Wasting water, the RO/DI problem!

[Elysia]

Thanks, Plankt0s, I thought that this was possible (TDS 0 w/ no wastewater.)

Do you have any insight into how Culligan processes the water that they sell retail?

Does anyone know of any water producer that sells distilled water in 5 gallon bottles?

[TheLivingReefFL]

I'm shocked to find out you can get city water at 170 or 40, Mine comes in between 340 to 360, so the 4 gallons I dump has got to be dirtier then my septic.

[fishyfood]

I'm a laundry wastewater chick...

We had a setup with 2 brute buckets with float switches, one for fresh and one for saltwater RODI...


The wastewater went into a third bucket with a float switch, and I dumped it into my washer whenever doing the laundry. We set it up so that once the laundry bucket filled, the rest of the water drained outside into a rain barrel (and then onto our lawn).

good times!

[TampaSnooker]

1/4" drip tubing from Wally World keeps my gardens happy in the drier months. T's and valves are very inexpensive and repairs are easy when you forget where you buried the line. There are surely plants that don't like the higher TDS water but I haven't found mine to be anything less than grateful for the extra drink and nutrients.

[Plankt0s]

For drinking water I believe that culligan uses high capacity RO units and ozone.

[windlasher]

Originally Posted by Plankt0s

For drinking water I believe that culligan uses high capacity RO units and ozone.

Thats a little much... lol - Air, Water, ICE, has one that produced 20 gals per min, 1000 gals per day for about $2500.

[socalmiket]

I use my RO waste water in two ways:

- As water change and top-off for my water barrel ponds
- As irrigation water for plants

As stated, Southern California is in a drought, so not wasting the "waste" water is a good idea. Since the waste water already went through a fiber filter and two blocks of carbon its far better than the tap for these uses.

- MikeT

[azcummins]

I see both sides of this argument, but I think the solution is more about what we DO with the waste water vs. trying to stop any waste water.

Filling your washing machine with waste water from your RO/DI unit is a great first step, and the craze towards front loading washers makes this choice a rapidly diminishing option.

Watering your lawn/garden/plants with your waste water is a good option too. I personally run my waste water hose out onto the grass in my yard instead of watering parts of my lawn. This past summer in southern Texas was one of the hottest on record - 60 days + of 100 degree heat with very minimal rain. Cities started wide watering bans and the only parts of my yard that are still alive are the parts in the shade, or the parts that my RO/DI waste water hose reached.

Could I remove the grass and stop the need for watering? Yes, I could, but I'm not. I'll just keep watering my grass with my RO/DI waste water and let the dead stuff grow back next spring when it rains again.

I think more complicated systems such as collecting all the waste water, then pumping to your showers or feeding into sprinkler systems is a nice idea, but until the governments of the world require that we take such steps, most people will chose more corals/gear for the tanks vs. spending lots of money on saving waste water.

Waste reducing methods such as the double membrane that Bulk Reef Supply sells are great steps, but water is still so cheap as a commodity that I personally can't justify it. I've run through 400 gallons of RO/DI in the month of September and I didn't notice it on my monthly water bill. The time to recoup your investment on a double membrane unit is too long for me. Probably by the time I get my money back, I'll need a new $50 RO membrane.

Every reefer must decide where they stand on the subject and design their systems accordingly but I don't think this issue is a problem, its merely something to make work for your benefit.

[Neptangelo]

I was not sure if I should tell this but I what the heck. I use a system that I built seven years ago after talking to a biologist friend of mine... It is just four .5 micron carbon block filters in series. No waste water and my local water has a KH of 9 and CA is 440+ all I have to do is add salt. Going strong for the last seven years with no problems. No waste water. But a friend of mine uses his RO waste to help keep his swimming pool topped off.

[daytonben]

I have my RODI waste diverted to my rain-collection system for the garden. Nothing is wasted.

[jgsensor]

Ok, I am looking into ways to both reduce my waste water and how to reuse my waste water. I am planning on buying a high effeciency unit to reduce the waste water from a 4:1 ratio to a 1:2 ratio. However on average I use anywhere from 55g to 80g a week depending on the temp, plus another 55g ever 2 weeks for water changes. So that is still 25 to 70 gals of waste water a week. So now how to use that water. I can't use it for washing since I have a front loader, my pond is on the opposite side of the house from my RO/DI unit, so the only option I can think of would be to use it to water the lawn and plants. So my question is, what are some methods of going about this? Are you deverting it into a holding tank and then pumping it elsewhere or diverting it into a drip system of some sort? Any sites that my show examples of going about this that I could take a look at?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It is just four .5 micron carbon block filters in series. No waste water and my local water has a KH of 9 and CA is 440+ all I have to do is add salt.

