snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
Clean top off water and Clean water for mixing salt is perhaps one of the absolute most important keystones of success in keeping a reef tank. Without clean water, your tank will develop algae, cyanobacteria, diatoms, dinoflagellates and all kinds of undesirables. By removing the dissolved solids from tap water, you are taking one large step in preventing those undesirables from growing.
You do not have to have an RO Unit at home. There are many places that sell purified water. Check around your local area for stores that sell purified water. These include water stores, grocery stores, sometimes Wal-Mart has a water purification unit. If your local fish store (LFS) sells purified water, I highly recommend to support it by buying your freshwater (and possibly their saltwater as well).
RO Units use various pre-filters to keep large debris from clogging the actual RO Membrane. These include micron filters, that usually come in 10 micron and 1 micron units. 1 Micron means that it is a much smaller filter than a 10 micron filter. These types of filters filter out sediments and particulate matter that is too large to pass through the filter. The second type of pre-filter is a carbon block filter. Carbon block filters are chemical filtration filters which remove chemicals such as chlorine and chloramine and other chemical contaminates from the water. I should note right now that a carbon block filter is only effective for up to three months and then regardless of your TDS reading, has to be replaced. This is because if it leaches chlorine or chloramines into your RO membrane, it will destroy your membrane and it will have to be replaced.
The RO membrane is a thin film membrane which seperates the clean water from the dirty water by pressure. As pressure builds in the RO membrane housing, water is pushed through the membrane which leaves dirt, contaminates and some chemicals behind while letting clean water pass through. The dirty water is then expelled through the waste water line.
A DI unit uses a charged Ion resin which fruther polishes and removes phosphates not removed by the RO membrane. A DI unit will completely clean all the minerals out of the water. DI units are not completely necessary, but they are indeed a very handy tool for consistantly clean water.
There are many bells and whistles that come with RO and DI Units. The most important one that you need is called a TDS Meter. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. It's larger then the size of a pen and it has two metal prongs on the end. Turn the meter on, wait for it to load, and then put it in a cup of the purified water. The unit uses electricity to measure conductivity of the water. Completely pure water does not have any conductivity. Therefore, what you are looking for is a reading of zero. Zero, Zilch, Nada, Nothing is what you want at all times. While it is entirely possible to wait for your TDS to climb to 5 before changing the filters and DI resin, it is not completely recommended.
Other accessories include flow meters, Pressure meters, Pumps, In-Line TDS readers, filter wrenches, storage containers and automatic flushers. Each accessory has its place and should be studied on fruther. A filter wrench and saddle valve or a garden hose/laundry hose hook up should come with every unit.
When looking for a unit, buy one that has clear filter housings. While it is possible to rely on a TDS reading to show you when you need to change your filters, it is best to also be able to visibly see your filters to see how clogged they are. Clogged filters keep the water from flowing very quickly. Replace the filter when it starts to become a dark brown. Carbon filters need to be replaced every three months to prevent chlorines from damaging the RO membrane.
Saddle valves attach to copper pipes easily. Clamp them down on the copper pipe, and attach the RO unit to the John Guest fitting snugly. Pierce the pipe by screwing in the needle. When you want to remove the RO Unit and put it in another location, simply tighten down the needle all the way to completely close it off. A new saddle valve must them be purchased. If you are uncomfortable with plumbing concepts or DIY, please seek professionals to do the work for you.
Garden hose hookups are a great way to attach the unit to your laundry hookups. Use a three way split, preferably with a ball valve on both the RO Unit side and the coldwater side of the washing machine. This method is great for those of you who do not want to pierce your copper pipes with a saddle valve and who want to store purified water in their laundry room out of sight.
Copper pipes will not damage your RO Unit or leak copper into your purified water. In most cases, tap water contains traces of calcium and magnesium in it. The calcium and magnesium in the tap water "coats" the inside of the pipe and prevents excessive amounts of copper from entering the unit. Even then, the RO membrane filters out all heavy metals from the water and discards it in wastewater.
