RO DI Filter

AQUA-SAFE MAXIMUS
REVERSE OSMOSIS DI WATER FILTER
Six stage 100 GPD ("RO+DI") SYSTEM.

The RO DI water filter is used to make pure water for the aquarium tank. Mixed with salt for water changes and as a pure source for evaporation make water. The filter has also been installed to provide filtered drinking water for my home.

Why Use Reverse Osmosis
 RO and RO/DI systems help to remove impurities from your water: such as chlorine, chloramines, pesticides, phosphates, heavy metals and many others. Some of these impurities can lead to the growth of nuisance algae, while others may cause much bigger problems. The DI (De-Ionizing) cartridge does an excellent job removing phosphates, silicates and nitrates. They are highly recommend for reef tanks and will also work great for fish-only tanks

Reverse Osmosis
 The Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification system is not a simple filter that collects and restrains contaminants that occur in tap water.  Instead, this system acts as a molecular separating device; utilizing semi-permeable spiral-wound membranes to separate and remove dissolved solids, sub-micron colloidal particle, pyrogens, organic, and bacteria from your water. As tap water flows through the RO system, it is pre-filtered to remove sediment and chlorine then it is divided into two streams.  Part of the tap water is forced through the system's RO element, which contains a semi-permeable membrane.   The water that passes through the RO element emerges from the system as drinking water. Reverse Osmosis system is designed to remove up to 96% of the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), organic and bacteria . Water impurities are concentrated in the reject stream and flushed down the drain.

System removes 99% of all these and more. Sodium, aluminum, lead, copper, arsenic, mercury, calcium, phosphate, iron, magnesium, zinc, chloride, nitrate, silicate, cyanide, sulphide, nickel, silver, bicarbonate, maganese, ammonium, barium, and chromium. Also removes 99% of all bacteria from drinking water.

Six Filtration Stages:
1st Stage is a 10" 5 micron PP sediment Pre-Filter removes dirt, sediment, rust and sand particles
2nd Stage GAC (Granular activated carbon) Pre-Filter - removes chlorine, chloramine, odor and chemicals.
3rd Stage is a 10" 1 micron coconut carbon block filter to remove remaining chemicals, pesticides and protect your membrane.
4th Stage is a 100 GPD RO Membrane removes 98% to 99.99% of all chemical and harmful dissolved elements and 99% of all bacteria
5th Stage is a color changing DI (De-Ionized) filter to remove hard water minerals.
6th Stage is a post in-line granular activated carbon filter  for final odor and taste.
Note: As installed the filter only has 5 stages. The last 2 stages have been separated. The DI is to produce aquarium water and the post carbon filter is installed to provide drinking water. A t has been installed to provide separate feeds from the RO stage for each application.
Once the initial tank setup is complete. A recommended second DI stage will be added to insure the lowest TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) for makeup water is produced.

Permeate Pump

"Permeate" is industry jargon for product water: the purified water that has passed through the reverse osmosis membrane, the water you will drink.  The water that is rejected by the membrane, the waste water, is called "brine."

A permeate pump is a special device for under sink reverse osmosis units that uses the hydro power of the brine, or waste water, to pack the permeate, or product water, into the storage tank.

A standard reverse osmosis unit is controlled by an automatic shutoff system that shuts down water production when pressure in the storage tank reaches about 2/3 of the inlet water pressure.  In other words,  if your city water pressure is 60 pounds (psi), your reverse osmosis unit will stop producing and storing water when pressure in the storage tank reaches about 40 psi.  For most household purposes, this is plenty of pressure and the RO unit will run wonderfully.

The same RO unit with a permeate pump and 60 psi coming in will continue to produce water until pressure in the tank reaches almost  60 psi.  

This is especially helpful for low-pressure installations.  If, for example, you have a well that yields only 40 psi,  a standard RO unit will run with your pressure, but it won't run well.  The unit will shut down when tank pressure reaches 25 psi or so.  With a permeate pump, the unit will put almost the full 40 psi into the storage tank.

What's best about the permeate pump, though, is the increased efficiency. With a standard shutoff system, as the storage tank fills, the RO unit must push against an increasing amount of storage tank pressure.  With the permeate pump, the unit is shielded from this pressure and the membrane works in a virtually pressure-free situation, even when the tank is almost full.

Installation:
The main RO-DI filter was installed above the sink on the left side of our laundry room. A new wall was built using left over sheet rock and lumber from the construction of my family room. The laundry room is located on the opposite wall from my basement family room. The 120 gallon display tank is located on the wall next to the laundry and work room door. The DI cartridge remains attached to the RO filter with brackets. The post final carbon filter was removed and mounted under the kitchen sink along with the drinking water tank. A 1/4 speed fitting T was added directly after the RO filter. One side feeds the DI stage and a shutoff was added after the DI filter. The other side feeds the water line that runs to under the kitchen sink. There it connects to the drinking water storage tank, The carbon final filter, and drinking water tap. A new hole was drilled into the stainless steel sink to install the tap. A permeate pump was  added to the system along with a second storage tank in the laundry room. The pressure gage was added after the pre filter stages and before the membrane to monitor presure. A Dual TDS (Total Disolved Solid Meter) was added to mesure the effesiancy. The in probe was placed on the feed line. Initial reading was 095ppm. The out probe was placed after the DI filter and reads 000ppm.