Jim P
New Member
I know that more is better, but I'm about to lay out some $$ starting a new system. My thought is 4-6 stage, and would like to hear what others use?
Sandy Springs, how many stage RO/DI do you recommend?
- Thread starter Jim P
- Start date
Jim P
New Member
Another way to ask this, is how good or bad do you think Sandy Springs water is?
I can't speak for Sandy Springs water as I live in Acworth. I can say that I use a 4 stage with a booster pump and it seems to work fine.
I would recommend checking your water pressure and if it's below 40 or 50 PSI seriously consider a booster pump. It cut my water making time down by almost half.
I would recommend checking your water pressure and if it's below 40 or 50 PSI seriously consider a booster pump. It cut my water making time down by almost half.
Jim P
New Member
Thanks. Yeah, I'll definitely need a booster pump.
- Messages
- 4,441
- Reaction score
- 1,330
I'm not sure why water would be different in Sandy Springs than Acworth or even Suwanee. I may be wrong but I thought all of our drinking water comes from Lake Lanier and sometimes Allatoona when there is a drought. So it should be about the same everywhere. We are actually blessed with very clean water from the tap. My TDS when I was in Michigan was 10-15 times higher.
Jim P
New Member
For the most part that is true. However, the age of the city's water pipes and each city's specific filtration systems will cause them to differ. I know that the City of Sandy Springs has been complaining that its water pipe infrastructure is old.
Can I take my tap water to an LFS to get tested? Or somewhere else?
Can I take my tap water to an LFS to get tested? Or somewhere else?
I use a 4 stage, carbon, 2 micron, RO, DI.
The water here is actually pretty clean to start. Just make sure you change the carbon often because we have high chlorine and that will kill the membrane fast. Incoming TDS is usually 35-50, after the RO its 0-2.
And a booster pump is only needed if you want water faster. The GPD ratings are for 80 psi. You can also hook the unit to the hot water rather than cold if you want it even faster.
Oh and get one with an inline TDS meter, helps for telling when you need to change filters.
The water here is actually pretty clean to start. Just make sure you change the carbon often because we have high chlorine and that will kill the membrane fast. Incoming TDS is usually 35-50, after the RO its 0-2.
And a booster pump is only needed if you want water faster. The GPD ratings are for 80 psi. You can also hook the unit to the hot water rather than cold if you want it even faster.
Oh and get one with an inline TDS meter, helps for telling when you need to change filters.
The water storage all come from the same to sources but different treatment facilities... amount of chlorine or use of ammonia to make chloramine may differ.
Gwinnett water is usually 40-50 TDS. After the membranes in my 6 stage I'll get 0 with new carbon and once it gets to 2 or 3 after the membranes I change the carbon. There's usually a pressure drop of 10 or so psi after the carbon at that point too.
After DI is always zero. but that can be deceiving. Recently the color hadn't changed in the 2nd DI but an ICP from ATI told me silicates were climbing. So I changed it all out.
Gwinnett water is usually 40-50 TDS. After the membranes in my 6 stage I'll get 0 with new carbon and once it gets to 2 or 3 after the membranes I change the carbon. There's usually a pressure drop of 10 or so psi after the carbon at that point too.
After DI is always zero. but that can be deceiving. Recently the color hadn't changed in the 2nd DI but an ICP from ATI told me silicates were climbing. So I changed it all out.
The report for Fulton County, which provides water to Sandy Springs, looks pretty good...until you look down at the footnotes near the bottom, and see the waivers (exemtions) granted by the State of Georgia. I would make sure to have very good activated carbon filters for both my tank & drinking water-
"Waivers (exemptions) were extended to the county by the state in January 2017 through December 2019 for the following synthetic organic compounds: Alachlor, Aldicarb Sulfone, Aldicarb Sulfoxide, Atrazine, Benzo (A) Pyrene, Carbofuran, Chlorodane, Dalapon, Di (2-Ethylhexyl) Adipate, Dibromochloropropane (DBCP), Dinoseb, Diquat, Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate, Endothall, Endrin, Ethlyene Dibromide (EDB), Glyphosate, Heptachlor, Heptachlor Epoxide, Hexachlorobenzene, Hexaclorocyclopentadiene, Lindane, Methoxychlor, Oxymyl (Vydate), Pentachlorophenol, Picloram, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Simazine, 2,4-D, Toxapene, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), 2,3,7,8-TCDD (Dioxin). Inorganic Constituents: Asbestos and Cyanide"
http://www.fultoncountyga.gov/images/stories/WR2/2017/CCR_2018_4_panel_copy.pdf
"Can I take my tap water to an LFS to get tested? Or somewhere else?"
You can get a TDS meter for less than $10 delivered from Walmart, just google TDS meter
You can get a TDS meter for less than $10 delivered from Walmart, just google TDS meter
Jim P
New Member
Wow!! Thanks!
I had a 7 stage with two membranes for nearly double the production, one sediment, two coconut carbon block (1 and 5 micron) and two DI canisters. BRS now offers positive, negative and mixed bed ion DI resin, so you can tailor it to your particular needs. When you run two DI canisters you can completely deplete the first DI resin canister and save money over time.
Regardless how good a municipality's water supply is, I would recommend to use a good RODI unit. # of stages is irrelevant as long as the final output is ZERO TDS. Folks that use dual DI or RO membrane stages will do so for a reason and you may also need to do so but the end result is ZERO TDS, however you get there just get there...my $0.02.
FWIW, I have never used RO. Just a particulate pre filter, then activated carbon and finish with 2 stages of DI, in series.
When I change the DI resin, I throw out the 1st stage, move the 2nd to 1st, then put new at 2nd.
Most ground water in N. Georgia is so low in soluble minerals (TDS), I never saw the need for an RO stage.
Plus RO wastes 1/2 the water, unless you wash the car/or dog/water plants/etc. with the bypass.
When I change the DI resin, I throw out the 1st stage, move the 2nd to 1st, then put new at 2nd.
Most ground water in N. Georgia is so low in soluble minerals (TDS), I never saw the need for an RO stage.
Plus RO wastes 1/2 the water, unless you wash the car/or dog/water plants/etc. with the bypass.
Jim P
New Member
Thanks everyone for all of the information! I bought a 4 stage RO/DI system and if needed I will add to it. I'm a couple of weeks away from using.
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
