What are your numbers in your working area? It ranges from 70-200 around Tulsa.
Also, what is the max number before you would consider using an RO?
Right now I run two full cubes and get refills from Culligan. Just keep rotating them out to get maximum di water prior to refill.
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I have a Hydrotube and it always runs both DI and RO. My next unit I want to be able to run either or both. What does the RO do exactly? I have used a solely DI unit in the past but am unsure of what role RO plays.
typical is around 140. though, when we get out on the lakes it’s well water. that gets up into the 300’s. i spent about $650 on resin this year only running one pole. could have run 2 poles most days. i’m building a heated ro/di system during the off season. should have done it this year, it would have paid for itself.
what’s your setup? two of the giant tanks? do you pre-filter?
at the numbers you’re seeing, i wouldn’t bother with ro, unless you want to diy it. even then, it would take probably a full season before you would get a postive roi
No prefilter. Two large tanks only. I will stick with this setup. I was just curious what others are doing and their numbers. I used to have an EZ pure, until it tanked like all the others. I was thinking about getting another RO system, but what I have is great.
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You can roll with that indefinitely. I would add a pre-filter though. Carbon sediment at least. It’s so cheap to add it, and it’s an extra line of defense before source water hits that precious resin.
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Does chlorine affect resin?
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Varies from 145-188 TDS. Depends if it rains a lot. No rain this summer so was 174-188. After rains last month it has stayed at 152.
If the TDS went and remained 200-250ppm I would definitely have to use RO or switch to a tri-bed tank set up. Trying to keep cost per gallon in the teens. Prefer .10 cents or less a gal. Right now I run series mixed bed. Older DI first and newer resin in second using same type high grade virgin resin 60/40% mix. 2x1/4 cubes. Just got a cube tank so waiting on resin. Once get resin, will use use older DI the same to cube until 1/4 is exhausted then the 2x1/4 tanks go dual bed. Jug water so seldom resort to tank fed DI on site, still light enough to make site water if needed. Also run my small RO system with 0-1ppm 50 gal stored at all times. Not too fond of regen resin. Regen is cheaper but possible 30% loss of resin’s efficiency.
[MENTION=6820]A Clear Choice[/MENTION]
Basically the RO membrane is a thin film composite membrane (TFM or TFC). It filters out majority of the std dissolved solids like magnesium and calcium, 98-99%. The spotting culprits. Silicas is a tough cookie to filter. Chlorine is a membrane killer so a good carbon and sediment pre-filter(s) a must. The normal operating pressure is 40-45 psi, avg normal tap. It needs pressure to operate efficiently. Temp affects RO use. Warmer temps and warmer water are best. Ros are capable of filtering a few thousand of gallons of water vice a DI tanks couple hundred. So high TDS folks need a RO because resin will exhaust pretty quickly.
Would like to hear if any folks on here use RO in cold temps, see a difference in production.
Perry would know. He is a RO guru.
No WFP here yet, Im still only a part time cleaner… And I might just run a DI tank for now, tds is kinda high here tho:/
150-280
That isn’t too bad compared to others at 600+
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I feel better now!
Geez 600!?!
Tds round here is 41-43. No ro needed here.
Tds here varies from 15-190 (so far)
depending on which community. I have a Wash-iT Pro and have only had to use it in RO only mode so far. The RO has always dropped tds to 17 or lower. With <50 in output is always 0. Never had visible spotting.
Craig Cousins
Clean Shine<www.ablewindowandpreszurdwashing.com>
1-877-797-4463 #930
I am very jealous. Here in Cali tap water is around the low 300’s and well water can go as high as 500-800 I’ve seen.
Eric Mettler
Mettler Maintenance Window Cleaning
Central Coast, California
www.mettlermaintenance.com
We are very lucky. Tds on long island is between 39-70 . I use a half cube with a carbon filter John I’m not sure if it matters, But it was cheap so I through it on there.
Yeah we are lucky. Some of my customers have their own filtration systems throughout their homes and their water comes out at aroun 002/003.thats when i statg tapping on my tds meter display to see uf its broke lol. I run a simple di tank from are boys at wcr and switch the resin every 6-8 months. We definitely are lucky here.
Ill trade you Tds for warm weather?
I do not think there is a global rule-of-thumb for switching to RO except 'How much are you spending on DI RESIN?"
I have met many guys using their Waterfed Pole of less than 1/3 of their external glass … how do they get an ROI on an RO System in this case? Impossible - even if the TDS of the local water was two times the ‘benchmark threshold of TDS 150’ for switching.
The running cost of DI only is basically : Running Cost per Hour DI Only = TDS divided by 100
Assumes using 1/2 cu ft refillable tank or bigger, flow rate of 1/2gpm, and buying 1 cu ft at a time from WCR.
So … lets say this casual Waterfed Pole’er is using TDS 300 water ( Running cost =$3.00 per hour) … 5 hours a week … that is $15 a week - and he only incurs the cost as he makes money ($60-80 per hour?) - even at $750 per year in Resin Cost, his RO is going to take 2 years to ROI without considering the impending replacement of his RO Membranes.
So … DI Resin Cost is, in my mind the only way to justify RO - now … you don’t have to go spending it to work it out … just use the above formula… how many hours per week x number of poles x weeks per year. If that is over $1500, go for an RO - but NOT one that claws back all your savings by selling you overpriced cartridges of Carbon and DI - your ROI will blow out - and, in fact may never occur.
my house: 480–southern california
