# cheap 'almost' reverse osmosis unit?



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

You do know what kind of forum you just linked?

THanks for the DIY link btw.

Funny how they also think ada aquasoil amazonia II is good stuff.

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Here is a repost of it:

PICTURES NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO BEING HOSTED BY A DIFFERENT FORUM >.>


The original author of this DIY cheapo-RO Unit said:


> OK, so before the flames start to roar, I admit it. It’s not a true R.O. unit. However, if you are taking the time to check out this post, then it might be just right for you. So here’s the story…
> 
> I often felt that I was caught between two worlds. The world of the micro-grower, who buys a gallon of distilled water from time-to-time, and that of the serious farmer who relies on a steady supply of good water and often uses a true Reverse Osmosis filtration system to provide it. If you’re familiar with my set-up, you know that I run 6 very small bubblers in a continual staggered harvest. As such, I really need decent water, but not all that much. Additionally, because of health issues, it is often difficult for me to drag home several gallons at a time from the store. The cost of an R.O. system, compounded with its installation, storage, and upkeep really wasn’t warranted. However, who wants to pay a buck a gallon to buy water? Not me for sure.
> 
> ...


Sorry mods/admins if doing this is wrong... Just following some of the user's suggestion. Edit out any thing that might be deemed inappropriate by plantedtank standards.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

You shoulda copy pasted the diy, this is more than likely going to get closed.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

It's not RO water they're producing. IBTL


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## corrado33 (Aug 4, 2010)

I'm gunna guess it was a forum devoted to making your own drugs? Just a guess... :biggrin:


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

macclellan said:


> It's not RO water they're producing. IBTL


Actually it is :icon_mrgr Well it's not 100% RO but they said it works good enough.


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

holy cow!! is that a drug making forum!!! ? :icon_eek:. I though it was a hydrophonic forum of some sort.

I am very sorry mods..... I was too focus on the DIY of getting a cheap RO unit setup rather than what the forum was about. I did not mean to link to inappropriate forums. 

please delete any info deemed inappropriate or the entire post. 

I apologize for posting this.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

Maybe they're in in a medical mj state, Since its still not available to commercial sized growing, alot of the diy stuff is the staple of what they use for their process, to cut costs. i know recently here in CO, they have even opened up a legit collage/tech school for teach proper grow techniques for the stuff. 

The world is changing...


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

For someone with a small to medium size tank, and with very hard water, this could be a great idea. I can't tell from what I read on Google links what the filter looks like or what the filter housing would look like, but just that filter alone might reduce the water hardness enough to be very beneficial. It would be a great project for someone to play with to see if they can convert this to a good water change tool. I have no idea how the filter works either.


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

Hoppy said:


> For someone with a small to medium size tank, and with very hard water, this could be a great idea. I can't tell from what I read on Google links what the filter looks like or what the filter housing would look like, but just that filter alone might reduce the water hardness enough to be very beneficial. It would be a great project for someone to play with to see if they can convert this to a good water change tool. I have no idea how the filter works either.


yup, in theory it sounds like a good idea. Hopefully, the PT forum can benefit from this info.


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## epond83 (Feb 19, 2009)

It's no RO because there is no reverse osmosis happening (no wastewater) From what i can tell looking around a bit it is a DI filter. 

Not sure about price break down per gallon but you can buy just DI filters from companies that sell full RO/DI kits.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I have to wonder if the filter is a resin based filter that substitutes sodium for calcium in the water. Who knows enough about this type of product to explain it to us?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Probably not ion exchange type, either. Remember that the TDS went way down in the tests by the author of the quoted link (or is it an un-link?). An ion exchange (think sodium or potassium exchange water softener used for household water softening) adds stuff (Na+ or K+) to the water as it removes minerals like Ca++ and Mg++)

I think it would be good to get some hard water and test it with all the aquarium tests (especially each of the minerals) and see what remains in the water. I know hobby level test kits leave something to be desired, but it is a start!

I searched using the name in the post above, and it seems to be de-ionized water from the information from the manufacturer.


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## KevinC (May 24, 2004)

Since the TDS went down it sounds like a H+/OH- mixed bed ion exchange resin. Instead of sodium there is an H+ and instead of chloride there is an OH-. When the two are released (by capture of calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride, sulfate, etc) they react to form water. A deionizer in a different kind of package. Without RO on the front end I'd guess for most people with a moderate to high TDS it won't last long.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

That sounds good Kevin! Since this is supposed to be just the final rinse water when washing a car, and they say it is good for 3 washes, the filter might handle 5 gallons of water, perhaps even less. So, $16 to get 5 gallons of usable water, vs. buying distilled water at $1 per gallon at the grocery store. Hmmm, let me find my old slide rule to work on this......


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

the replacement cartridges last alot longer than 5 gallons they could easily get your 30ish gallons and their less than 5 bucks each, which makes them more cost effective.

but now the product it self has been discontinued so the filters will get harder to find and more expensive


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

most people can purchase RO water at the grocery store for less than 1 dollar per gallon.

If you need RO water, just purchase an RO filter. I have a 50gpd RO filter that I use only for drinking and shrimp tanks, and I filter MAYBE 50 gallons per WEEK. The membrane has lasted me 4 years so far, since I use it very little, and the thing works great... If I had to buy 50 gallons of RO water a week from my grocery store I'd be broke! I got this for 50 dollars on ebay, it's supposed to be mounted in a water cooler/dispenser, but it's just 1/4 inch tubing, i hooked it up to the faucet outside and fill 10g water containers as I need them.

But even if you have to pay 150 dollars for a brand new unit, I think it's worth it to save trips to the store, the high cost of store-bought water, and the convenience of always having a source of RO water.


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