I have decided to go with a 50 gpd home unit from the local water supply company. They will install including am extra 40g tank with float shut off just for my
SW set up. It is
RO only as opposed to RODI. The reason being is that you do not want to drink
DI and my system will be plumbed to the kitchen sink as well as the ice maker which will make the 1-2 gallon a day top off convientent.
Going this route will be a bit more pricy up front, but should pay dividends in the long run. The company I am getting it from has been local since 1952 and the replacement filters are only $4 for one and $15 for the other. The best part is the Membrane that I thought would have to replace yearly should only need replacing every 5-7 years. He said he has even had them last up to 12 years. It will come with a
TDS meter as well.
Total cost is about $300 plus installation, but I can lease the first year for $16.50/month and apply that toward purchase at the end of the year. I am currently spending $20-25/month in fish water alone and we will now have drinking water as well not to mention the convience of not traveling.
I asked why the other ones do not last that long and his comment was that many of the online versions that you can get for $100-150 have membranes made in Mexico and the quality is just not that good.
As for not having
DI I am not that concerned considering how much the
RO takes out. It will be like 99% pure and I will just need to check my salt mixing each time.
They will even plumb everything so I can take it with me if we move some day. The guy spent about 30 minutes with me answering my questions and asking good questions so he can customize the setup to my needs. They have done several homes with aquariums with good results.
Installation is set for Wed, so I will let you know how it goes.