My RO/DI System Setup

This is the system that Sunhawk and I have in our basement.

Please feel free to ask questions.

It is a BRS 5 stage system with 3 30 gallon Brute trashcans ganged together. There is a float controlled filler valve. Each can has an air stone. The last two cans are heated to 78 degrees. Before the RO/DI the water goes from the well to a house filter, then to a new gen water softener then to a splitter. The water going to the RO/DI goes to another house filter then to the RO/DI

All hardware was picked up at our local Ace Hardware store.

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3. The hole saw used for the holes.



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8. A heat gun was used to return the flattened hose back to round and make it easy to slip on. When the line cooled it formed a water tight seal.



9. Flattened from being on a spool.



10. Nice and round and soft. Have to move fast before it cools down. I use spit to lubricate the line and fitting.



11. quick check of lines. They will have to be threaded through the pallets. I measured the lines and cut them to size. For ease of assembly I joined each can between the pallets.



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13. Float shut off.



14. Filler hose.

 

Woah, that's interesting!
Who's Sunhawk again?

 

It is interesting just checking in for the first time today is all

I do a 7 stage with a shutoff value to only one bin (wife thinks i'm pushing it with that as it is lol), once in the bin shutoff via a float I stage my water with Equilibrium, and Alkaline / Acid buffer to ready for my tanks.

My biggest issue is my house RO water is always empty to drink, darn near need another setup just for the fish RO water <lol>

 

I use a system so complex, it's called the bathroom tub

 

Thanks for sharing your build with me to lower your tap water ph. I'm new to this so I have some questions.

Each can has an . The last two cans are heated to 78 degrees.

I understand why you heat the cans but why do you put air stones in them?

Before the the water goes from the well to a house filter, then to a new gen then to a splitter. The water going to the /DI goes to another house filter then to the RO/DI

Doesn't the water softener have an effect on the waters ph? I thought the RO/DI system would yield softer water but I'm guessing hardness and PH are not the same thing.. So is it beneficial to pretreat with a water softener and/or water filter before going to the RO/DI? Its my understanding that the RO/DI is a filter.

14. Filler hose.

Is it just gravity that pushes the water through or how does the water come out of the filler hose?

Last question, where are you sending the water waste?

I really appreciate you taking the time to share your insights with me. I will make sure to pass it along to the next guy!

 

Woah, that's interesting!
Who's Sunhawk again?

My wife

It is interesting just checking in for the first time today is all

I do a 7 stage with a shutoff value to only one bin (wife thinks i'm pushing it with that as it is lol), once in the bin shutoff via a float I stage my water with Equilibrium, and Alkaline / Acid buffer to ready for my tanks.

My biggest issue is my house RO water is always empty to drink, darn near need another setup just for the fish RO water <lol>

Have been considering another setup for the kitchen. But there are other modifications I want to make to this system first.

I use a system so complex, it's called the bathroom tub

Thanks for sharing your build with me to lower your tap water ph. I'm new to this so I have some questions.
I understand why you heat the cans but why do you put air stones in them?
Doesn't the water softener have an effect on the waters ph? I thought the RO/DI system would yield softer water but I'm guessing hardness and PH are not the same thing.. So is it beneficial to pretreat with a water softener and/or water filter before going to the RO/DI? Its my understanding that the RO/DI is a filter.
Is it just gravity that pushes the water through or how does the water come out of the filler hose?

Last question, where are you sending the water waste?

I really appreciate you taking the time to share your insights with me. I will make sure to pass it along to the next guy!

I have air stones in because our well is 100' deep. The water is very low in O2. Also even though there is nothing for microbes to feed on I do not want to take the chance that the water will become stagnant.

The softener and pre filters do a lot of the heavy lifting. This has allowed the RO/DI to last over five years without a change out. I was talking to someone at BRS and he was surprised, saying generally they last 2-3 years before you need to do a change out.

I believe it is the DI part of the system that changes the Ph. It is not a filter but rather a resin chamber at the end of the system.

Yes the filler hose is a gravity a feed. That presents a problem. I can only get water as long as the level in the cans is above the hight of the 5 gallon buckets I use. I have a pump that I bought several years ago that I will install, and run a hard line to the first floor. I am catching up on projects. If you look behind the cans on the wall that is a job I finished last week. It is the end of a 45' hard line with air dryer and filter for my 60 gallon 6 horse air compressor.