RO membranes need to be replaced when replacing the filters no longer brings the TDS reading down to zero. Depending on the quality of the water before it goes into the unit, this could take anywhere from one year to three years or more. RO Membranes, once wet, need to be kept wet inside the unit with the water turned on. Only use ball valves or float valves at the end of the purified water line. RO Membranes have a certain operating temperature range and should always be kept indoors out of the cold. If the unit freezes, then the membrane is no longer good and needs to be replaced. Membranes also can be damaged by excessive amounts of chlorine that have not been removed by the carbon block filter. Occasionally, a RO membrane will have to be back washed. This means that a valve will have to be turned to flush out the membrane and keep it "fresh." How often the unit has to be backwashed depends on what unit you have. Please follow all instructions included with your unit that you purchase. Do not touch the membrane with dirty, oily hands when installing a new membrane. Follow all instructions included with your unit when replacing filters and membranes.
DI resin is sold in individual filters or you could also buy re-fillable DI cartridges. You can wash and re-charge DI resins, but this is not covered in this article. However, I find it much easier to just buy new resin from a reputable dealer. Deionizers use ions to attract particles, chemicals and other undesirables such as nitrates and phosphates not removed by the RO Unit to the resin. Over time, the color of the resin will change and become "exhausted." This is the point at which it needs to be replaced. DI Units are great additions for any RO Unit or any serious reefer that takes water quality seriously.
So, at the end of all the process... where do you store the water? Well, some units include a pressurized storage container. Usually they come in 2 to 5 gallons worth of storage. A 2g container will usually produce 1g of water before the pressure drops off. If you need a lot of water immediately, I highly recommend using a food grade plastic container that is free of all debris and contaminates (afterall, you just cleaned your water,....) A plastic container could be anything from one that you might store christmas decorations in to a large water storage container that you could buy online. Plastic does not rust or corrode. Therefore, it is perhaps one of the better mediums to keep purified water in. A container such as this needs a plastic float valve put in the side of it. The float valve will cut off water to the container once the container is filled up. I highly recommend putting a ball valve on the water hose/line just before the float valve. Another good idea would be a check valve to prevent backflow.
Storing water also has some issues. You need to keep your water in a part of the house that is somewhat temperature regulated. It's not good to pour really cold top off water in your tank, nor really hot water. Another thing is to always keep it covered to prevent dust and debris from getting into it. To keep the water from being stagnant, You can easily add an air pump and a bubbler/air wand. It is much less expensive to run a bubbler than a powerhead, and also may aerate freshwater better then flow alone. The air pumps used should always contain a pre-filter on the air intake to prevent dust from entering the water.
So, you have read the instructions, hooked up your unit, got your container ready and it's time to fire up the engines! You're all excited and happy that your new unit has come in and you are ready to see what this bad boy can do! After all, it's a 100GPD Unit! Then, you turn the saddle valve or ball valve on, water rushes through the filters, fills up your DI Unit - you hear the sound of rushing air coming out the waste water line and into the drain, you watch with excitement as.... a trickle of water comes out of the pure water line. What the heck?! Let me explain...
A 100GPD unit means 100 Gallons Per Day. There are 24 hours in a day. That means 100/24 = 4.17 gallons per HOUR. To further break it down, that's approximately .069 gallons per minute or in other words: really freaking slow. Most units also drop off in efficiency over time. That is when your filters need to be replaced and your RO membrane backwashed.
RO Units also have a lot of waste water. Some units produce a 1:1 ratio of waste to clean water. Other units have a 3:1 ratio of waste to clean water and sometimes even up to 4:1. Before you buy a unit look at how much water will be going down the drain before you make a decision to buy a cheap unit.
Cati/Ani units are nothing more than beefed up DI units. They use negative and positively charged ions to remove particulates, organics, chemicals, and nitrates and phosphates from the water, while only producing clean water with no waste water. Cati/Ani units do cost quite a bit more for not producing any waste water - and the resins can be re-generated using chemicals such as lye and myriatic acid washes. The resins can last up to 20 years of regular re-charging/generating before needing to be tossed out for new resin. Cati/Ani units also produce slightly cleaner water than RO Units - for more cost.
