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Installed RO/DI system this weekend

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Old Jun 27, 2016 | 12:44 PM
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Default Installed RO/DI system this weekend

I have super hard water in my area and I was using a CR Spotless system for a while but I was having to replace cartridges pretty often which were kind of expensive. If the car is not very dirty I will use a rinseless wash but there are times when I want to hose the car off if it's real dirty and do a traditional wash.

Living in the heat of FL and being kind of windy near my house water dries real quick during the wash, even in the shade. I decided to install a RO system and the run that through a DI system into a 40 gallon pressurized tank. RO may get 90% of impurities out and then the DI will get it 99% of minerals out. Since DI filters are more expensive than RO and have to be replaced a lot more frequently, this way the filters will last a long time since pretty pure water is going through the DI system. Now going through both systems may be a little overkill, but I figured why not get the water as pure as possible. I installed a new hose spicket on the outside of the house and I'm good to go!
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Old Jun 27, 2016 | 01:08 PM
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Default RO Water for Homebrew

RO water is a good starting point for making home brew. You can adjust the water profile to match the beer style.




Originally Posted by Motohead279
I have super hard water in my area and I was using a CR Spotless system for a while but I was having to replace cartridges pretty often which were kind of expensive. If the car is not very dirty I will use a rinseless wash but there are times when I want to hose the car off if it's real dirty and do a traditional wash.

Living in the heat of FL and being kind of windy near my house water dries real quick during the wash, even in the shade. I decided to install a RO system and the run that through a DI system into a 40 gallon pressurized tank. RO may get 90% of impurities out and then the DI will get it 99% of minerals out. Since DI filters are more expensive than RO and have to be replaced a lot more frequently, this way the filters will last a long time since pretty pure water is going through the DI system. Now going through both systems may be a little overkill, but I figured why not get the water as pure as possible. I installed a new hose spicket on the outside of the house and I'm good to go!
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Old Jun 27, 2016 | 02:11 PM
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have 2 of them for my reef tanks =>
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Old Jun 27, 2016 | 02:47 PM
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Love it!

I currently run a CR DI system and follow up with a bj using a Master Blaster. This works pretty well but, on those super dry, hot 100+ deg., low-humidity days, it could use some additional help. Plus, we have some of the most mineral-laden water where we live in SoCal that I've ever seen. If I let the car air-dry with water directly from the spigot, it will be dirtier than before the wash.

Questions:

1) Was this a turnkey RO system you installed or pieced together by you? If you put it together, can you provide a list of components and schematic of assembly?

2) Is the tank pressurized due to the system pressure or are you supplementing it with additional pressure? If so, what's the source?

3) I have the hi-flow version of the CR setup and even that can be a bit slow. Does the RO setup reduce the flow rate further or does the tank act as a sump/plenum/reserve to ameliorate any flow reduction?

Here's my current setup - I have room for more:

Inside the garage - I located these here to keep them out of direct sun.




Externally, the water comes from the spigot and goes to a switching valve box I built and then either directly to the hose or to the DI filters and then to the hose.


I used a two-way paired with an anti-backflow to prevent backup to the CR filters. I use "dirty" water to wash the car and switch to DI for the final rinse. Works well but I'm always looking for ways to improve the water quality.

Last edited by Patches; Jun 27, 2016 at 10:52 PM.
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Old Jun 28, 2016 | 02:08 AM
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It was a turn key RO system from US Water. I bought one of their RO systems and one of their DI systems. Water hits the RO system first then through the DI system, and into the 49 gallon tank. The tank is pressurized so no additional pumps are needed . It's not a "on demand" system, you are using the water that's stored in the tank. The DI system is rated at 300 gallons per day. There is a pressure valve that senses the water level so once water level starts going down it starts making more water. I shouldn't have to change these filters for as Least a year or more.

Hope this helps let me know if you have any more questions.
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Old Jun 28, 2016 | 09:25 AM
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Awesome! Thanks!
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Old Jun 28, 2016 | 09:54 AM
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DAMMIT! Fooled again. More click bait.

WTF DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH C7s?
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Old Jun 28, 2016 | 10:15 AM
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This has everything to do with washing my C7 which I do almost weekly since it's my dd and I'm a stickler for driving a clean car as much as possible.
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Old Jun 28, 2016 | 11:32 AM
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Looks like a good system. We have a lot of minerals in our water too and that system would be very useful to keep those pesky water spots off the car.
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Old Jun 30, 2016 | 02:19 AM
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Originally Posted by KemahGT
DAMMIT! Fooled again. More click bait.

WTF DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH C7s?
Do you not wash your car? I'm sure some of us, like myself who have extremely hard water at our houses might find it helpful. If it doesn't apply to you then go run along and play.
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Old Jun 30, 2016 | 05:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Motohead279
I have super hard water in my area and I was using a CR Spotless system for a while but I was having to replace cartridges pretty often which were kind of expensive. If the car is not very dirty I will use a rinseless wash but there are times when I want to hose the car off if it's real dirty and do a traditional wash.

Living in the heat of FL and being kind of windy near my house water dries real quick during the wash, even in the shade. I decided to install a RO system and the run that through a DI system into a 40 gallon pressurized tank. RO may get 90% of impurities out and then the DI will get it 99% of minerals out. Since DI filters are more expensive than RO and have to be replaced a lot more frequently, this way the filters will last a long time since pretty pure water is going through the DI system. Now going through both systems may be a little overkill, but I figured why not get the water as pure as possible. I installed a new hose spicket on the outside of the house and I'm good to go!

So, if you do not mind, how much this all cost?
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Old Jun 30, 2016 | 08:13 AM
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Use the same type system for my 3 reef tanks.
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Old Jun 30, 2016 | 08:50 AM
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Can you share the part numbers?
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Old Jul 3, 2016 | 09:28 AM
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http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-6-...tem-75gpd.html
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Old Jan 21, 2019 | 07:43 PM
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I've been happy with a non-automotive labelled system, all of which (automotive) I found to be much more expensive. Amazon was my friend... again.

Last edited by Avanti; Jan 21, 2019 at 07:44 PM.
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Old Jan 21, 2019 | 08:35 PM
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While I get the challenge.....and do not consider myself a tight wad... my money is better spent .... sweet looking system.... bet you could have paid for most of a lift for what you paid...best
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