Best Ro unit for around $100?

[adamRS80]

Well before I set up my new tank I'm finally going to get a RO unit and stop buying the HEB purified water, which seems to be really great by the way. I've looked at most of the brands...Kent, Spectra Pure, Corallife. I'd like to have at least 20 gpd, but I don't need much more than that. Any opinions on which is the best at the $100 price point?

[bprewit]

I havent used them buy I know that ebay has lots of 100gpd units for around $100. I have talked to a few people that have them and seem to be pretty good. I think they even come with 4g tank for drinking water and DI resin filter as well.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20684&item=4343980 099&rd=1

[adamRS80]

Looks pretty cool. I'll have to look into it.

[adamRS80]

Anybody have any other suggestions?

[bucket]

tagging along here. is there any benefit to getting a ro/di unit with high silicate removal (ie, kent marine hi-s). that is does san antonio water have high silicate?

[adamRS80]

I also wondered this, also is a DI unit a must? What about the AquaFX RO units...they have a banner on Maast, are they any good?

[AlexKilpatrick]

This is where I got mine: http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/ I have been really happy with it, and they have *fantastic* customer service. I would give them a call and ask them how they are different from the $100 eBay system. I think the actual quality of the water coming out of the different brand systems is going to be the same. You are paying for higher reliability, better fittings, etc.

Make sure you get a 100 gpd unit. That's ideal performance, so your performance will be a bit less. 20 gpd is 20 *gallons per day* You will get less than an gallon an hour at that rate, and it will be highly annoying. This confused me at first too, because I thought I would need to produce less than 20 gallons per day, which was true, but it actually means it will take all day to produce 20 gallons.

From what I have read, the silicate isn't a huge deal. It supposedy helps prevent diatoms, but I didn't use a hi-S unit, and I never had a diatom issue. I don't know about San Antonio, but I tested out water here in ROund Rock, and it was pretty clean -- about 45 ppm TDS.

[Tim Marvin]

I still have one AquaFX unit left. $199 with dual TDS, 5 stage 100 GPD. Check out the Barracuda.
http://www.aquariumwaterfilters.com

[Tim Marvin]

It is in the middle of the page with a red background.

[BIGBIRD123]

Tim,
PM sent.

Steve

[GaryP]

Silicate is usually high in water that comes from sandstone aquifers. If you lived south of SA that would be an issue. SA and Austin water comes from a limestone aquifer with fairly low silicate levels.

I'm going to look on the SAWS website in SA and see if they post the results of the water analyses they have to do for the EPA (Safe Drinking Water Act). I saw the hard copies when I did a co-op at SAWS when I was in school.

Gary

[GaryP]

OK, here is it is. I was hoping to see silicate and phosphate levels but it doesn't show up in that report. In case anyone is interested, here is the link. I was surprised at the calcium numbers. I actually thought it would be higher than that.

http://www.saws.org/our_water/waterquality/Report/charts.shtml

Here is the report for Austin as well. I thought most of Austin's water was coming from the aquifer. This looks like Lake water.

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/whatsinthewater.htm

Gary

[falcam7]

This is where I got mine: http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/ I have been really happy with it, and they have *fantastic* customer service.

Heck yeah they are almost as good as AquaFX. The guy who started that company copied EVERYTHING AquaFX did. The guy used to sell tires. AquaFX has engineers. A tire salesman has to be a good salesman. Do you know what kind of membrane they are using in their units?


Buddy of mine orders from this site, best prices I've seen:

http://www.dervich.com/Reef/

Joe

Joe,
Units like the one for $95.00, come with no gauge, TDS meter and the brackets that hold the cartridges are made either out of plastic or metal. Which either will BREAK or RUST on you.

AquaFX uses aluminum brackets and pressure gauges standard equipment in all of their units Do you know what kind of membrane they are using in their units?

But you know how the saying goes you got what you paid for.

To whom it may concern:

First of all they are one of our sponsors. They paid their dues to be in our website. The two companies you are talking about have not. Also do not forget that DUES paid by our sponsor help our club out.

Of course you can find cheaper prices of anything on the Web. AquaFx is in the business to sell good reliable units with a next to none customer service. With REAL engineers in site to help answer any questions.

