RODI HELP/SUGGESTIONS

[Saltysav96]

hey guys, ive been in this hobby for about 8 years now.
back when i first started i purchased a used 4 stage RODI. over time i have added on to it hoping it would fix my issue.

i am on well water out in the middle of BFE. our well pulls up a TON of sand. we have a reusable sediment filter that we have to rinse off periodically that is in the line running to the house.
however the way my RODI is hooked up , it by passes that sediment filter and is plumbed directly to a valve straight off the well.
The TDS isnt that bad. ( i cant remember exactly what it is off the top of my head) and ive never had any major issues with algae or anything else that i see in the past.. and ICP always comes back with high silicon.
not really sure if its that much of an issue???
anyways...
i am tired of it exhausting my filters out very quickly. seems i can only get about 2-300 gallons if even before tds creeps up.
i normally make 60-65 gallons at a time and store it on one of those vertical tanks and refill when empty which is normally about once a month unless i do a wc that month ( around 20-25 gallons if i do one)


over time i added a 2nd di resin and on the last filter change. i added a 2nd sediment filter and a flush valve to the unit.

so far i am using a 75gph membrane, a 1 micron sediment, 5 micron sediment, 5 micron carbon, and 2 mixed bed di resins...

seems the first di resin exhaust super fast.

what can i do to help the filters last longer and get better water quality from it? add a 3rd di resin or a 3 sediment? any time i change out filters , i always change all of them because i never know what is bad and what isnt. this does become costly. on my new tank, it seems i am battling more film algae on the glass then normal. tank is 3 months old. if i dont clean the glass every day. the film algae hardens and it a PAIN to scrape off with a hammerhead magnet cleaner. could this have been a problem with keeping "healthier" sps in the past? ive always had success with sps, but curious to know if better RODI water would have been a result to better color etc?

the RODI unit is located in our " well house" which is in a dark cool area. if that makes any difference.

ps. i am not that knowledgeable when it comes to these RODI units.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Can you move the RO/DI production to the main house or garage after any filtering that gets done to the water before it goes into the house?

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

It sounds like you have two separate issues, the first is the sand, and the second is the fast DI consumption.

The sand issue should be relatively easy to fix. First, always use a small sediment filter size, 1 micron or smaller. Second, put a pressure gauge before and after your prefilters. When the pressure over the prefilters drops by more than 5 - 10 PSI, change only the sediment filter. If your sediment filter is small enough, it'll protect everything up stream of it. If the sediment filter is clogged and you used the right size, there's no need to replace any other filters but the sediment filter. I would also probably change out the second sediment filter to a carbon block. There's no benefit gained from having two sediment filters in your situation.

The DI consumption is trickier to solve. There's likely a CO2 issue with your well water, which will quickly burn through your resin. Take a look at some of the posts here about degassing CO2 from your source water prior to running it through your DI resin.

Fixing your DI consumption will also probably fix silicates, as this is where most silicates are remediated.

 

[KStatefan]

A number of people have trouble with high CO2 in well water which will cause your DI resin to be exhausted quickly.

Can you plumb this after your current house filter?

 

[Saltysav96]

What size carbon block would you replace the 2nd sediment with ?

currently have the 1 micron first and the 5 micron sediment 2nd. i do have a pressure gage installed. but i think it is directly after my booster pump. ( if i remember correctly, i can look after work) if so i could change it around to after the sediment and before the 1st carbon block ? and possibly pick up a 2nd pressure gage if needed?


i will do some research on the co2,
it is possible to plumb it after house filter but id have to get my dad to install a spigot or a ballvalve of some sort in that line. would plumbing it after the house filter really make that much of a difference?
also is there a way to test the co2 in the water??

 

[Snoopy 67]

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Use this under sink on cold water line. In house eliminates the sand component BUT you still have to deal with the CO2.

 

[Saltysav96]

unfortunately, under the sink is not an option for me .

(dads house, dads rules) when i move out it will definitely be under the sink. but for now. i have to deal with where its at.