If there is anything not explained in this article that you need additional help with, please post in the thread or PM me. I can not answer all water purification questions, and will tell you so, and where to find the information that you are seeking. Thank you for reading.
Please check out my main thread, Snake's Methods, for additional information on the hobby.
You do not have to have an RO Unit at home. There are many places that sell purified water. Check around your local area for stores that sell purified water. These include water stores, grocery stores, sometimes Wal-Mart has a water purification unit. If your local fish store (LFS) sells purified water, I highly recommend to support it by buying your freshwater (and possibly their saltwater as well).
RO Units use various pre-filters to keep large debris from clogging the actual RO Membrane. These include micron filters, that usually come in 10 micron and 1 micron units. 1 Micron means that it is a much smaller filter than a 10 micron filter. These types of filters filter out sediments and particulate matter that is too large to pass through the filter. The second type of pre-filter is a carbon block filter. Carbon block filters are chemical filtration filters which remove chemicals such as chlorine and chloramine and other chemical contaminates from the water. I should note right now that a carbon block filter is only effective for up to three months and then regardless of your TDS reading, has to be replaced. This is because if it leaches chlorine or chloramines into your RO membrane, it will destroy your membrane and it will have to be replaced.
The RO membrane is a thin film membrane which seperates the clean water from the dirty water by pressure. As pressure builds in the RO membrane housing, water is pushed through the membrane which leaves dirt, contaminates and some chemicals behind while letting clean water pass through. The dirty water is then expelled through the waste water line.
A DI unit uses a charged Ion resin which fruther polishes and removes phosphates not removed by the RO membrane. A DI unit will completely clean all the minerals out of the water. DI units are not completely necessary, but they are indeed a very handy tool for consistantly clean water.
There are many bells and whistles that come with RO and DI Units. The most important one that you need is called a TDS Meter. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. It's larger then the size of a pen and it has two metal prongs on the end. Turn the meter on, wait for it to load, and then put it in a cup of the purified water. The unit uses electricity to measure conductivity of the water. Completely pure water does not have any conductivity. Therefore, what you are looking for is a reading of zero. Zero, Zilch, Nada, Nothing is what you want at all times. While it is entirely possible to wait for your TDS to climb to 5 before changing the filters and DI resin, it is not completely recommended.
Other accessories include flow meters, Pressure meters, Pumps, In-Line TDS readers, filter wrenches, storage containers and automatic flushers. Each accessory has its place and should be studied on fruther. A filter wrench and saddle valve or a garden hose/laundry hose hook up should come with every unit.
When looking for a unit, buy one that has clear filter housings. While it is possible to rely on a TDS reading to show you when you need to change your filters, it is best to also be able to visibly see your filters to see how clogged they are. Clogged filters keep the water from flowing very quickly. Replace the filter when it starts to become a dark brown. Carbon filters need to be replaced every three months to prevent chlorines from damaging the RO membrane.
Saddle valves attach to copper pipes easily. Clamp them down on the copper pipe, and attach the RO unit to the John Guest fitting snugly. Pierce the pipe by screwing in the needle. When you want to remove the RO Unit and put it in another location, simply tighten down the needle all the way to completely close it off. A new saddle valve must them be purchased. If you are uncomfortable with plumbing concepts or DIY, please seek professionals to do the work for you.
Garden hose hookups are a great way to attach the unit to your laundry hookups. Use a three way split, preferably with a ball valve on both the RO Unit side and the coldwater side of the washing machine. This method is great for those of you who do not want to pierce your copper pipes with a saddle valve and who want to store purified water in their laundry room out of sight.
Copper pipes will not damage your RO Unit or leak copper into your purified water. In most cases, tap water contains traces of calcium and magnesium in it. The calcium and magnesium in the tap water "coats" the inside of the pipe and prevents excessive amounts of copper from entering the unit. Even then, the RO membrane filters out all heavy metals from the water and discards it in wastewater.
