RO/DI or RO Water Delivery in SF?

[Jay Freeman]

Hello,

I purchased the BRS RO/DI 75 gallon/day unit and while it worked great for a while the old crappy plumbing of my building in SF has started to leak water through the ceiling on our poor downstairs neighbors It's extremely frustrating because the PSI going into the RO/DI unit is only around 40-50 psi... We're not sure what's causing the leak, but as a result our landlord has banned us from using our RO/DI unit anymore.

We have a 110 gal reef tank and are scrambling trying to find a convenient RO/(ideally also DI) water replacement. Does anyone have any tips on RO water delivery or any good spots to fill up? We're located in 94109.

 

[aqua-nut]

Not answering your question but...

When you stopped using the RO/DI did the leak stop? If it didn't stop, talk to the LL. The RO/DI is obviously not the issue. If the RO/DI was the cause, fix it! You have control of it. Look for leaks, put it in something to contain the leak.

Moving water to your appt. will kill you! No guarantee that won't prevent downstairs flood.

 

[Jay Freeman]

So far the leak has stopped since we stopped using to RO/DI unit... The leak is somewhere between our floor and their ceiling, there's no visible leaking from any plumbing that we can see or access. It's vey frustrating

 

[aqua-nut]

So how in the world does a pipe you can't get to only leak when you are using the RO/DI? I don't think we are hearing the whole story!

Are you putting the waste down a drain that really isn't a drain? Perhaps it's the leak?

How do you have it hooked up? Simple connection to a sink like in the kitchen and running the waste down the sink drain should make it foolproof unless you are letting the bucket/barrel/trash can fill up and flood from the RO/DI water.

 

[Jay Freeman]

Haha I believe you may be able to begin to empathize with my frustration. The water intake was simply screwed onto the faucet head thread, the waste water was going down the drain of said sink (where else would we drain waste water?), and the 30 gal trashcan was about 10 gallons full of RO/DI when the leak was reported by our downstairs neighbors. We turned off everything at that point.

We've used the sink and dishwasher since then, no reported leaks (yet).

But back to the question at hand, do you have any suggestions for water delivery?

 

[bluprntguy]

6th Avenue is the only place in SF that I know in the City that still sells RODI water. They are at 6th and Clement. I wouldn't recommend buying livestock there.

The leak inside the wall has probably been there. If it's on a sink, it's probably just that you don't use that sink enough for it to create enough water to leak through the ceiling. Running the water for a long time to feed the RODI unit probably just produced enough water from the existing leak to noticeably leak through the ceiling. Your apartment manager should be thanking you for finding the leak that is probably been there for years slowly leaking water and damaging the structure. If we weren't in a drought, I'd suggest running the water in the sink for a few hours to test the theory...

 

[Jay Freeman]

Thank you!

 

[Gipsieskiss]

Hi, this is my first post (response) since joining BAR and this mirrors my exact problem too. I used to get my water from Aqua Exotic and have had to make new plans. I actually bought some from 6th Avenue over the weekend and it seems to be doing well in my 38g so far after I mixed it. They also have sea water which might be a good option although I didn't question where it came from and didn't purchase.
I'm pricing out an upgrade to a 120g over the Winter so need a water change option. With the Californian drought really taking hold, perhaps good seawater is the best option as RO/DI units tend to be very wasteful from what I can tell.

 

[650-IS350]

If your getting water from AE before, you might as well hit up Ultimate Aquarium near hillsdale mall ( a block from the BMW dealership in ElCamino ) since its closer to AE than 6th.

When I dont have time to make Saltwater I trek to Ultimate.

 

[Coral reefer]

Check out the kold sterile filters. No waste. I have a 120 for sale btw...

 

[Gipsieskiss]

Back to the original question, I use a Zero Water jug that gives me 0ppm TDS and works for my 38G as a top up solution with zero waste. It does take a while to produce and might not work for you as I expect you're looking for 5-10G a week. It may be more laborious than you want but it might be an option if you're stuck.
Personally, it works great for my smaller tank and could be used for top up if and when I increase my tank size should I decide use captured sea water instead of producing RO/DI and mixing.
I just thought I'd throw it out there as it doesn't seem to have been discussed here so far. They appear to be based upon the Kold Sterile filter although in a more compact design, much cheaper too.
BTW - I'm in SF and my water is very clean Hetch Hetchy with only 34ppm TDS straight out of the tap.

\
000 ppm TDS
FWIW...
Ph off the scale low.
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

 

[Jeremy Chew]

I second Zerowater.

 

[Flagg37]

Wow, what an old thread.

 

[Jeremy Chew]

I know, but ZeroWater is a godsend. I don't know what the landfill impact might be, but my experience is that Zerowater gives me 0 PPM readings with no waste water.

 

[Coral reefer]

Landfill impact?

 

[Jeremy Chew]

Sure. I'm thinking of the negative externalities. The filters from ZeroWater are disposable so after consumption, those go to the landfill unless they can be recycled. On the other hand, RODI devices don't have to be replaced so frequently, but there's the waste water that's inevitable. The environmental consideration's similar to the decisions some make when purchasing captive-bred fish versus wild caught.

 

[Coral reefer]

Ahhhh. That makes sense. I thought maybe you meant keeping plastic bottles out of the landfill.

 

[BSAJim]

RO/DI "waste water" from kitchen (ice maker) and from aquarium flow to a brute garbage can on side of the house where the water is used for gardening. Using a BRS double stage RO configuration cuts the waste by 50%. Waste water does not need to go down the drain. Food for thought...

 

[Flagg37]

RO/DI "waste water" from kitchen (ice maker) and from aquarium flow to a brute garbage can on side of the house where the water is used for gardening. Using a BRS double stage RO configuration cuts the waste by 50%. Waste water does not need to go down the drain. Food for thought...

Yeah, mine runs directly to my tree in the front yard.