renthispace
Well-Known Member
I'm in the market for a RO system and have been doing my homework. I've read the thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/inexpensive-but-good-reverse-osmosis-system-312102/ and get that a Dow RO membrane is preferable (potentially less waste water) than cheap no name ones.
I would love to spend ~$100, but as always sometimes it's better to spend more to get more. Most of the cheap units utilize the small filter housings. While I will only be using this RO filter for beer and it will not have a large volume of water through it, obviously there will be a time for replacing the filters. I would imagine that the units with larger filter housings (while more expensive initially) would last longer and have cheaper replacement parts as they are more universal.
My biggest issue is that I realize that my water is treated with chloramine---which is difficult to remove but possible with carbon. Some system sell a 'catalytic' activated carbon filter to really scrub that chloramine out of the water. Of course that is more costly than normal RO systems., which already have carbon filters.
So is the catalytic carbon worth it? Should I just continue my use of campden tablets with RO water and not worry about the chloramine? Will the carbon filters in regular RO systems be enough for the chloramine and the catalytic carbon thing is just marketing hype?
And really, the only way to know when filters need replacing is with testing the treated water. When the TDS starts to rise, replace the RO membrane. When the free chlorine starts to rise, replace the carbon filters. So now I just need to get a pH meter, free chlorine tester, and a TDS meter in addition to my RO system.
Here is a good link on chloramine and RO systems: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-11/rhf/feature/
And these are the RO systems I am considering:
Small filter cartridges
$70-100 (depending on flow rate) http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...Systems-AquaticLife-AK010161-FIROROTS-vi.html
$90 http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-3-stage-space-saver-ro-system-75gpd.html
Large filter cartridges
$130 http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-ro-di-system-75gpd.html
$200 with chloramine filtration http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-5-stage-chloramines-ro-di-system-75gpd.html
$130 and optional $17 for chloramine filtration http://thefilterguys.biz/ro_di_systems.htm
Any suggestions, thoughts or comments? I know I don't need DI but the chloramine thing is bugging me.
I would love to spend ~$100, but as always sometimes it's better to spend more to get more. Most of the cheap units utilize the small filter housings. While I will only be using this RO filter for beer and it will not have a large volume of water through it, obviously there will be a time for replacing the filters. I would imagine that the units with larger filter housings (while more expensive initially) would last longer and have cheaper replacement parts as they are more universal.
My biggest issue is that I realize that my water is treated with chloramine---which is difficult to remove but possible with carbon. Some system sell a 'catalytic' activated carbon filter to really scrub that chloramine out of the water. Of course that is more costly than normal RO systems., which already have carbon filters.
So is the catalytic carbon worth it? Should I just continue my use of campden tablets with RO water and not worry about the chloramine? Will the carbon filters in regular RO systems be enough for the chloramine and the catalytic carbon thing is just marketing hype?
And really, the only way to know when filters need replacing is with testing the treated water. When the TDS starts to rise, replace the RO membrane. When the free chlorine starts to rise, replace the carbon filters. So now I just need to get a pH meter, free chlorine tester, and a TDS meter in addition to my RO system.
Here is a good link on chloramine and RO systems: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-11/rhf/feature/
And these are the RO systems I am considering:
Small filter cartridges
$70-100 (depending on flow rate) http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...Systems-AquaticLife-AK010161-FIROROTS-vi.html
$90 http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-3-stage-space-saver-ro-system-75gpd.html
Large filter cartridges
$130 http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-ro-di-system-75gpd.html
$200 with chloramine filtration http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-5-stage-chloramines-ro-di-system-75gpd.html
$130 and optional $17 for chloramine filtration http://thefilterguys.biz/ro_di_systems.htm
Any suggestions, thoughts or comments? I know I don't need DI but the chloramine thing is bugging me.