RO System

Hey guys, thinking of buying an reverse osmosis system for the first time.

I am planning to DIY build 3 Aeroponic reservoirs of various sizes and wanna make sure i'm not wasting my money on this?

http://www.norfolklights.com/reverse-osmosis-unit-4-stage-professional-unit-p-2363.html

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

If you have shit city water like me, it's a must.

get it... you wont regret it. r/o is a must. remember to use cal/mag

thanks for the tips guys,

LOVING RIU!

Defiantly RO water is a MUST, makes your grow a lot healthier, helps cut down on calc. buildup in your res. and makes your water quality way easier to maintain, more stable.

Agree with everyone here. Just get the thing.

There's a lot of talk around RIU that RO is a waste of time and money. Hogwash. These experts in their own minds seem to think water quality in urban areas all across the world is universally the same.

Again, RO is a must to ensure your EC levels are accurate and reflect the true EC of the nutrient solution.

I highly recommend RO MAN, google him. He has been operating for many many years and is the best. I have purchased cheaper filters from collinswater but the tell tale give-away is this.

On my RO MAN filters it says "Made in USA"
On my Collins filters it says "derived from technology in the USA"

Now don't make the mistake i made, get from RO Man, never look back and your gear and filters will excell. My input water in SE England is 600ppm after RO its 10-15!

I would go for the 100GPD system they sell for £88 i think, quick to install and works fantastically.

Don't listen to all of these people saying that you NEED RO water.
The only people who NEED RO water are people who are using well water or have reallly dirty municipal water.

What is your PPM out the tap?

Using RO, you'll be taking out nutrients. Then you have to pay more money to buy bottles to add the nutrients back.
I've never had a problem with tap water.

Sounds like something the real Dennis Rodman would say. Actually, he is smarter than that.

Now that you realize RO is a must, you need to understand how they work. The short version is they squueze pure water out of tap. The more pressure the fasster and lower ppms the product water. Look for a system that will make 2+ gph, otherwise you will be waiting for water. Another way around is to get a much bigger storage tank. That said it is under pressure, so a 5g storage tank may only expel 2-3 G at a time before it needs to be refilled.

The Merlin seems like a contender.

The first thing I did was buy a good tri meter so I knew what was going on with my water. My PPM from my well was 390ppm, so if my mix called for 500ppm to start with I already have 390 of something in there and that leaves me with 110ppm to play with. So got an RO system and never looked back. Now I know whats in the water because I put it in there. As for buying more stuff a bottle of Cal-mag of Majic Cal is 20$ and lasts a long time.

Much appreciated tips so far! Is it worth spending the extra cash for a 6 stage as opposed to 3?

3 Stage - 100GPD - £88.68 - http://www.ro-man.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=91&products_id=1664

6 Stage - 100GPD - £132.77 - http://www.ro-man.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22_91&products_id=59

As for those that think its not neccessary: most that I have spoken to so far tend to be the kinda peeps that cant be bothered spending the extra. I personally think that even 5% increase is usually worth the effort. These RO systems help improve our own health too!

MikeyLDS said:

Much appreciated tips so far! Is it worth spending the extra cash for a 6 stage as opposed to 3?

3 Stage - 100GPD - £88.68 - http://www.ro-man.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=91&products_id=1664

6 Stage - 100GPD - £132.77 - http://www.ro-man.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22_91&products_id=59

As for those that think its not neccessary: most that I have spoken to so far tend to be the kinda peeps that cant be bothered spending the extra. I personally think that even 5% increase is usually worth the effort. These RO systems help improve our own health too!

Click to expand...

TBH the fact your in the GB I really think the 3 stage 100gpd is all you will need, its what myself and a number of people I know use. Our water isnt great, but isnt bad enough IMO to warrant a 6 stage. Keep it simple and you will be more than happy.

Do contact RO man if you have problems or questions, I have found him very helpful. And be sure to avoid cheap systems, they are cheap for a reason, nasty asian produced filters.

** EDIT **

Also would like to add that since getting RO filters it is all I use for drinking water in the kettle etc, health benefits are a little ambiguous with both arguments being valid. But whatever way you look at it I believe its a health benefit.

batf1nk said:

TBH the fact your in the GB I really think the 3 stage 100gpd is all you will need, its what myself and a number of people I know use. Our water isnt great, but isnt bad enough IMO to warrant a 6 stage. Keep it simple and you will be more than happy.

Do contact RO man if you have problems or questions, I have found him very helpful. And be sure to avoid cheap systems, they are cheap for a reason, nasty asian produced filters.

** EDIT **

Also would like to add that since getting RO filters it is all I use for drinking water in the kettle etc, health benefits are a little ambiguous with both arguments being valid. But whatever way you look at it I believe its a health benefit.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll go with the 3! As for it stripping the calcium. If that can be replaced I would rather have to do that than have all the shite in the water that we get in in the UK!

MikeyLDS said:

Thanks, I'll go with the 3! As for it stripping the calcium. If that can be replaced I would rather have to do that than have all the shite in the water that we get in in the UK!

Click to expand...

Totally agree mate 100%.

RO Filter = 88 quid
Cal/Mag = 10 quid
Good product with no crap in = priceless

Keep an eye out for mag or cal deficiency and learn how to recognise it and your away!

BTW, also making a grow app so please tell me what ya think!
https://www.rollitup.org/toke-n-talk/484003-support-needed-help-make-truly.html

If you are going to spend the money on an RO system, I would suggest a 4 stage rather than a 3 stage. The reason is this: Each filter must protect the filter downstream to it. If you start off with a 1 micron sediment filter, it's probably going to clog quickly; it will also pass particles smaller than 1 micron (this is important if you are using a 0.6 micron carbon block.) When your carbon becomes clogged over time, it will work less efficiently and the chlorine that gets past will make short work of the RO membrane.

If you start off with a 1 micron sediment and then use a 0.2 micron sediment, you can replace the 1 micron (inexpensive) as needed and your more pricey 0.2 micron will last a lot longer. Because you are filtering to 0.2 microns, nothing that gets past will clog your 0.6 micron carbon block (often called a "chlorine guzzler".) This also means that your carbon block can continue to work removing chlorine throughout the entire life of the filter. It also saves your RO membrane; mine is going on 5 years old and still works at 99.5% efficiency.

Just a few suggestions.

MikeyLDS said:

Hey guys, thinking of buying an reverse osmosis system for the first time.

I am planning to DIY build 3 Aeroponic reservoirs of various sizes and wanna make sure i'm not wasting my money on this?

http://www.norfolklights.com/reverse-osmosis-unit-4-stage-professional-unit-p-2363.html

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Click to expand...

RO is only necessary if the mineral content of your water is out of balance or too high. Before you spend money on a unit, you should get a city water report and know the salinity of the water coming out of the tap, only then will you know if RO is a good purchase or not.