RO membranes need to be replaced when replacing the filters no longer brings the TDS reading down to zero. Depending on the quality of the water before it goes into the unit, this could take anywhere from one year to three years or more. RO Membranes, once wet, need to be kept wet inside the unit with the water turned on. Only use ball valves or float valves at the end of the purified water line. RO Membranes have a certain operating temperature range and should always be kept indoors out of the cold. If the unit freezes, then the membrane is no longer good and needs to be replaced. Membranes also can be damaged by excessive amounts of chlorine that have not been removed by the carbon block filter. Occasionally, a RO membrane will have to be back washed. This means that a valve will have to be turned to flush out the membrane and keep it "fresh." How often the unit has to be backwashed depends on what unit you have. Please follow all instructions included with your unit that you purchase. Do not touch the membrane with dirty, oily hands when installing a new membrane. Follow all instructions included with your unit when replacing filters and membranes.
DI resin is sold in individual filters or you could also buy re-fillable DI cartridges. You can wash and re-charge DI resins, but this is not covered in this article. However, I find it much easier to just buy new resin from a reputable dealer. Deionizers use ions to attract particles, chemicals and other undesirables such as nitrates and phosphates not removed by the RO Unit to the resin. Over time, the color of the resin will change and become "exhausted." This is the point at which it needs to be replaced. DI Units are great additions for any RO Unit or any serious reefer that takes water quality seriously.
So, at the end of all the process... where do you store the water? Well, some units include a pressurized storage container. Usually they come in 2 to 5 gallons worth of storage. A 2g container will usually produce 1g of water before the pressure drops off. If you need a lot of water immediately, I highly recommend using a food grade plastic container that is free of all debris and contaminates (afterall, you just cleaned your water,....) A plastic container could be anything from one that you might store christmas decorations in to a large water storage container that you could buy online. Plastic does not rust or corrode. Therefore, it is perhaps one of the better mediums to keep purified water in. A container such as this needs a plastic float valve put in the side of it. The float valve will cut off water to the container once the container is filled up. I highly recommend putting a ball valve on the water hose/line just before the float valve. Another good idea would be a check valve to prevent backflow.
Storing water also has some issues. You need to keep your water in a part of the house that is somewhat temperature regulated. It's not good to pour really cold top off water in your tank, nor really hot water. Another thing is to always keep it covered to prevent dust and debris from getting into it. To keep the water from being stagnant, You can easily add an air pump and a bubbler/air wand. It is much less expensive to run a bubbler than a powerhead, and also may aerate freshwater better then flow alone. The air pumps used should always contain a pre-filter on the air intake to prevent dust from entering the water.
So, you have read the instructions, hooked up your unit, got your container ready and it's time to fire up the engines! You're all excited and happy that your new unit has come in and you are ready to see what this bad boy can do! After all, it's a 100GPD Unit! Then, you turn the saddle valve or ball valve on, water rushes through the filters, fills up your DI Unit - you hear the sound of rushing air coming out the waste water line and into the drain, you watch with excitement as.... a trickle of water comes out of the pure water line. What the heck?! Let me explain...
A 100GPD unit means 100 Gallons Per Day. There are 24 hours in a day. That means 100/24 = 4.17 gallons per HOUR. To further break it down, that's approximately .069 gallons per minute or in other words: really freaking slow. Most units also drop off in efficiency over time. That is when your filters need to be replaced and your RO membrane backwashed.
RO Units also have a lot of waste water. Some units produce a 1:1 ratio of waste to clean water. Other units have a 3:1 ratio of waste to clean water and sometimes even up to 4:1. Before you buy a unit look at how much water will be going down the drain before you make a decision to buy a cheap unit.
Cati/Ani units are nothing more than beefed up DI units. They use negative and positively charged ions to remove particulates, organics, chemicals, and nitrates and phosphates from the water, while only producing clean water with no waste water. Cati/Ani units do cost quite a bit more for not producing any waste water - and the resins can be re-generated using chemicals such as lye and myriatic acid washes. The resins can last up to 20 years of regular re-charging/generating before needing to be tossed out for new resin. Cati/Ani units also produce slightly cleaner water than RO Units - for more cost.
If there is anything not explained in this article that you need additional help with, please post in the thread or PM me. I can not answer all water purification questions, and will tell you so, and where to find the information that you are seeking. Thank you for reading.
Please check out my main thread, Snake's Methods, for additional information on the hobby.
