Wanted RO System

yenling83

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All the white buildup is from about 9 months, which makes me think my water quality is pretty bad. I've been exploring a few options. I'm thinking of getting an RO system. I have a friend who has had good results with the GE Merlin which runs about $400-$500. I'm a bit worried about how I would actually hook this up. It would be ideal if I could hook it up directly to a hose so I could use my watering wand. Any thoughts/suggestions from your experience? I'm not sure if I would need to get a 50 gallon drum or something like that to store the water in and not sure how I would connect this to a hose.

Thanks,
 

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Bill S

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You are willing to spend 500, plus maintainence, plus installation maybe, and you aren't thinking put it in place for drinking water. What is the detriment to your trees?
 

yenling83

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I don't need it for drinking water. Yes, it's super pricey and I'd like to hear if anyone has any other suggestions for maximizing value. For me I think it might be worth it because of so much mineral build up in my water. My trees are pretty healthy, but I think they could be a tad bit more. I saw the results when Peter Tea switched over to his RO system and to me the differnce was very noticable, everything of his seemed to grow better, more so with his deciduous than conifer and overall his trees grow better than mine. We use similar soil and have similar fertilizing schedule, however he lives about 4 hours north of me. I live in Nipomo, Ca he lives in San Jose, CA.


Another guy I know reccomended this unit, less expensive, not as much water, a bit more effort to water the trees, easier initial set up. I'm considering this one as well.

http://www.pure-earth.com/pro.html
 
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Bill S

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Well results do speak volumns, and Peter is pretty good at what he does so, I guess you could go with the less expensive unit, put it in a drum, then pump it with a small electric pump. I would imagine the plastic drum and a small pump wouldn't cost much, the filter would be the decision maker.
 

davetree

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You can get inexpensive good units on Ebay. Your water pressure from your tap should be enough to filter the water. My water is pretty salty so I use RO water for my trees and my maples especially appreciate it - no burn on the leaves. Also no crud building up on the pots. I got my system and 5 years worth of filters for under 200 bucks.
 

evmibo

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Is this considered "hard water" ? Perhaps a water softener would solve the problem?

Regardless, I'd email buckeyefieldsupply.com and tell them your situation, if their product will help your problem, etc... I have an RO/DI unit from them for my saltwater aquarium and its very easy to operate. They are extremely helpful in answering any of your unknowns come time to change out filters (something you may not get from ebay). They carry RO units, and anything you'd need to hook it up around the house (they make hose connections). If you do get one from ebay I'd be sure that they clearly state the poly sediment filter micron size along with the carbon block (comparing membranes is a good idea too). Buckeye has units that contain better quality, longer lasting filters blocks and membranes.
 
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Dwight

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A good RO system strips EVERYTHING out of the water. I know a few koi folk who use BIG RO systems but they then put some minerals back. The results are spicatular , I'd just wory about water being TOO clean.

The RO systems I've seen for aquariums arn't real expensive , maybe $300 - $ 400. First you need to determine how much water you would use in a ty[pical hot summer day. This determines the size of the system which indirectly determines cost. If you need to you could mix some of the bypas ( waste ) water back in to get a few minerals back. A lot of fish people do this.

I got a little Japanese maple this spring and I'm already seing spots on the leaves that must be hard water so I've thought about just buying a 5 gal jug of " purified " ( not distilled ) water just for this little guy. 5 gal would probably last a couple of weeks or more.

If you do install the RO system keep us informed.
 

ibnozn

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Another reefkeeper here - I bought my initial unit from AirWaterIce. No complaints. Started with a 75 gallon per day unit but as you may or not be aware, RO systems waste a lot of water. The ratio of wastewater to purified is 4/1. Bulkreefsupply.com also sell great systems as well as add-on RO membranes that recycle the wastewater. Their kits turns 75GPD units into 150GPD and cut the waste/purified ratio in half. I added one to mine and can definitely say the investment was worth it.
 
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