 

[KStatefan]

What size carbon block would you replace the 2nd sediment with ?

currently have the 1 micron first and the 5 micron sediment 2nd.

The second sediment filter is not doing anything in that arrangement.

I use a 1 micron then 0.5 micron carbon block in my setup. Not sure a second carbon would help you though. What filters are exhausting quickly?

 

[Saltysav96]

i will ditch the 2nd sediment (5 micron ) and try the 1 micron and .5 micron carbon blocks.
thanks.

 

[KStatefan]

i will ditch the 2nd sediment (5 micron ) and try the 1 micron and .5 micron carbon blocks.
thanks.

Not sure that will solve your problem. What filters are exhausting quickly?

 

[Saltysav96]

the di resin i believe. idk. as soon as i notice high tds i just replace all filters at once. lol

does the flush valve need to be teed off from the di canisters?
could that be exhausting the di resin fast?

there is a huge possibility i am doing this all wrong.
sorry for sounding dumb

 

[KStatefan]

the di resin i believe. idk. as soon as i notice high tds i just replace all filters at once. lol

does the flush valve need to be teed off from the di canisters?
could that be exhausting the di resin fast?

there is a huge possibility i am doing this all wrong.
sorry for sounding dumb

Should not have to replace them all.

Where do you have the TDS meter installed?

 

[Saltysav96]

ill have to look when i get home and post pictures.

opinion on a 0.35 pleated sediment filter ???

 

[Biglew11]

The sand issue should be relatively easy to fix. First, always use a small sediment filter size, 1 micron or smaller. Second, put a pressure gauge before and after your prefilters. When the pressure over the prefilters drops by more than 5 - 10 PSI, change only the sediment filter. If your sediment filter is small enough, it'll protect everything up stream of it. If the sediment filter is clogged and you used the right size, there's no need to replace any other filters but the sediment filter. I would also probably change out the second sediment filter to a carbon block. There's no benefit gained from having two sediment filters in your situation.

+1 if your sediment filter is getting clogged too fast 2 may be helpful i'd run a 5 micron first then a 1 or .5 second then the .5 carbon block

 

[KStatefan]

ill have to look when i get home and post pictures.

opinion on a 0.35 pleated sediment filter ???

The places you want to know what the TDS is

Before and after the membrane. This lets you know the condition of your membrane

After your first DI canister and after your final DI. This lets you monitor your DI resin.

I am sure they are fine but you don't want to plug up a $25 filter with sand when a $8 filter would have done the same thing.

 

[Saltysav96]

So the TDS meter is after the membrane and after the DI

Flush valve is on the waste water valve,

flow gage is directly after the booster pump
My thoughts are on the pleated filter was because it was rinsable

 

[Saltysav96]

guessing the few things that need to be fixed
is filtering the sand out, work on the co2 if thats an issue, and making sure i have everything hooked up properly with the correct filters so i can stop blowing so much money on filters everytime i change them and getting the most life as possible out of it.

 

[jt17]

Check out the BRS video on DI resins. I’ve been running cation anion mixed for a couple years and save a lot on the mixed resin.

 

[Biglew11]

Check out the BRS video on DI resins. I’ve been running cation anion mixed for a couple years and save a lot on the mixed resin.

+1 easy to add onto existing systems as well.

also if you check tds at the membrane when you first turn it on you will see that the tds is much higher at first(tds creep), you want to have a bypass valve between the membrane and the di to flush this down the drain as well.

 

[Saltysav96]

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Use this under sink on cold water line. In house eliminates the sand component BUT you still have to deal with the CO2.

+1 easy to add onto existing systems as well.

also if you check tds at the membrane when you first turn it on you will see that the tds is much higher at first(tds creep), you want to have a bypass valve between the membrane and the di to flush this down the drain as well.

i have been adding on to it but feel like im just wasting money since i am not sure on what filters i need for the issues i have.
i have a flush valve installed on the waste line coming out of the membrane. assuming its in the right spot?