RO/DI units

[BuckeyeHydro]

Not too many houses in South Texas have basements Russ....about 99% do not.

Ah-ha. In that case, the garage will do. It will be exposed to high temperatures - would be a good idea to sanitize it more than once a year.

Russ

[TexasRedneck]

I've been thinking of getting a water softner, thought I had one turned out it was just the loop to tie one into.

The water softner, would that make the RODI unit more efficient?

More efficient, not really. Membrane last longer? Absolutely. Not to mention the REST of the plumbing in the house - especially the hot water heater.

[Bill S]

There's a ton of 'em out there - check w/Sam's for one that's pretty inexpensive and fairly user-friendly. I sell 'em - but not as cheaply as Sam's does, and what they have should do the job for you. The water waste is simply the nature of the beast, until you get into larger (and more expensive - $500 to 1k) units which will allow you to recover up to 75% of the feed water. With either one, a softener is a good idea - but with the high recovery units, a softener is absolutely necessary on water in the San Antonio/Austin area.

These units are not suitable for reef water. I realize that you are in the water business, but there's a reason Buckeye Field Supply is the supplier of choice for Reef systems. We REALLY need 0-1 ppm of TDS. The cheapo units just won't get there - especially in San Antonio. I have 2 of those cheapo units in my garage (in a box) and a Buckeye that supplies my tanks.

[Paul28]

You can buy a real nice one from this site http://www.airwaterice.com/c=Nheko7mNJ4Knk5FmSOhni2ayU/

[TexasRedneck]

These units are not suitable for reef water. I realize that you are in the water business, but there's a reason Buckeye Field Supply is the supplier of choice for Reef systems. We REALLY need 0-1 ppm of TDS. The cheapo units just won't get there - especially in San Antonio. I have 2 of those cheapo units in my garage (in a box) and a Buckeye that supplies my tanks.

I can understand that - which means you'll use a DI cartridge to polish it down further. No RO will take it down to 1 ppm without a polishing cartridge.