RO Unit

oakleerulez

oakleerulez

Member
I have an RO unit that is about 4 years old (hasn't been used the whole time). I am assuming that the filter media or membrane are getting past their prime since when i do a water change, I get a small algae bloom. I am not sure what brand of RO unit I bought, and I dont know what type or media or membrane to buy. Could anyone help me out or tell me what to look for?
Thanks
 
oakleerulez

oakleerulez

Member
no, i dont. Would one be a good investment? I just figured that mine is a bit past its prime and might need new media.
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Originally Posted by OakleeRulez
http:///forum/post/2546740
no, i dont. Would one be a good investment? I just figured that mine is a bit past its prime and might need new media.
Yes, it would be a good investment. Otherwise, there is no way of knowing when it's time to change a filter, media, etc. The TDS meter should always read 0. When it moves up to reading 1 or 2, you know it's time to change filters. This way you won't have to wait until you are seeing algea blooms.
 
oakleerulez

oakleerulez

Member
Thanks. I will have to pick one up. Would you recommend that I order new media now? Since I am seeing the algae bloom? If so, how do i know what to order?
Thanks again.
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Yes, it sounds like it time. Really need to know what you have though. Is there no writing on it at all? Got a pic of it?
 
oakleerulez

oakleerulez

Member
I can take a pic when I get home from work. It is a two stage (i think) all white, with a red hose coming in, black and white going out. the smaller stage rests on the top of the larger stage.
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Okay, the smaller one is your ro membrane. I wouldn't worry about that right now. Unscrew the larger one and see if it's a filter in there, or if it's loose particles (resin). You should be able to get another filter just about anywhere. If it's di resin, you might have to order it.
 
joncat24

joncat24

Active Member
sorry to say, nut that unit will not work well for a reef. It only has the ro membrane and one sediment filter. There is no DI and no carbon. I would reommend looking into another unit.
 
joncat24

joncat24

Active Member
I recommend the bfs 161 from buckeye field supply to everyone. With what is included with it, you can't go wrong.
 
t316

t316

Active Member
There are many systems out there, but what you have is much better than nothing at all, especially better than tap water. If you are going to keep it, then change out the filter, and get a TDS meter so that you can read when it is discharging more than 0 to 1 tds. If you decide to upgrade to a new system, look for an RODI unit. They all will have the ro membrane like yours, but most will have 2 to 3 filter units, as well as another seperate canister for di.
 
joncat24

joncat24

Active Member
Here is a pic of mine. It comes with pressure gage, handheld tds meter, 1 micron sediment filter(cartridge on right), .6 micron chlorine guzzler(center), refillable DI cartridge (left) and a 75 gpd filmtec membrane. Also has output after the ro before the DI for drinking water.
The membrane will last for 3-5 years in this unit because of the small micron sediment filters in front of it. The cheaper units only have 5-10 micron filters. The pressure gage and temp indicator strip are nice in helping to figure water production.
Don't go higher than 75 gpd on the membrane or you start to lose efficiency. 75gpd has 98% rejection and 100 gpd is 90% which will exhaust your DI resin quicker.
Buckeye filed supply will talk you through what you need or you can just order one of these and get everything you need.
 
t316

t316

Active Member
I just caught something in your original post....."unit has not been used the whole time". Well, after 4 years, depending on how long it's been out of use, the ro membrane could be damaged (dried out). They don't have to be used every day, but if this was down/out of service for awhile, I bet that membrane has dried out and cracked/leaking. Maybe a good time to upgrade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top