I run the waste water to the septic system. I will be up grading the RO/DI to 150 GPD soon. Not because I need more water but because the upgrade produces around half the waste water. Even though we are on well water and do not have a water bill I want to be as efficient as possible. I am considering storing some of the waste water to use on our plants around our lodge. I understand it is good for them.

I remineralize the water with Seachem Equilibrium. This is necessary for the health of the fish, plants, and to prevent a Ph crash.

 

Thanks for responding!

The softener and pre filters do a lot of the heavy lifting. This has allowed the RO/DI to last over five years without a change out.

I figured that the pre-filtration would remove a lot of the impurities so the RO/DI system wouldn't have to.

I have two tanks, a 20 & a 55 gallon so I'm not really needing much for water changes each week. I am considering this system because it is cheap small and seems like it does a decent job. I’m interested to hear your take on it. I’m willing to pay more if this one is junk, but some reviews claim their tap went from 8.2 down to 7.0 and that is my main reason I’m looking into RO/DI.

I get city water which I believe has chloramine because it has a .25 - .5 ammonia reading. I'm going to call the city today and confirm that though. If that's the case this unit doesn't remove chloramine so could I attach a separate canister DIY to take care of it before the membrane, or do I need to find a better system for that reason, or am I ok just throwing in some Prime in the RO/DI water?

I remineralize the water with . This is necessary for the health of the fish, plants, and to prevent a Ph crash.

Thanks for letting me know about Equilibrium. Probably saved me from a disaster! At what stage would you remineralize the water? In the fish tank or before when it’s in the trashcans?

Sorry for so many questions… Last one... What would be your advise on transitioning an already established tank with such a big change in the water without wiping the tank? I had no idea ph crashes happen... I'll have to do some research on that.

Thanks again.

 

My wife

I love that name!

 

Excellent write-up, thanks for sharing all this useful information too. The idea of using pallets for the barrel bottom bulkheads is really good.

 

Is this for an auto water top off system or just for storing water for water changes. If I sell my house to buy something bigger I want to get water lines plumbed to and from where ill have my tank.

 

Thanks for responding!

I figured that the pre-filtration would remove a lot of the impurities so the RO/DI system wouldn't have to.

I have two tanks, a 20 & a 55 gallon so I'm not really needing much for water changes each week. I am considering this system because it is cheap small and seems like it does a decent job. I’m interested to hear your take on it. I’m willing to pay more if this one is junk, but some reviews claim their tap went from 8.2 down to 7.0 and that is my main reason I’m looking into RO/DI.

I get city water which I believe has chloramine because it has a .25 - .5 ammonia reading. I'm going to call the city today and confirm that though. If that's the case this unit doesn't remove chloramine so could I attach a separate canister DIY to take care of it before the membrane, or do I need to find a better system for that reason, or am I ok just throwing in some Prime in the RO/DI water?


Thanks for letting me know about Equilibrium. Probably saved me from a disaster! At what stage would you remineralize the water? In the fish tank or before when it’s in the trashcans?

Sorry for so many questions… Last one... What would be your advise on transitioning an already established tank with such a big change in the water without wiping the tank? I had no idea ph crashes happen... I'll have to do some research on that.

Thanks again.

The only system I have dealt with is the BRS one. I will say that their customer service is as good as any that I have delt with. There is a lot of free info on their site.

They have systems that remove chlorine and Colramine. But since I am on well water I really did not look into that.

I remineralize as I add the water to the aquarium. Put it in the aquarium then the water. For a five gallon bucket I add 1 1/2 tea spoon. But I have a lot of plants.

To transition I would do small water changes over a weeks time.

I love that name!

It was given to her by the shaman that joined us

Excellent write-up, thanks for sharing all this useful information too. The idea of using pallets for the barrel bottom bulkheads is really good.

Thank you Brian Rodgers

Is this for an auto water top off system or just for storing water for water changes. If I sell my house to buy something bigger I want to get water lines plumbed to and from where ill have my tank.

No top off. I do plan to run a hard line from the basement to the first flood. I have the pump, just need to find the time

 

That’s all so... inspiring! Classic case of (relatively) high initial investment (more time than $), for HUGE gain on the back side. Your fish would surely thank you if they could! LOL.
It’s a bit more complex than anything I would (could) set up - if nothing else I can’t ever see being able to use that much new water - but a smaller simpler system, using some of your ideas, could be in the works!

 

That’s all so... inspiring! Classic case of (relatively) high initial investment (more time than $), for HUGE gain on the back side. Your fish would surely thank you if they could! LOL.
It’s a bit more complex than anything I would (could) set up - if nothing else I can’t ever see being able to use that much new water - but a smaller simpler system, using some of your ideas, could be in the works!

