They are not worth the money. First off the sediment filter is only 5 microns and most reefers prefer 0.5 to 1.0 microns, 5 to 10 times finer and absolute rated filters are better than nominal rated filters. Next is a granular activated carbon canister that has absolutely no place in a reef RO/DI since for one it turns to dust and adds TDS back to the water and add to that a full size GAF filter lasts about 300 total gallons or 60 treated gallons and 240 waste gallons at the industry standard 4:1 waste ratio. Waste of your money and when it starts turning to dust it fouls or plugs to pores in the 5 micron carbon block rendering it useless for removing chlorine so your RO membrane is soon toast. Then the 5 micron carbon block is only good for around 3,000 to 6,000 total gallons (thats only 600 to 1,200 treated gallons) so again is not suited for reef use where we make a lot of water. Look for no larger than a 1 micron carbon block and better yet a 0.5 micron, the 1 micron is good for 12,000 gallons (2,400 treated gallons) and the 0.5 micron 20,000 total gallons (4,000 treated gallons). The Spectrapure refurb system comes with 1 micron and I suggest upgrading to 0.5 at the first 6 month replacement for only a couple $$ more.
There are things with the LiquaGen that raise red flags for me. They do not tell you who makes the RO membrane, Spectrapure, Buckeye, PurelyH2o and most others use Dow Filmtec RO membranes. Some vendors will buy fabric from Dow and wind their own or use membranes wound by others but they are not the same. Spectrapure goes a couple of steps further and specially treats all their RO membranes proven to improve their performance, both increasing the GPD and the rejection rate, then either batch testing or individually hand testing them and providing a performance guarantee on their Select series.
Spectrapure and Buckeye also use the much better capillary tube flow restrictors that you the end user can trim and adjust to fit your exact water conditions, this vendor does not say what they use. I also don't care for dual carbons as every thing you add in front of the membrane has an associated headloss which lowers the efficiency. You want fewer, better filters, not more.
Don't fall for the NSF stuff, every legitimate US RO vendors uses all NSF approved components, what you need to look for is the NSF cretification of the RO membrane itself. Their NSF means the components are suitable to be in contact with drinking water, it does not mean it is a NSF rated RO membrane rated at 98% sustained rejection rate which is totally different. The Dow Filmtec sells some membranes that are not inteded for drinking water at all and are listed by the NSF as "Pool and Spa Use", still recognized by NSF but for a different purpose. Learn what to look for in a RO or RO/DI and watch for trick words, phrases and gotchas.
This might be a decent vendor for a drinking water system but they don't provide enough info to make an informed purchase for a reef system. What brand and bemnd of DI resin is it? How much does it hold? Is it fresh and vacuum sealed in a mylar foil bag? What is the rejection rate of the system? What is the waste ratio or is it adjustable?
I am very picky about my water quality as every reefer should be. Coarse filters like 5 microns are barely better than a screen door. Did you know you can see 40 microns with the uaided human eye? The difference between 1 or 0.5 microns and 5 microns is huge and it does not do much to protect the RO membrane so replacements will soon exceed the cost of a better system. It is not at all uncommon to hear of Spectrapure RO membranes lasting 10 years or more, my current membrane is 8 years old and as good as new at 99.4% rejection rate because it is well protected. My old AWI Typhoon III wengt through membranes every 18-24 months due to its coarse filters and less efficient design. There really is a difference.
There are things with the LiquaGen that raise red flags for me. They do not tell you who makes the RO membrane, Spectrapure, Buckeye, PurelyH2o and most others use Dow Filmtec RO membranes. Some vendors will buy fabric from Dow and wind their own or use membranes wound by others but they are not the same. Spectrapure goes a couple of steps further and specially treats all their RO membranes proven to improve their performance, both increasing the GPD and the rejection rate, then either batch testing or individually hand testing them and providing a performance guarantee on their Select series.
Spectrapure and Buckeye also use the much better capillary tube flow restrictors that you the end user can trim and adjust to fit your exact water conditions, this vendor does not say what they use. I also don't care for dual carbons as every thing you add in front of the membrane has an associated headloss which lowers the efficiency. You want fewer, better filters, not more.
Don't fall for the NSF stuff, every legitimate US RO vendors uses all NSF approved components, what you need to look for is the NSF cretification of the RO membrane itself. Their NSF means the components are suitable to be in contact with drinking water, it does not mean it is a NSF rated RO membrane rated at 98% sustained rejection rate which is totally different. The Dow Filmtec sells some membranes that are not inteded for drinking water at all and are listed by the NSF as "Pool and Spa Use", still recognized by NSF but for a different purpose. Learn what to look for in a RO or RO/DI and watch for trick words, phrases and gotchas.
This might be a decent vendor for a drinking water system but they don't provide enough info to make an informed purchase for a reef system. What brand and bemnd of DI resin is it? How much does it hold? Is it fresh and vacuum sealed in a mylar foil bag? What is the rejection rate of the system? What is the waste ratio or is it adjustable?
I am very picky about my water quality as every reefer should be. Coarse filters like 5 microns are barely better than a screen door. Did you know you can see 40 microns with the uaided human eye? The difference between 1 or 0.5 microns and 5 microns is huge and it does not do much to protect the RO membrane so replacements will soon exceed the cost of a better system. It is not at all uncommon to hear of Spectrapure RO membranes lasting 10 years or more, my current membrane is 8 years old and as good as new at 99.4% rejection rate because it is well protected. My old AWI Typhoon III wengt through membranes every 18-24 months due to its coarse filters and less efficient design. There really is a difference.