Rodi water and storage containers

[vdubreefer]

Hey BRS , I’ve been thinking and wondering , i use the same 60 g poly tank that you guys do (or at least similar, i bought it brand new sanitized it, and it always has the lid on and tight , I’ve noticed that my water will leave my last di stage of my 6 stage BRS rodi unit at 0 tds, and after 12 hrs or so of being stored in my poly tank the tds reads about 5-20 tds ,
I’ve heard bits and pieces of people saying 0 tds rodi water tends to be negatively charged and want to pull things into it (ions and matter and such ) thus causing 0tds water to increase in tds , i dunno how true this is, I’m curious for sure !
My storage tank only sees fresh saltwater, i don’t use it for top off water because as anyone who has used these tanks before knows that it is very hard to get all of the water completely out of the tank due to how the bulk head is mounted there is always a inch or so (give or take how hard you try to get all the water out ) so maybe in my case I’m getting a tds reading is the leftover saltwater mixed with the fresh RODI water thus raising the TDS ,, what do you guys think [emoji848] ??????

 

[SonoranReefer]

I’m sure BRS will reply but try taking a TDS of fresh mixed saltwater sometime. Your TDS meter will max out from all of the stuff in the salt mix. Besides salt there is all kinds of stuff added for coral health if you are using a “reef salt” like Reef Crystals or in my case RSCP.

More in relation to your post, I do weekly to bi-weekly water changes of about 10-20g. Right after mixing my salt water I always dump out the last little bit I can’t get out of the plastic can and make 10-20g more of RODI water so I always have some RODI around to mix if a tank emergency arises and I need to do a quick water change.

Anyways after filling up the can one time I checked the TDS, it showed I want to say around 20TDS and I knew my water was making 000. I didn’t understand and took the can out and threw the water down the drain thinking my DI was shot or something. Stared making more water and it was 000. Then it dawned on me making salt mix in it left all that residue behind even though the can was empty.

Just because I took the can outside and rinsed it out good with my top off water that I keep in those 5g jugs. Then made 15 more gallons of RODI in the can and it was reading 0 again.

So I don’t worry about it anymore now that I know the reading it is picking up is left over salt mix and all the stuff in it. I just always make sure the water going into it is 0TDS.

TLR, a tiny bit of saltwater mix with a bunch of fresh RODI will for sure show up on your TDS meter!

 

[vdubreefer]

After i wrote the post i got thinking about that, that’s probably exactly what is happening!! Thanks for your input tho ! Glad to see it’s not my rodi or storage container!!

 

[Zack@BRS]

I would have to agree. It's most likely residue left behind from salt mix. Plastic containers can sometimes leach small amounts of plasticizers, but not enough to impact your TDS like that.

 

[Calpoly2103]

I'm planning to use the same container for RO/DI water and for mixing...so is this a bad idea? Or is the residue left in the brute container not dangerous as long my RO/DI system is producing 000 TDS?

Thanks!

 

[Burrito]

thats the consensus. unless you rinse/clean out your container after each mixing your tds will show some small amount from left over salt mix. if you are certain the rodi is 0 tds going in then dont worry about any "false" readings

 

[ibondy]

That is exactly what I do with my mixing container, with no issues.

 

[Bulk Reef Supply]

I'm planning to use the same container for RO/DI water and for mixing...so is this a bad idea? Or is the residue left in the brute container not dangerous as long my RO/DI system is producing 000 TDS?

Thanks!

The biggest thing to remember with TDS meters is that they're actually testing conductivity of the water. If you've every stored any amount of saltwater in the container, you're likely to get some small TDS reading on your meter. Since the TDS comes from the salt mix (which is already in our tanks) I wouldn't categorize this a contaminant. The thing to pay attention to is that 1- your storage/mixing container is kept relatively clean, and 2- the TDS exiting the RODI system itself is zero.

 

[Calpoly2103]

The biggest thing to remember with TDS meters is that they're actually testing conductivity of the water. If you've every stored any amount of saltwater in the container, you're likely to get some small TDS reading on your meter. Since the TDS comes from the salt mix (which is already in our tanks) I wouldn't categorize this a contaminant. The thing to pay attention to is that 1- your storage/mixing container is kept relatively clean, and 2- the TDS exiting the RODI system itself is zero.

Thank you, this is helpful. Just in time as I just finished setting up my new 6-stage brs RO/DI system last night !

 

[Leon Gorani]

I am having the same type of issue and am worried if I should be cleaning and emptying my brute cans that I use to mix my saltwater.

Sometimes I have been using only one to fill up my rodi water and then I just add the salt into the same bin. So I made saltwater in my brute can and then I emptied it because I used it for a water change. Then after a few days I filled up about 15 gallons and left it as fresh rodi water in that same brute can, and I measured and got 125 on my handheld tds meter.
my rodi system does make 00 tds water when it’s fresh.
So I toss that new water because of that reading, I am worried it is not good to use for new saltwater. Should I be washing the mixing bin after every batch of saltwater I make?? What do I wash it with? I have washed it with distilled white vinegar a few times and it does clean well I believe. Any tips on how to have a clean bin each time will help. Thanks

 

[Bulk Reef Supply]

I am having the same type of issue and am worried if I should be cleaning and emptying my brute cans that I use to mix my saltwater.

Sometimes I have been using only one to fill up my rodi water and then I just add the salt into the same bin. So I made saltwater in my brute can and then I emptied it because I used it for a water change. Then after a few days I filled up about 15 gallons and left it as fresh rodi water in that same brute can, and I measured and got 125 on my handheld tds meter.
my rodi system does make 00 tds water when it’s fresh.
So I toss that new water because of that reading, I am worried it is not good to use for new saltwater. Should I be washing the mixing bin after every batch of saltwater I make?? What do I wash it with? I have washed it with distilled white vinegar a few times and it does clean well I believe. Any tips on how to have a clean bin each time will help. Thanks

How often you have to clean will definitely depend on the brand of salt mix you're using and how often you're mixing up new batches of saltwater. Some salts just mix up "cleaner" than others. That said, you shouldn't need to clean your mixing container after every batch of saltwater. For most reefers, cleaning it out a few times per year is sufficient. When we clean our mixing stations here at BRS, we usually drain the container, fill with freshwater, add citric acid, then let the circulation pump run for a day or two before draining the water and giving the container a good rinse.

 

[JustaClown]

How often you have to clean will definitely depend on the brand of salt mix you're using and how often you're mixing up new batches of saltwater. Some salts just mix up "cleaner" than others. That said, you shouldn't need to clean your mixing container after every batch of saltwater. For most reefers, cleaning it out a few times per year is sufficient. When we clean our mixing stations here at BRS, we usually drain the container, fill with freshwater, add citric acid, then let the circulation pump run for a day or two before draining the water and giving the container a good rinse.

Great info! I just ordered a ton of RODI supplies from BRS about an hour ago. Can’t wait! 4 yrs. Is waaaay too long. lol

Quick question: How much citric acid are you mixing per 30 gal. of water? I have 2 Brute cans that are in dire need of a good cleaning.