Water

[JBissell]

Does it need to be directly hooked into a pipe, or can someone with almost 0 DIY knowledge put this together? I'm trying to wrap my mind around it. Is it a separate bucket filled with water to-be-processed, which feeds through the processor, and then to the mistking? Or do you transfer the clean water by hand? The mind boggles seeing all those cords lol Looks like a bomb you have to defuse.

I have it plumbed directly into the sink waterline using a brass T fitting. But with no DIY knowledge, the sink fitting is probably the easiest.

So the it goes through a series of filters. For RO it goes through a 5 micron felt filter, a carbon filter, then the 2 RO membranes then to the white output line. If I'm doing RODI for the reef, it then goes through the 3 stage De-ionizing units then to the black output line. I bring the bucket over that needs to be filled. I have a shut-off valve on between the misting reservoir buckets and the mist king pumps that I just shut off while I'm filling them.

Looking at it through fresh eyes, I can see how it is a mess! Haha! I set it up quickly during school year and just got it working. I'm hoping to go back in and clean it up over the summer. Right now it goes through the bottom left two canisters, up to the top two canisters, over to the bottom right two canisters, then to the bottom middle canister.

It is really easy to set up though especially if you get a new one. Mine was used and an amalgamation of 2 old units and a new 2 stage DI unit so it's kind of a frankensteins monster under there. Lol

This is a very strait forward video on how to set it up though.

 

[Carlton]

If you’re using a misting system, most do better with RO water. You won’t have the mineral build up that clogs the nozzles. I would get a good one that’s easy to maintain. The cheap ones tend to be more expensive in the long run. Something like this:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-ro-only-system-75gpd-2.html

This is what I use. Or atleast similar. Mine a mix of pieces from BRS. But I use it for my reef tank too so I have a 3 stage DI unit on it as well.

When I’m in my classroom tomorrow. I’ll get a picture of the set up and post it for you.

This. If you really want to find out if your tap water has anything concerning or what the concentrations of various elements are, get it tested by a water lab. High level minerals, hardness, pH, organics, treatment chemicals, etc. Call your municipal water utility for recommendations where to get that done. Pretty much anything that would be concerning for chams will probably be included in standard testing. Chlorine normally off-gasses on its own if you let the tap water "age" in a widemouthed open container overnight. However, if your municipal source uses chloramines instead of chlorine for decontamination, that won't work. Yes, hard water will eventually clog your mister nozzles and foggers. If it's really hard, your misting system pump. You can slow that down by adding a vinegar rinse (and let it sit for a while) to your normal flushing/cleaning routine.

I've lived on various wells during the years I kept chams (as well as aviary birds) and the water quality varied a lot. Lots of clear water iron or rust, manganese, very, very hard, tannins and other organics. So, to make the whole water quality issue simpler, I started installing small capacity (a gallon or two) RO filtration system under the kitchen sink in each of my houses. The RO water went primarily for the pets, but there was more than enough for primary drinking water and cooking too. Hard to predict how long a set of filter cartridges would last, as so much depends on what you want to filter out and how much the source water contains.

 

[LizardLurkin]

I'll definitely have to see about setting an RO filtration up. I don't think my water is awful hard, but all I can find to purchase is usually purified water (and it's always minerals for taste which IDK how terrible it is compared to well water)
Thank you for the information, @JBissell
For what it's worth, I think your set up looks completely functional but i see cords and pipes and I'm like, "I can't adult like that"

 

[JBissell]

I'll definitely have to see about setting an RO filtration up. I don't think my water is awful hard, but all I can find to purchase is usually purified water (and it's always minerals for taste which IDK how terrible it is compared to well water)
Thank you for the information, @JBissell
For what it's worth, I think your set up looks completely functional but i see cords and pipes and I'm like, "I can't adult like that"

Haha, I’ll see if I can get it cleaned up and post updated pictures in the next few weeks between my two summer classes that I’m taking. Might give you a better idea. If you do end up getting one and need any help, let me know!

 

[Carlton]

I'll definitely have to see about setting an RO filtration up. I don't think my water is awful hard, but all I can find to purchase is usually purified water (and it's always minerals for taste which IDK how terrible it is compared to well water)
Thank you for the information, @JBissell
For what it's worth, I think your set up looks completely functional but i see cords and pipes and I'm like, "I can't adult like that"

Well, that's one advantage of one of the off-the-shelf RO systems instead of doing DYI. You don't need a degree in water engineering and all the equipment fits neatly out of sight under a kitchen counter. All you'd see is the secondary faucet on the counter. Be aware you'll probably need to drill a hole in the countertop or the sink surround to accept it. IME, a self-contained, pressurized RO system is more efficient than screw-on faucet filter attachments. The surface area of the RO system's filter media is much larger than a screw-on, so you'll need to change out filter cartridges a lot less often. There are filtration pitchers designed to remove different impurities but they may not remove the specific ones you want to get rid of.

 

[jamest0o0]

You don’t need to hook up an RO system to a water line, you can get a faucet add on to just screw it on and then remove when you’re done.