Thank you bitseriously

Years ago we were buying mineral water in five gallon jugs. It was a pain in the neck to go to the water store and exchange the jugs.
Then one day we were given distilled water (no minerals) The aquariums Ph crashed within hours. We lost a large school of glass cats along with all the other fish in the aquarium except two young angels named Fred and Ginger. Fred was blind in his right eye after that. The two lived 7 years and 6 years with many good spawns. It was that cash that prompted us to look into a RO/DI system with remineralizing the water. We no longer trusted anybody when it came to our fish. I am good with tools and improvising (though I will admit Rube Goldberg would be proud of some of my solutions )

Both Sunhawk and I suffer from M.T.S so it seemed the best choice.

Fred on the left Ginger on the right. Best mated pair I ever had.



2. Ginger being a good mommy.



3. Fred.

 

Interesting backstory. Glad that something good came out of something... not good.
In terms of collecting all the materials, and putting in the labour, was this a "little bit at a time" sort of project, or a "jump right and and don't stop till it's done" undertaking?
BTW those are some gorgeous and healthy-looking angels! Perfect-looking finnage and scales. The pair are wild types, right (I'm not into angels... yet )? Natural appearances do it for me every time. Their colours are so understated, but they pop in a special way under the right lighting. The wild type honey gourami is a fave of mine, but sadly so hard to find here in southern ontario.

 

Thank you bitserlously

Fred and Ginger were very special. I have baby pictures of them. I can hunt them up after I get home if you like. Yes they are standard silvers. Keep in mind that if you keep angels to keep them in even numbers. And that females will pair up.

This is a three phase project. The RO/DI and cans went up at one time. But the cans were not connected. As each can filled I would move the output to the next can. To get water I would scoop it out with a five gallon bucket. But after thinking about the contamination on the bucket from the concrete floor and the carpet on the first floor I decided to gang them together with a float fill/ shutoff......The fact that I was prone to forget to check the level in the cans and the subsequent flooding of the basement (much to Sunhawks displeasure) might have had something to do with the decision also.

Phase three will be the installing of a pump (I bought it several years ago) and hard lines to take the water to the first floor.

 

Sunhawk and I have decided that we are going to add the 150 GPD upgrade and the pressure pump and pressure switch. As soon as the money shows up I will put the order in with BRS. I will of course add the install to this thread.

 

WOW! and here I thought there would be interest in this.

It's very interesting Thunder_o_b !!! I'm so glad this is here, and only wish I had seen it sooner. Thanks for the share.

 

It's very interesting Thunder_o_b !!! I'm so glad this is here, and only wish I had seen it sooner. Thanks for the share.

You are welcome

It's very interesting Thunder_o_b !!! I'm so glad this is here, and only wish I had seen it sooner. Thanks for the share.

You are welcome

I hope it helps people that are considering an RO/DI with storage. The next steps is to add the pump and run a hard line to the first floor. But Right now I have to deal with all the water that flooded the dining room when the 150 failed on Thursday

 

Oh boo I'm sorry to hear that Thunder. Is the livestock all doing okay?

I feel I can sort of sympathize. It's been a rough weekend for my tanks too, though nothing like flooding. Just dealing with heat after a long power outage yesterday, which sent my old a/c unit on the fritz. Nothing the Mr. can't handle but half a day without flow and two days of temps about 6 degrees higher than they should be is no fun.

One thing's for sure, Sunhawk and I are sure lucky to have handy husbands. Btw, love the color scheme on your bike. I've been keeping an eye out for that shade of teal/aqua in corals so I can put it in the reef tank. It reminds me of the color of the ocean down here on a perfect day, (at a depth of about 40 ft with a sandy bottom, like it is just outside the reef line.)

 

I’m contemplating a simple system that would fill a 35 gallon bin once per week. So minimal capacity required, and I certainly wouldn’t want it running when I don’t need new water.
How do RO units handle being turned on and off? Or do they need to be running all the time? Is there a priming or startup flushing requirement? Or is it simply turn a valve and it’s up and producing?
Thx!

 

Oh boo I'm sorry to hear that Thunder. Is the livestock all doing okay?

I feel I can sort of sympathize. It's been a rough weekend for my tanks too, though nothing like flooding. Just dealing with heat after a long power outage yesterday, which sent my old a/c unit on the fritz. Nothing the Mr. can't handle but half a day without flow and two days of temps about 6 degrees higher than they should be is no fun.

