What does your RO/DI water cost you.

[fijiwigi]

Currently I am getting my RO/DI water from my LFS I just take in my 5gallon jugs and he fills them for me. It costs $2.00 per jug about .40 cents per gallon. I have been debating spending the 200 dollars for an RO/DI unit but I am wondering if it may be easier to continue to get it from the LFS I don't have to worry about changing the filters or waiting for the buckets to fill. I just drop them off and pick them up later. How long does it usually take for a 5 gallon bucket of water to be dispensed from an RO/DI unit a really long time??
Plus its on his water bill not mine What is your cost per gallon for RO/DI water in your home and how long does it take to fill a bucket??

 

[usmcmarc]

I was paying $0.75 per gal at LFS.

If you do the math, even at $0.40 per gal. You will get off a little cheaper, and if you figure in the cost of gas to drive to LFS and your time driving. You are much better off.

Mine takes about 2-3 hours to fill a 5gal jug. If you have higher water pressure than I do, it will take less time. My pressure at the unit is about 42 psi. If you have 45psi or better, you will get a faster fill and your DI resin will last longer (ie..more gallons per refill), which will lower the overall cost per gallon more.

I got mine from www.thefilterguys.biz

I have the OCEAN REEF + 1 FIVE STAGE 75 GPD RO/DI with an upgrade to Dual DI for $30 more since I had lower pressure.

It's a great unit, and the company is VERY helpful. Send them an email with what your RO/DI needs will be, they will tell you exactly what you should get. When I had the problem with the low water pressure, they troubleshot it with me and came up with a solution. Excellent customer service.

 

[Sadielynn]

Ours is 1.50 a gallon here , I just use distilled we rent our house so we are not aloud to fudge with that kind of stuff here to put in a RO/DI system

 

[usmcmarc]

Aww, sure you can...couple of 2x4's and you could make a small stand to mount the RO/DI unit on and your in business.

You should see how I moded my BioCube 29's top to accomodate the new light fixture and keep part of the original hood to cover the filtration area. Anything can be made to work.

 

[Sadielynn]

IF we get caught here we are done we already are in the outs with the landlord for a neighbor that caused issues , he saw the tank and is flipping mad as anything over 10 gallons is considered water furniture however I have a 10 and a 1/2 ten or so so tech it is 2 small units and the 1 gallon betta tank the land lord is an @ss

 

[fijiwigi]

3 hours for 1 five gallon batch of RO/DI water holy cow. What a pain

 

[cmor1701d]

It depends on what the unit is rated for (50/75/100/150 gpd), the pressure (under 50psi takes longer) and the temperature of the incoming water line. So at 50 degrees with 50psi and a 100gpd unit, it will take just over an hour to fill a 5 gallon bucket.

If your pressure is low you can get a booster pump for around $75.00

I have the Typhoon III from airwaterice.com. I've had it for 3 years. I used a garden hose adapter to connect it to my kitchen faucet when I need to make some RODI water. The rest of the time the unit is out of site. I replace the sediment filter every 2 months and the carbon filters yearly. I replace the DI when my tds start to creep above 0.

I fill a 45 gallon top off reservoir every 3 weeks or so.
This is a LOT cheaper than buying water.

 

[Ziggy953]

I don't pay anything for mine. I have a RO/DI unit and I make my own. I have a 30gallon container that I fill it takes about 8-10 hours for me to get it full but that is what I use to mix my SW with. I also use it to top-off my tank.

 

[fijiwigi]

I have the Typhoon III I replace the sediment filter every 2 months and the carbon filters yearly. I replace the DI when my tds start to creep above 0.

So how much do the replacement filters cost you to be shipped to your door what is your yearly total expense for the replacement filters.

 

[Ziggy953]

The cost per year to replace the filters is going to be far less then buying RO/DI water from an LFS. How often you have to replace your filters is going to depend on your source water. I am lucky that I get a good years worth of use out of mine and I'm on well water. Luckily my water is excellent and there isn't a lot to remove, so I get more life out of my filters. I spend about $60 per year on replacement filters. I order then from ebay.

I looked at buying water from my LFS but I don't know how good their water is, how often they change their filters. I just don't trust my reef to anyone else. I do PWCs every other week on my tank and I usually change 20-30 gallons at a time. even at $.50 a gallon I'm making out by making the water myself.

 

[cmor1701d]

A pack of filters costs $40.00 and includes:
1) 10 micron sediment filter
1) 5 micron Coconut Carbon Black
1) one micron Coconut Carbon Black
1) Full size vertical color changing DI Cartridge

Due to my use I get a different package with 6 sediment the 2 carbon and refillable DI material (4 refills) for around $75.00.

 

[melosu58]

For me it is worth it just to not have to lug those jugs around. As far as Cost you`ll be better off making your own RO/DI water.

 

[ellisz]

I go through 4-5 gal of water a day. No way I am going to get my water from a LFS. For small tanks, it might not be worth the trouble to get your own unit. Might be good to get a TDS meter and verify the water you are getting from the LFS is as pure as you want it to be though.

 

[animalparamedic]

I make my own RO also - i can make 50 gal per day, so i never run out... Filters are about $ 40-50 per year...i too have a good water source... As far as ease of installation, the unit was installed in like 30minutes or so... just make sure you have good water pressure before you install a unit - i have a friend who needed to add a "pump" of sorts to boost his water pressure, otherwise his RO wouldn't work properly...
All in all, id say its a worthwhile investment...

 

[lando]

For me it is worth it just to not have to lug those jugs around.

The "soft cost" alone is enough for me. Getting a home RO/DI unit saves sooo much time and hassel in buying and hauling water from the LFS. I love having it on hand at home whenever I need it. There is something to be said for the connivance.

 

[fijiwigi]

I dont know I think it is more convienent to drop off my jugs and pick them up later than having to wait 2 hours for a 5 gallon jug at home. Mainly I was debating cost and time. It would be more time to make it at home. And when I figure 200 startup for the unit and 60 dollars a year for filters. I change 30 gallons a month in my 46bow. 60 dollars dividedx 12 months is 5 dollars per month or .16 per gallon at 30 gallons a month. And for the first year if I factor in the cost of the RO/Di unit at 200.00 roughly. Divide that by 12 months is 16.00 a month divided by 30 gallons is .53 cents per gallon for a total cost of .68 cents per gallon for the first year and .16 for every year after and I have to wait hours for my water?? granted there are many variables to the equation. I just have a hard time swallowing the expense. Maybe since I only change 30 gallons a month I could go longer than a year on the filters I don't really know.