Salt? What kind of salt? Surely not an artificial seawater salt?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

As pointed out earlier in the thread, a carbon block plus a Di can work well.

It has two drawbacks. The first is that it does not remove neutral organics (or inorganics), such as pesticides, if that is a possibility in your water. Along the same lines, it may not remove fine particulates which could include undesirable metals in them.

The second is that the DI is used about ten fold faster (or more) than when using Ro/Di. That has a substantial dollar cost that is likely prohibitive for many unless you recharge your own DI resins (which is a bit chemically intense).

But, in terms of social responsibility, one would want to consider whether the HCl and NaOH used to recharge (or make) the resins themselves require substantial energy and/or water to manufacture. I do not know the quantitative answer to that question.

[Purplerock SD]

Originally Posted by Plankt0s

I use a water de-ionizer with carbon. I get 0 TDS with NO wastewater.

You don't get wastewater, but the amount of water used to re-charge the DI resin is incredible. Just because you don't see the waste water doesn't mean you aren't causing any. It's built into the price you pay for the unit, but trust me, you are still causing significant waste water from this unit.

[mr chris]

I just started bottleing my waste water as it is cleaner than some store bought and been giving it away .

[Neptangelo]

Originally Posted by Randy Holmes-Farley

It is just four .5 micron carbon block filters in series. No waste water and my local water has a KH of 9 and CA is 440+ all I have to do is add salt.

Salt? What kind of salt? Surely not an artificial seawater salt?

What is your body fat percentage? Do you believe in the Sasquatch?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Huh?

[James77]

Originally Posted by Neptangelo

What is your body fat percentage? Do you believe in the Sasquatch?

Great answer to Randys question. If your tap water indeed has a KH of 9 and 440 calcium, using any standard salt mix on the market would give you sky-high calcium and KH readings. Is that the case or is the water used for freshwater aquaria?

[Neptangelo]

I use Oceanic Sea Salt Mix. I do not have to buffer my water at all. The kh in the tank stays at 8.5 even if I don't have time to change any water for a few months. My ca stays at 500 to 520. My magnesium stays at between 1300 and 1375 depending on if I remembered when I dosed tech m last. Some times I reef under the influence and forget to update my google calendar....

[azcummins]

Originally Posted by Neptangelo

I use Oceanic Sea Salt Mix. I do not have to buffer my water at all. The kh in the tank stays at 8.5 even if I don't have time to change any water for a few months. My ca stays at 500 to 520. My magnesium stays at between 1300 and 1375 depending on if I remembered when I dosed tech m last. Some times I reef under the influence and forget to update my google calendar....

all your levels stay where you outlined for months w/out a water change?

[Neptangelo]

What's up neighbor I live out in lago Vista. Been out here 2 years now. The water is much harder out here in the hills than it is in town. I lived in central Austin for 13 years and had to buffer all the time to keep the kh up. My levels stay consistent just by using this natural lime water for TO. I made sure to not hook up the water softener when I built the house. It has been hell on the plumbing and the coffee maker..... It rules for reefing though.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I use Oceanic Sea Salt Mix. I do not have to buffer my water at all. The kh in the tank stays at 8.5 even if I don't have time to change any water for a few months. My ca stays at 500 to 520.

Using it for top off is one thing. You said you mix it with salt, which is ridiculous as the calcium would be over 900 ppm. Let's not play word games here trying to prove your water is good. It's crap for making artificial seawater.

As to using it for top off, it is probably OK, assuming it is not contaminated with the sorts of bad things that often cause problems in well and tap water, but it is a drastically unbalanced additive, with way too much calcium per unit of alkalinity, and it adds almost no alkalinity.

Limewater as top off cannot keep many tanks supplied with alkalinity, and your tap water is less than 10% as potent as limewater in terms of alkalinity. So it adds relatively little, even if it sounds nice to make claims about it. If it works for you, it is because you have a tank with a tiny demand for claicum and alkalinity. It could not work for most reef tanks with rapidly growing hard corals or coralline algae.

[Neptangelo]

Yo Randy,

Stop replying to my posts with your bull**** . Get a life and let me share my reefing hobby details with people who may be interested. You have no idea what my local water supply is like. SHUT UP!

Just kidding, SHUT THE **** UP!

[Neptangelo]

Before I get kicked off here I better git this one in. If you would like I will fly you down here to Texas and let you test my home water supply with my foot up your smart ***!

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Stop replying to my posts with your bull**** . Get a life and let me share my reefing hobby details with people who may be interested. You have no idea what my local water supply is like. SHUT UP!

I'm only going by your own supplied data for calcium in your tap water. If you don't trust your own test results, there's nothing I can do about it aside from suggest that people ignore your claims.