One thing's for sure, Sunhawk and I are sure lucky to have handy husbands. Btw, love the color scheme on your bike. I've been keeping an eye out for that shade of teal/aqua in corals so I can put it in the reef tank. It reminds me of the color of the ocean down here on a perfect day, (at a depth of about 40 ft with a sandy bottom, like it is just outside the reef line.)

Thank you stella

In the end we lost 2 shrimp and my old silver molly, and 1 neon. Oh, and sadly the carpet did not survive.

I hope everything worked out ok for you.

I’m contemplating a simple system that would fill a 35 gallon bin once per week. So minimal capacity required, and I certainly wouldn’t want it running when I don’t need new water.
How do RO units handle being turned on and off? Or do they need to be running all the time? Is there a priming or startup flushing requirement? Or is it simply turn a valve and it’s up and producing?
Thx!

Before I had the float shut off I pressurized the system when I needed water then shut it down to stop the flow. One of the things you want to do to expand the life of an RO/DI system is to back flush it often.

 

HI Thunder_o_b

I realize this is an older post but I was wondering if Seachem equilibrium is all you use for remineralizing the water or do you have to use their other buffers as well for further regulating ph or adding KH.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to go about RO/DI for my tiny little tanks because my tap water is too heavily softened for fish, and it’s all clear as mud to me. I’m such a klutz. I don’t want to mess it up

Or is it simpler than it sounds?

Thanks for your time

 

HI Thunder_o_b

I realize this is an older post but I was wondering if Seachem equilibrium is all you use for remineralizing the water or do you have to use their other buffers as well for further regulating ph or adding KH.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to go about RO/DI for my tiny little tanks because my tap water is too heavily softened for fish, and it’s all clear as mud to me. I’m such a klutz. I don’t want to mess it up

Or is it simpler than it sounds?

Thanks for your time

I'd like to know what Thunder's KH is and how the level is achieved too.

I too use RO water for tiny tanks. I don't even want to share what I do to it just yet, as it may only complicate matters. I use 3 different products to dose RO water for Freshwater tanks and it works for me, but I think there is a simpler way, and Thunder can help us with that. I also won't hijack this thread, but if you'd like to chat about my way of making highly filtered water safe for fish, shoot me a PM. Just be prepared for the long answer, lol.

 

HI Thunder_o_b

I realize this is an older post but I was wondering if Seachem equilibrium is all you use for remineralizing the water or do you have to use their other buffers as well for further regulating ph or adding KH.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to go about RO/DI for my tiny little tanks because my tap water is too heavily softened for fish, and it’s all clear as mud to me. I’m such a klutz. I don’t want to mess it up

Or is it simpler than it sounds?

Thanks for your time

Yes, all I use is Seachem Equilibrium. But I also put a cuttle bone in all the aquariums with shrimp and snails. I put two in the 150 gallon.

I'd like to know what Thunder's KH is and how the level is achieved too.

I too use RO water for tiny tanks. I don't even want to share what I do to it just yet, as it may only complicate matters. I use 3 different products to dose RO water for Freshwater tanks and it works for me, but I think there is a simpler way, and Thunder can help us with that. I also won't hijack this thread, but if you'd like to chat about my way of making highly filtered water safe for fish, shoot me a PM. Just be prepared for the long answer, lol.

To be completely up front I never test for hardness. I have always had such good resualts with Seachem products I take it on faith their directions are solid. And so far everything has gone swimmingly

 

Yes, all I use is Seachem Equilibrium. But I also put a cuttle bone in all the aquariums with shrimp and snails. I put two in the 150 gallon.


To be completely up front I never test for hardness. I have always had such good resualts with Seachem products I take it on fath their directions are solid. And so far everything has gone swimmingly

Thank you so much for answering Thunder_o_b!

I just have one more question, I see that you are using 5 stage system. Would a 4 stage system work too or is 5 stage better in your opinion?

Thank you so very much

 

Thank you so much for answering Thunder_o_b!

I just have one more question, I see that you are using 5 stage system. Would a 4 stage system work too or is 5 stage better in your opinion?

Thank you so very much

There is a lot of discussion on that. The DI resin does need to be replaced more often than the other components but I like complete control over the water. There is really nothing but water coming out of the RO/DI system. I am at 1 ppm tds or less. So it is vital that I remineralize the water.

