RO/DI Recommendation

[peterac]

Hi all,

I am shopping for an RO/DI system. I would like some opinions on which product I should purchase. I will be doing roughly 50 gallon water changes so I would like a 50 gpd system. I am pretty sure I also want a 4-stage system as well.

Thanks,
Pete R.

[nickthapainter]

I just ordered a 4 stage system from captivereefs.com -- $199.00 minus the 6% AA discount.

The "barracuda" model is rated at 100 gal per day (always nice to have a little wiggle room in case of emergencies)

[loganj]

That's the one I would suggest. The Barracuda has options such as an inline TDS meter and a built in pressure gauge that you won't find on other units. Aqua FX also has excellent customer service. I've sold a bunch of them and have never had any problems with any of them.

[captivereefs]

agreed. Plus its made in the good ol' USA! If you have a problem you can talk to the people who put it together for you!

[cmor1701d]

Don't forget that the gpd means 24 HOURS at 50#+ pressure at x degree temp. Get the 100GPD. My city water comes out the tap at around 50psi but right now it's so cold it takes forever to make a 15 gallon batch (well around 8 hours anyway). It's rated at 100gpd and works much faster the rest of the year when the water temp is higher. I don' want to run tepid water through it cause who knows what lurks in the water heater (metals).

[peterac]

Thanks for the replies on my post. One other consideration should be replacement of cartridges. How often are they needing replacement and what does this translate into cost?

Thanks,
Pete R.

[cmor1701d]

All depends on how much water you make and how dirty the source is. I make about 10gallons a week for top off and 30 gallons a month for water changes. My tap water is about 180-225 tds. I use about 6 filters, 2 carbons and 3 DI cartridges per year.

[captivereefs]

here is how good the membrane in AquaFX barracuda is. I make 40-50 gallons a week for my service accounts. My membrane and all filters including the DI are over a year old. I changed them last week end and still had a TDS of 1 my tap water has a TDS of 217. That is with 1 year old prefilters and DI resin. You do get what you pay for in this hobby.

[peterac]

Is anyone using an auto-shutoff float on their AquaFX Barracuda? If so, was it provided by AquaFX? Otherwise, where did you get it?

Thanks,
Pete R.

[captivereefs]

The barracudas come standard with an autoshut off and built in pressure gauge. I also throw in a TDS meter on mine.

[AquaFX]

We use a hydraulic Auto-shut-off. We do find over 60PSI they tend to vibrate. I mean really vibrate 8O , so if you have HIGH water pressure consider a Liquid level Controller.

You be happier. You can always use a liquid level controller but they do cost more.

[peterac]

We use a hydraulic Auto-shut-off. We do find over 60PSI they tend to vibrate. I mean really vibrate , so if you have HIGH water pressure consider a Liquid level Controller.

You be happier. You can always use a liquid level controller but they do cost more.

How would I go about obtaining a liquid level controller? Through AquaFX?

[peterac]

Darin,

How do I get a coupon code so that I can receive the AA discount?

Thanks,
Pete R.

[captivereefs]

just enter AQUARIUMADVICE in the coupon box at checkout.