I rent mine from Culligan. I live in the country with really bad well water. It turns pure brown from rust after sitting a few minutes. The water now runs througha softener, and then through the RO unit. They installed the equipment, and maintain it. It costs $16.00 a month and last month (after 1 year) the membrane was so full of rust, they had to replace the middle membrane unit. It was over $100, but because I rent it, I didn't have to pay for the replacement. This is water that already runs through the softener, and it amazed the Culligan man, because after the softener, there should be almost no rust. I guess, my point is, that you can rent them cheap, and they do all the maintenance, and parts replacement. Every 6 months I pay for new filters, which runs about $8.00. I didn't have a tank in my current home, and I'm new to the hobby, and my tank has been curing and up and running in my new home, (which we move into tonight, yeah!!!). I have RO units that I purchased and had installed during the construction. So, I'll be on city water that is run through the RO unit. I'll have to take care of maintenance now. Anyway, renting them is an option if you don't have a lot of upfront money, or don't want to mess with installation and maintenance.