 

Thanks for the share Thunder, and I totally understand that you don't test for hardness, and don't have to, because your method is working. Alrighty then, so I'm just sharing my thoughts, and hope that it's okay to do so here. Cuttlebone affects KH to my knowledge... which is admittedly, limited, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Cuttlebone is simply calcium, yes? Equilibrium also contains calcium, and if cuttlebone (calcium) raises KH, then we don't need anything but Equilibrium to raise KH levels to at least a low level, which will, in turn, make pH stable.

One of these days, I'm gonna talk to Seachem about all this... because I use 2 of their products to raise and adjust KH to my desired level, as well as Replenish for GH. I've found reasons not to trust Replenish based on some reviews I've seen on Seachem's site. If I can switch from using two products for KH and one for GH to one better (more trusted) product that will manage both for me... then I certainly will.

 

Cuttle bone is calcium yes. Please keep us informed on what you find out. I hope to one day get around to learning the ins and outs of hardness.

 

Thanks for posting the link to this recently. It’s timely as I’m having quite the time with my well water. I’m about ready to go RO and remineralize.
I have a long thread about it in Fish Diseases. But the short story is that I don’t really know what is causing fish stress and deaths after water changes.
But I do know that using bottled purified water has stopped the carnage.
May I ask what pH you end up with after adding in tbe Equilibrium?
I have soft and acidic water loving fish.

 

Nice write up on your system. Wish I could do something like that.

 

Thanks for posting the link to this recently. It’s timely as I’m having quite the time with my well water. I’m about ready to go RO and remineralize.
I have a long thread about it in Fish Diseases. But the short story is that I don’t really know what is causing fish stress and deaths after water changes.
But I do know that using bottled purified water has stopped the carnage.
May I ask what pH you end up with after adding in tbe Equilibrium?
I have soft and acidic water loving fish.

The Equilibrium does not really change the pH. It is at 7 out of the system. Depending on the aquarium it ends up just under 7 to just over 7. The aquariums with PFS are the lower while the aquariums with BDBS are the higher.

The aquariums have drift wood and plants. The only thing I can think of is the BDBS changes the water slightly. But water chemistry is not an area I excel at.

Nice write up on your system. Wish I could do something like that.

Thank you bgclarke

 

14. Filler hose.

Can you please explain how this filler hose works? Do you fill your tanks directly with it? If so, how is it pressurized? Your bins are on the floor of you basement so gravity fed doesn't make sense.

 

Can you please explain how this filler hose works? Do you fill your tanks directly with it? If so, how is it pressurized? Your bins are on the floor of you basement so gravity fed doesn't make sense.

The bins sit on pallets. The 5 gallon buck sits on the floor at less than half the hight of the storage bins. The filler hose feeds from the bottom of the last barrel, water seeks its own level.

 

This is obviously the work of a very talented aquarist

 

This is obviously the work of a very talented aquarist

Thank you Aquatilibus

I learned not to trust anything to chance when it comes to our fish....Come to think of it, that goes pretty much with everything else I have sadly found.

 

I see now Thunder_o_b , it is gravity fed. I missed that the filler hose comes out the bottom of the 3rd bin. This will never be able to completely empty the bins, but that is why you have the air stones going to keep the system moving so you are always mixing and not leaving the old water. Really smart setup.

 

I see now Thunder_o_b , it is gravity fed. I missed that the filler hose comes out the bottom of the 3rd bin. This will never be able to completely empty the bins, but that is why you have the air stones going to keep the system moving so you are always mixing and not leaving the old water. Really smart setup.

Thank you YATT

I hope to get the pump and hard lines to the first floor setup this winter. Will save me carrying the water from the basement.

 

The Equilibrium does not really change the pH. It is at 7 out of the system. Depending on the aquarium it ends up just under 7 to just over 7. The aquariums with PFS are the lower while the aquariums with BDBS are the higher.

The aquariums have drift wood and plants. The only thing I can think of is the BDBS changes the water slightly. But water chemistry is not an area I excel at.

Hmm, interesting that the pH out of the system is 7.
I’m currently using RO (I’m guessing it is DI also) from my LFS. The pH is 6. Adding the minimal amount of Equilibrium raises the pH to around 6.8.
I thought all RO water had a low ph.
But once I get my RO system installed, I’ll probably have to refigure how much equilibrium to add again.
Right now, I’m doing a 25% WC twice a week on my tanks to keep the ph stable. Otherwise it drops. If I increase the initial amount of equilibrium, the ph gets too high. It’s such a balancing act. But my fish are doing well with my current regime.

 

I use 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Equilibrium per 5 gallons of water.

Once you get it settled in you will find that it is a stable way to manage your water.