DI or RO/DI...which do you use and what is your TDS?

Waterfed Poles
1

DI or RO/DI…which do you use and what is your TDS?

I think our TDS averages 225-275 and I’d be using the machine on a daily basis. I’m wondering if I can get away with just DI.

my clients will mostly be high end homes with high expectations. I’m not so much worried with the long term cost, because I will eventually upgrade to RO, but I want to make sure the quality is up to par for my eventual clients before I upgrade.

What I’m trying to say is…[SIZE=“5”]I don’t want spots![/SIZE]

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The highest I’ve recorded here is 1400 - chew on that.
The water quality goes up & down all the time here, its a real bummer. Most days nothing less than 600+

3

ROs will give you 98% rejection at best (when its new). So if removing 98% of your total TDS doesn’t bring your TDS down to 14 or lower you need DI.

Bill from Boston

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I’m a little confused. Either way I need DI right? It’s whether or not I need RO to get spot free drying.

DI=$1400 up front RO/DI=$3300.

5

You need to find out what your average tds is, in your area Brennon. Personally I wouldn’t be using DI only, on anything above 200.
I see you put prices on the 2 units. When you use RO you will be saving on resin, so in the long term it will be cheaper.

6

You need to find out what your average tds is, in your area Brennon

I just ordered a TDS meter last night from Shawn(www.reachhigherground.com). The TDS measurements that I quoted earlier were from a friend of mine.

When you use RO you will be saving on resin, so in the long term it will be cheaper.

I know in the long run it’ll be less of a hassle, but I can’t justify(nor do I have the $$) to purchase the RO.

Maybe it’s a purchase for next year. There’s just so many 3 story building around here that are calling my name…[SIZE=“4”]“Brennon…wash me”[/SIZE]

Thanks for the responses.

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Ok your new right? Meaning you just started with in the last year? If your work is not calling for it, don’t get it. Not yet anyway. I just started last year, business is just 1 full year old. Here is what I have found.

  1. 50% to 70% of the homes you can’t use the system on. Where I live it’s either 20 year old wooden frames or storms. Can’t use the system on them. Well there are those who say you can, but I’m not risking gallons of water flying into a customers house without me knowing. You run a machine on the 2nd floor of a home, and no one is there, you start putting water in the house it can end up being a big mess.
  2. Cost the machines are really big money. If you are going to give it a go and my personnal opinon would be to go with ungers or tuckers tablet system.
  3. You will need something to carry this in. It becomes a big pain in the ass to load and unload, set up hoses etc. And honestly, by the time I have set up my machine and run hoses on some of the smaller homes. I could have completed the 1/2 windows by myself. So I wonder.
  4. Once you have one of these machines, you will try to get mid-rise accounts. Where I am they are hard to get. Not the account, but the guy who signs the check and states you can have the account. Plus where I live they are the most profittible. I would rahter work 100 days and pull in 100k or more, then work every weekday for 10 months.

If I were you I would hold off. Save your money for your advertising dollar. You will need it.

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I can see it helping me out a lot, because the majority of our homes are 15 year old Victorian style with all cut-ups.

ungers or tuckers tablet system.

I’m not familiar with these systems. What’s different about them?

I would rather work 100 days and pull in 100k or more, then work every weekday for 10 months.

so would I. That 100k is between how many people? Just yourself? on residential?

9

Have you considered renting tanks?

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Do you recommend a supplier? I’d need a place to recharge them as well. I can’t find anything thru google.

11

See if you have a local culligan. Back when we used DI they were the only place we could find.

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Thanks. I’ve got an appointment to speak with them this evening.

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Check out wqa.org to try to find a tank to rent.

I rented a tank to start with because I wasn’t sure if this WFP thing would work out for me. I used Culligan but they charge $100 a month to rent and $150 I think to recharge. These are the prices they are charging in my area. This year I’m going to buy a tank.

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I just spoke with the local culligan man and they don’t rent DI tanks out. I’ll try the wqa.org. Thanks

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I know you indicated your interest in Shawn’s mobile DI and RO/DI products; he also sells tanks and resin, and offers regeneration services at a reasonable rate:
http://reachhigherground.com/shop/index.php?cPath=29_31

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I guess I was so focused on his mobile trolleys I forgot about those. I’ll keep those in mind.

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Go to www.wqa.org

Click on find a water professional on the right side on the page. Most DI suppliers are members of this association.

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Have you had windows leak on you?

My experience is that the old wood ones do not leak. Its actually the newer windows with transoms over casements that leak on us. They leak under the transom above the casement.

One of the biggest things that ‘sales’ people tend to overlook is that wfps are more profitable in some area then others. In my area, most houses are newer and all frames are vinyl. Even in the areas with wood framed windows, we use our wfp. Most of our work is WFP work. We make more money per hour and our work comp rates are lower as a result as well.

19

With a TDS consistently over 200, you should go with RO/DI. Sans that, expect to burn through A LOT of resin.

20

Sorry guys I have been trying to reply to your questions to me but for some reason the site was timing out when I tried to post. My internet has been acting up a lot lately so. But anyway
The only leaks I have seen were on my own house. My home has storm windows and some of the storms have drain holes, some do not. This is where the leaking becomes and issue. So I have decided that homes that have storms (most are a wooden type window by me), they dont get the WFP. Where I livem there are a lot of ranch homes, it’s nice in that their one level. But a lot of the two level homes here are older and have a wooden frame with storm so I wont WFP them. It kind of sucks. The system does save time and money when I can use it on a house. But like I said I am focusing on mid-rise. Thats the money maker here. Being I live in old people retirement land, there are a lot of mid rise doctors offices here. Many of the buildings have not been cleaned and you can see the dirty windows from a distance. But once again if the house has wooden widows I dont wfp. I can’t take the risk.

as far as the systems. Heres a link to them
unger
http://www.racenstein.com/store/items.asp?Cc=073&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=

Tucker has a simular system. The reason I say try these out is cause if you find they work and you want to move to a DI or RODI system, these WFP for both companies will work with a system. But right now from what I can see you use standard tap water from the customers garden hose supply with a tablet (soap?) The method is almost the same with a Di RODI system.