Instant Ocean Snake Oil ?

Even at 2 bucks for 5 gallons, the price adds up quickly. I use 10 gallons a week for my tank. So 4 bucks. That is over $200 a year. RO/DI unit was about $150. I have had that for almost a year now. Takes 9 months to pay for itself. Plus now I dont have to lug 5 gallon buckets to and from the store or waste gas going to the store. IMO even on a small 29 gallon tank, it is well worth the investment.
 
True you have to lift. But they have nifty jugs with a side handle. Really doesn't seem as heavy. I just throw mine in a cart. Go to the water kiosk , fill it and throw it back in the cart. Now they do sell some up front pre bottled. Like $ 6.50 a 5. But the you fill is only 37 cents a gallon! $1.85 a 5. Not worth all the expense of not only the unit, but upkeep and filters and membranes. It fills fast too.
 
I usually make 30% (15 gallon) changes in my 45 gallon FOWLR every three weeks or so. That's a lot of water to have to carry and lift, so I use a 15 gallon barrel on a rolling cart to make up new water and get it to the tank. The old water is removed via a Python type venturi siphon, and a pump in the barrel delivers the new water into the tank. I never have to lift anything heavier than the nearly empty barrel, when I tip it over to get the last gallon or so out.

Barrel.jpg

 
saline said:
True you have to lift. But they have nifty jugs with a side handle. Really doesn't seem as heavy. I just throw mine in a cart. Go to the water kiosk , fill it and throw it back in the cart. Now they do sell some up front pre bottled. Like $ 6.50 a 5. But the you fill is only 37 cents a gallon! $1.85 a 5. Not worth all the expense of not only the unit, but upkeep and filters and membranes. It fills fast too.
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I've been running the same filters and membranes for almost a year, still getting 0 ppm output. The unit has paid for itself and then some already. Even after you factor in new filters and membranes, you are still ahead. Plus you always have water on hand and dont have to worry about running low if you don't have time to make it to the store
 
Hate to burst your bubble. But you failed to mention cartridges. Membranes=45. Which if you have a higher TDS will probably only be efficient for 3 months! Carbon and mesh at $25 a piece every 6 months max! So you have a $150. unit and $ 280. a year in filter maintainance? I'll let Wally take that expense.
 
saline said:
Go to the water kiosk , fill it and throw it back in the cart. Now they do sell some up front pre bottled. Like $ 6.50 a 5.
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Oh, I see - but my Walmart has no water kiosk; just the pre-bottled water. At the price they sell it for, it would bankrupt me. The store must have never been equipped with an RO system. Guess I'm stuck with my RO then..... D*** thing is still giving me a headache with traces of ammonia in its output; have to contact the mfr. this AM and quiz them about that. They do have their foibles, I guess !
 
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Hmm. Ours is back by the frozen and dairy section. If you weren't looking for it you might miss it? Thought they all had em, but I could be wrong.
 
saline said:
Hate to burst your bubble. But you failed to mention cartridges. Membranes=45. Which if you have a higher TDS will probably only be efficient for 3 months! Carbon and mesh at $25 a piece every 6 months max! So you have a $150. unit and $ 280. a year in filter maintainance? I'll let Wally take that expense.
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I don't know where you are getting your 280 dollars a year in filters, but mine will only be about 80 a year in filters. An RO membrane that is properly maintained by flushing it every month or so wont go bad in three months. As long as it is still reading a good TDS out, no need to replace it. And the carbon filters can last up to 12 months depending on use.

And I also don't have to wait 4 hours for a 5 gallon bucket to fill up since I built a reservoir with an auto shut off valve that holds about 12 gallons of water.

It is still cheaper than driving once a week somewhere to buy water.
 
saline said:
If I were to have a remote in the basement then yes. I would then invest in one. But for a 30 gal tank. No
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I'm sure that works great for you; Wally water would be just about the same as the cost of maintaining my RO is to me. So really my RO does nothing but make it more convenient and eliminate lifting heavy loads (not as young as I used to be ! :grumble:). I just checked, and my Walmart does have a water dispenser after all - I had never noticed it before. Thanks for the tip, now I know where to find water cheep in an emergency. Twenty years ago, when I lived in Greenville, there was a reef shop just around the corner that sold me RO water for 25 cents a gallon - those were the days !
 
It takes about 45 minutes to fill a 5 gallon bucket with my RODI unit. And the TDS of my tapwater is 400 to 500, yet I still only have to replace my membranes and resin once a year, at a cost of approximately $60 for the whole set. Anyone that thinks it will take 4 hours to fill a 5 gallon bucket and $300 a year for filters is exaggerating greatly. ;)

Oh and my RODI unit cost less than $100.
 
I'm sorry. The Coralife unit I had, had a 35 GPD membrane. So you're right. It results in a 3 1/2 hr fill time for a 5 gal bucket.
 
And I was just going by the suggested filter maintainance. Which stated to replace the membrane every 6 months. I think they were like $45-$50 years ago. My bad.
 
Bifferwine said:
It takes about 45 minutes to fill a 5 gallon bucket with my RODI unit. And the TDS of my tapwater is 400 to 500, yet I still only have to replace my membranes and resin once a year, at a cost of approximately $60 for the whole set. Anyone that thinks it will take 4 hours to fill a 5 gallon bucket and $300 a year for filters is exaggerating greatly. ;)

Oh and my RODI unit cost less than $100.
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Wow ! The membrane for my Coralife alone is $80. What make is your unit, if you don't mind me asking ? I may just replace mine when it's time to change its membrane.
 
I was mistaken on the filters. I checked last night and the membrane was a year. The other three filters were every 6 months or 3000 gallons. Still from what I saw the other 3 were $70. Without tax or shipping. X 2 a year. $140. + an $80 membrane a year =$220. I also looked for the unit I had. I didn't see a 35 GPD but I did see a 50 GPD. must have discontinued the model I had. The facts are there. No exagerration on my part. That is the recommended filter maintainance.
 
And Biff. If you don't mind me askin, where did you get a 160 GPD. RO/DI unit for $90? The ones I saw online last night were $280.+. Just the membranes were $100. Like the Spectrapure 160.
 

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