lookin for a RO/DI tap water filter.

[Hajra]

what do you use and what do you think is best???

[Bergy]

They are all the same...  the differences are the actual RO membrane... they are designed and built to a specification.. (to filter out a specific amoutn/size)

Each filter IS tested and rated... they are sorted and placed in 'BINS'  if they meet or exceed, they go in bin A, if they just meet, then bin B, and if they are lower then bin C

Some vendors dont care which bin, and some vendors do...


that is the difference in prices for somethings tha tlook identical..

other things that affect eh base cost are the cannisters... some are clear and some arnt.. if they are clear you can see when they are dirty, but that doesnt mean they are bad...??? so it really isnt a good measure or a necessity

Adn teh differeces are minute so it really isnt noticable to us hobbyist.. maybe to coca cola who measures everything, maybe, but to us, nope...

I would suggest www.filtersdirect.com   and look at thier ebay auctions... they will match thier auction price

[RandyFolds]

+1...they are all the same. The only real thing you should pay attention to is gallons per day. The standards are 75g/d and 125g/d. When you buy one, go ahead and get a bunch of 1 micron carbon blocks and 1 micron sediment filters. They are cheap and the more you change those, the less you need to change you actual RO membrane, which is the most expensive component. Also, if you have crappy tapwater/pipes, the filters will be fouled way quicker, and it is a good idea to have extras. I try and swap sediment and carbon every 300 gallons or so.

I would also recommend getting as many stages as you can afford. Your equipment will be in better shape if you run a 5 micron sediment to a 1 micron sediment to your 1 micron carbon block to your RO membrane to a DI cartridge, versus starting at 1 micron sediment. I personally don't run the 5 micron sediment, but if I did, I would end up replacing the 1 micron filters much less frequently and saving money in the long run.

A last note...it is cheaper to replace an RO membrane than an RO cartridge. Pick up one that you can open rather than one that is factory sealed and needs to get tossed when it's dirty and you can replace it for half the price of a full cartridge.

[Hajra]

The tank that i have is only a 36  gallon do i really need one that runs 175 a day??? i dont want the water to sit and stagdinate. i so cant spell. if you get what i mean. i am lookin at one that mabe i can hook up and run when i need water and store when i dont. do they make them like that?? i dont know much. i usually buy water from the LFS but i think that it will save money to just filter it myself if you know.

[Bergy]

i would suggest a 90gpd filter.. and although the numbers sound like a lot of water, in reality, the water will 'trickle' out at 100 gpd... that is like drip drip dripp...

it really dont come out any faster...

but you are correct.. no need to spend the extra money if all you are going to do is fill up a five gallon jug every so often.

btw: make sure you get a float valve on that jug or you will forget and it will overflow the jug... guaranteed!!!!

[Hajra]

lookihg for a ballast that oddly cant be found in my area... its a t5 ballast i think the model number is EBP 05-154L 120V 560Hz anyone know where i can find one?

[Bergy]

ballast are somewhat interchangeble.

you need to find them for *in your case*   T5  ballast

then figure out how many watts you are going to burn..

and how many feet of bulb..

i think on your old ballast it was for 54 watts.. but i can be wrong...

hopefully someone else can come up with some links to how to read and find ballasts