RO\DI units

[Mishikal]

I notice that there are RO units for home drinking water then there are RO\DI units for fish tanks. Is there any difference between the aquarium or drinking water ro\di systems?

I would like to give my tank RO\DI water and drink it to instead of driving down to the store every few weeks.

 

[clayswim]

The main reason is because it's considered a waste of your DI media, which is why some units have a bypass valve. Water that's been through the carbon blocks and RO membrane is perfectly fine for drinking, and those filters last much longer than the DI media. Using DI for drinking, cooking and whatever else gets costly. If you want a filter that will do both look for one with a bypass. http://www.airwaterice.com sells several units that have that as an option, and the Typhoon III has it standard. Look under Reef Keeping.

Clayton

 

[Mishikal]

Is the Typhoon III a really good RO/DI for a Reef Aquarium? Is there anybody that would recommend them or had good or bad experience with them?


Thanks

 

[Scooterman]

I've heard that the Typhoon III works well.

Di is not recommended for drinking because at that point all minerals is stripped from the water, which you can drink but not on a daily basis. They claim it will have the reverse effect on the body, depleting yourself of needed minerals. I find DI tasteless also, Imagine di water so pure it absorbs nasties from your body but also the good stuff.

 

[Llarian]

A lot of RO/DI units now have a T on the line between the RO membrane output and DI input going to a final carbon filter and a holding tank for RO only drinking water. I'm really wishing I had bought one of these now, as it would have been able to supply drinking water and DI for the reef.

-Dylan

 

[clayswim]

The mineral content of water is an issue mostly because a lot of agriculture areas where produce is grown in this country are deficient in magnesium. Drinking purified distilled water also has zero minerals if it hasn't been reconstituted. Americans get the majority of their magnesium in water, since the foods we eat contain so little. Many researchers believe this to be one of the leading causes of heart disease, although it's never been proven. So, if the water coming out of your RO makes up a good portion of your daily fluid intake, skip the DI filter.

Clayton

 

[LCGoldman]

You can get a real good 100GPD RO+DI unit on eBay for about $90. I know because I bought one from Filter Direct