What kind of water softener and RODI do you have?

I don't think you want to soften your water.

But you do want to run a RODI unit. Most people have a 4-5 stage, meaning one pre filter, one carbon, one RO membrane, and 1-2 DI resin chambers. You can buy this setup at many places, such as air water ice, bulk reef supply, the filter guys, etc. Cost between 150-300

 

Jim why woudnt you want soft water i have a holl house water softner and i make my water with it i would think your RO would last longer between filter changes

 

I may be speaking out of line on the water softening issue.

My initial thought was I wouldn't want the added salts in my water. Then I thought most people probably feed the RODI with unsoftened water (tee it off before it hit the softener.)

But now that you say this I don't really know.....

 

I did some research into this about a month or so ago, and daalbers is right. Or at least that is the general consensus from a lot of information I found on the subject. Softened water is supposed to get rid of the nastier heavy metals in the water. If you need a water softener, then your non-softened water is pretty bad and pushing all of that work on your RODI unit will mean much faster filter/membrane changes.

Also, the salt is there to flush the filter membrane of the water softener, it isn't the filter of the water, so you shouldn't actually get much if any salt in your water.

Now if I can just figure out what it wrong with our water softener, I'd be set. Anyone that knows why a water softener wouldn't be using much salt and the water doesn't seem very "soft", please send me a PM. Before I moved to Marion, I never had a need for a softener. I understand how they work in general, but not how to troubleshoot them and it was installed by the previous homeowner. Just trying to avoid a potentially expensive service call.

Oh, and any of the popular places have good RO/DI units like the ones PotRoast mentions. Although some 5 stage ones have 2 carbon stages, not two DI resin chambers. Most people don't need more than a 4 stage, especially if you plan to get a water softener already.

 

I am on well water with a complete Kinetico system: softener, sulfur guard, and whole house RO. The Kinetico system came with the house. It has been a good system, and the local Kinetico franchise has a very good staff. Overall, I have been satisfied with the system and very pleased with the service--they know their stuff. The downside is the cost, up front and in terms of maintenance. You will be paying A LOT for the Kinetico name. To keep a clear conscience, I would have to encourage you to consider other options before choosing Kinetico. You can do-it-yourself, but a good professional will recommend appropriate equipement and size it appropriately for your situation.

My well water is hard, rusty, and a little stinky. My Kinetico system solves all of these issues; however, many other systems have the potential do just as well.

Depending on your source water and your preferences, you may or may not need a softener. You can install an RO system with or without a softener.

I will keep my softener and sulfur guard as long as possible, but I plan to stop using my Kinetico RO system when I use up my last set of replacement filters. I have a Bulk Reef Supply system ready to install when that day comes. And this is why: it comes down to cost, parts availability, and performance.

My Kinetico RO system produces 500 gallons of RO water and then shuts off automatically to 1) prolong the life of the membrane and 2) ensure the system only operates with good sediment and carbon block filters and 3) motivate me to go to the dealer to spend $80 on a new set of filters...frequently /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/wink.gif The Kinetico filters are proprietary, so a person almost has to buy them from the franchise.

I was able to buy a complete RO drinking water setup from Bulk Reef Supply for less than what I spend on Kinetico filters in a year. There are any number of places where you can buy an RO system similar to the ones BRS offers. Many of the parts/systems are universal/standardized/interchangeable so competition keeps pricing in check and parts are readily available. I will be able to monitor individual filters and get more useful life from them, resulting in much lower cost per gallon.

As far as performance goes, my Kinetico makes good tasting RO water, but it’s a killer on my DI resin. My soft water has TDS around 430 to 450 ppm. My Kinetico RO system gets TDS down to 45 ppm. This calculates to a rejection rate of ~90%. I expect my new BRS system to operate at a much higher rejection rate, as high as 98%. If I truly see that much of an improvement in my RO water, I would expect my DI resin to last up to 5 times as long.

To boil it down, I want soft water in my house because hard water is hard on everything. I have an RO system because I like to drink it. I have a DI system to purify water for my reef tank. I am happy with my Kinetico system, but it is expensive to own and maintain and it doesn't necessarily have a performance advantage. I would recommend looking into other softener brands before deciding wether you need one and if so which brand or type to go with. I would recommend investing in a practical RODI system such as the ones offered by BRS, Air Water Ice, and many others. They will be cheaper and more convenient (except for changing filters) than running to Wal Mart and carrying buckets.

 

Water softer don't add salt to water. It uses the salt only to clean the membrane that softens the Water.
I would just buy a nice 1,2 or 3 stage whole house filter that will take out crap in your water and help your R/O. You don't need the Softener, but using one or using a whole house filter would be great too.

 

Fun fact to know and tell. Who knows what is in a water softener?

(No, you're not allowed to check wiki)

Russ

 

RESIN! Not sure what kind but now I'm gonna look.

 

Water Salt which turns into brine

 

Forgot to add I have a Culligan Softener( I wouldn't buy again from them the guy here is an ***) for the whole house. A Bulkreef supply 5 stage 150gpd RO/di and an Aqua FX 4 stage RO/DI that I am making into a 5 stage. I also have the ro/di hooked up to the frig (for water and ice) and for drinking water at the sink bypassing the DI part.

 

i posted this already.lol Not sure why i said membrane. There is resin in them and that removes the magnisum and calcium i think or maybe iron. The salt only is added to clean the resin core.