Question for RO/DI users?

[Troy Valentine]

How often are you guys changing your filters? I have had mine for almost three years and I haven't changed the filters once. I was told the rule of thumb was to change them when your TDS meter reads more than 10ppm. Mine is at 6ppm right now, this is after pumping approx. 3000 gallons of RO/DI water through it. Is this normal? (I have also checked the water with differed TDS meters and got the same results)

[brewercm]

From the way I understand it the time values they give for the changing of filters is figured out using the max GPD use. In other words if you have a 75GPD unit they use the 75GPD to figure a 6 month change or something like that. Of course most reefers use there's much less than that so the filters will last longer.
The TDS reading is the way to go but I've never heard a specific reading to change, just when you start seeing an elevation in readings. 6ppm is still pretty good considering what reading you get with tap water.

[Ram_Puppy]

I am ordering replacement pre-filter, plus a DI upgrade next month, it will be about 1 year since i hooked up the system.

[JimD]

I change all filters, except the RO membrane when the DI is spent, usually every 6 months. I dont like to see a TDS reading over 3ppm.

[TAXMAN]

I have run about 300 gallons through my new filters and I am already reading about 5 through the DI. I am buying a new filter this week. My water is very hard.

[Troy Valentine]

Thanks for the inputs guys 8)

WOW!!
Taxman, what is the TDS reading in your tap water? Are you getting water out of the Edwards Aquifer? Ours is around 250-275. I think anyone getting water from the Edwards Aquifer will have very hard water.

JimD, have you seen any ill effects in your tank when the TDS rises above 3ppm, maybe I am waiting to long...

[TAXMAN]

Mine is 268 tap, 26 after RO and was 0 after DI.

[don-n-sa]

Mine is 271 (tap), 19 after R/O and 0 after DI

[z28pwr]

Mine ranges from 275 - 325 and down to 0 after the RO/DI unit.

[Troy Valentine]

I bought it from Aquatic Reef Solutions. It was their valueline 100gpd unit. It stayed at 0 ppm for about the first 10 months, and it has been slowly climbing ever since.

[JimD]

10 months? Thats pretty good! I notice I have to clean the glass a little more often when my TDS rises above 3ppm. The more often you replace the sediment and carbon block filters, the longer the RO membrane will last. I also have a flush kit installed and run it every third usage for ten minutes.

[Ram_Puppy]

has anyone installed a water softener infront of the ro/di and can offer comparitive samples on how long the filters last? I am going to be getting a house in december, and will probably be looking into a kinetico water softener to ease the burden on my poor over worked ro system.

[brewercm]

From what I've read and heard regular water softeners will deplete the RO cartridge faster, then I also read one time that if water is hard to run through softener first. This probably won't be the case with the kinetico system though because I believe they don't use salt in their systems.

Call one of the local water softener companies to check on how they should be hooked up and what you can expect, most of them work in RO units as well as softeners.

[StephenA]

Mine is about a year old and is at 14 out of the DI stage. How often do you replace the other stages? Carbon block, sediment filter, etc. Mine has 6 stages, do you have to replace all of them?