have the aqua-safe 5 stage ro/di unit. 100gpd. I fill a 30g covered storage container with small powerhead and heater. I have seen maybe a 4-5 dollar raise in my water bill. Has been a life saver when an emergency water change is needed.
Get creative with the waste water. I have a lot of house plants, so I collect some of the waste water to water them. Also during the summer, I have also caught the waste water for the many flower pots I keep outdoors. :happyfish
i have a lot of house plants and outdoor plants as well, the waste water is fine for them?

 

[anonome]

It works just fine with the plants.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by teen
well, im tired of going to the lfs every other day and filling up jugs of water and lugging them home, so ive decided to buy an ro/di unit.
for those of you that already have a unit, if you could post
1- make/model
2- how many gallons per day yours pumps
3- and if you've noticed a considerable rise in your water bill. how much do you think it costs to run each month.
thanks in advance
1 coralife 4 stage, love it
2 says 50GPD but never actually montiered it for production so I cant provide a real number takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to fill a bucket though (5g) have crappy water pressure here so that plays a part.
3 bought it when I moved to the new house so I missed the increase (didn't pay the water bill at the apartment) probably for the best though the old lady cant freak about how much the water bill went up because it'll be the sdame from day 1....

 

[anonome]

Reefkprz is right that the water pressure and temperature of the water will play a big role in how much actual useable water you get. In the winter I get water much faster (cold) than in the summer (warm).

 

[teen]

im on long island, we have really good water pressure so im not worried about that.
one thing i was concerned about though. ive read that the water should be ran through the unit at a specific temperature(like 68 degrees or something like that). the unit will be in my basement and theres two water lines that i could hook it up to. ones cold and ones hot, so do i have to get an adapter or something that ties the hot and cold together, as to get a warm water?
this sounds more like a DIY question, ill move this over there if no one can answer it.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by teen
im on long island, we have really good water pressure so im not worried about that.
one thing i was concerned about though. ive read that the water should be ran through the unit at a specific temperature(like 68 degrees or something like that). the unit will be in my basement and theres two water lines that i could hook it up to. ones cold and ones hot, so do i have to get an adapter or something that ties the hot and cold together, as to get a warm water?
this sounds more like a DIY question, ill move this over there if no one can answer it.
you can buy a "tempering valve" at any harware store to premix the hot and cold water to the right temp before entering the unit, they are usually used to prevent toilets from "sweating" if you run straight cold into a toilet in a humid climate the cold water causes condensation on the outside of the tank......

 

[teen]

how much will this "tempering valve" run me? and is it a whole project to install or basically plug and play?

 

[anonome]

During the winter months my water is right around 64 degrees, have been running the unit off of my washers cold side for over a year with no problems. During the hot summer months it goes up maybe 5 degrees. I wouldn't run it off both hot and cold, it would take way too long with more waste. This is why I have a heater in the holding tank set at 76 degrees. My unit is in my laundry room on the ground level.
Since you are farther north than I and your winters are colder you may have to if the water is really cold. We only get maybe one month of really cold (constant) weather. Ask around that area to see what others do.

 

[teen]

Originally Posted by Anonome
Ask around that area to see what others do.
im going to post in my local forum right now. thanks a lot.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by teen
how much will this "tempering valve" run me? and is it a whole project to install or basically plug and play?

its kind of project you have to hard plumb them, honestly its probably not worth the effort.