I stand Behind AquaFX products any time.


I also wondered this, also is a DI unit a must? What about the AquaFX RO units...they have a banner on Maast, are they any good?

Go with AquaFX, you will be happy in the long run. Check with Tim Marvin the local rep for them and see, if he can get you a unit the way you like it. And yes a DI will be very nice to have with the unit.

The unit that was sold in the Group buy. 5 stages 100 GPD with the in Line TDS (of course free aluminum bracket and a pressure gauge) is a great buy.

My $0.02. IF anybody has any question or comments please fell free to send me a PM.

Thanks

[Polkster13]

Hear! Hear! What he (Carlos) said!!!

There is a thing as trying to be too cheap. Most of these "lower" priced units are made for drinking water. All they have to do is get close. Also, if this RO unit is going to be any where near the saltwater aquarium, beware of salt spray and the corresive effects it has on many metals.

I just purchased one of these units from Tim and I have been extremely pleased with it so far.

Like Carlos so eloquently stated, "You get what you pay for".

[Ram_Puppy]

I am curious, the SAWS page says their TDS ranges between 283 and 358, yet when I tested my water, my TDS was over 600...

[GaryP]

Your meter may not be accurate at high levels. They use a different technique for laboratory analysis. The evaporate the water in a vacuum oven and then measure the weight with a very accurate scale.

Gary

[Tim Marvin]

If your using the TDS meter from AquaFX that meter reads 0.00. So if you are reading 600 it is probably 6.00, which is 6 PPM. Sounds a little high still if this is the new unit. How many gallons have you run through it? 6ppm is pretty low, but it should be a little lower than that on a new unit, I think.
As for the cheap units, you get what you pay for. AquaFX gives great customer service, fast response, lots of extras on the units ( ball valves, pressure gauges, aluminum bracket, high quality cannisters, and better quality filters). Also check that the membrane passed US standards. If the membrane came in from out of the country they can buy them for much cheaper. The mebranes must pass tests in the U.S., and the ones that don't pass are shipped overseas for sale, then they make there way back from overseas and re-sold at low prices. So you are getting a substandard membrane. You must compare apples to apples. AquaFX makes the Mercedes, and the cheap ones are the Geo Prizm. It all depends on what you are looking for I suppose. Marianne at AquaFX will back here product with no questions asked! It is very hard to find this kind of customer service today! I'm sticking with AquaFX!

[Ram_Puppy]

Tim, that was the reading I got by just putting the probe into plain old tap water, it's much lower when it goes through the system! :)

[AlexKilpatrick]

This is where I got mine: http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/ I have been really happy with it, and they have *fantastic* customer service.

Heck yeah they are almost as good as AquaFX. The guy who started that company copied EVERYTHING AquaFX did. The guy used to sell tires. AquaFX has engineers. A tire salesman has to be a good salesman. Do you know what kind of membrane they are using in their units?



Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. :) Are you telling me that AquaFX spends money on purification (or whatever they are called) engineers to design their system? Are they designing their own RO membrane? Their own carbon filter? These things are all assembled from off-the-shelf parts. The only difference between the units in the quality of the RO membranes or filters, brackets (as you mentioned), etc.. And, unlike most things in this hobby, it is easily measurable -- 0 TDS is 0 TDS, no matter where it comes from. And it doesn't matter to me that the company was started by a tire salesman. The skills required to start a company are typically not the same as the skills required to design a product.

However, I am all for supporting MAAST sponsors. I'm sure the AquaFX unit is great. I bought mine from aquaticreefsystems before MAAST existed. The in-line TDS meter they have is really great. I didn't even know those existed. I'm going to have to get one for my system.

[AlexKilpatrick]

I wanted to add another tidbit of information to this thread. One thing that the guys at Aquatic Reef Systems did on my unit was add an adjustable restricting valve to the waste line. I don't know if the AquaFX systems have this, but you could easily add one (Lowe's sells them).

This allows you to tweak the amount of waste water. By restricting the waste water flow, you can signficantly increase the output. The typical units are designed with a "best guess" restriction. You need a TDS meter to make sure you are still getting good water out, though.