Using 2 gallons per week - here's the breakdown (keep in mind that you need it for topoff too, so it's likely more than 2g per week.
RO/DI wastes 3-4 gallons for every gallon of good water - so "actual" water use based on 2 gallons per week is likely 10 gallons per week, x 52 weeks = 520 gallons in a year. Check your water bill to see how much you pay per 1000 gallons and do the math. I just looked at my home water bill and mine is $4.70 per 1000 gallons. If I did my math right, that's $2.44 for 520 gallons added to your water bill.
RO Unit: $100-200 depending on what you get. Changing prefilters: $20-25 every 3 months or so, membrane every few years (with that little use, I could see a membrane lasting up to 5 years with that light use, but depends on the TDS of incoming). DI Resin is a bit more but needs changed less often if the prefilters are kept clean... $30-50 (I'll use $40 as example and split the difference).
So say $150 for a unit, plus say $60+40 per year on changing prefilters...
$150 for unit +$2.44 for water use + $100 for unit maintenance = $252.44 per year.
RO from LFS: 50 cents/gallon. Multiply by 520 gallons: $260.00. If you're making your own saltwater, add the price of salt - say, 3, 160g buckets of salt at about $45 per: $135.00 (That's for something like IO etc., not Salinity - that costs more). Using numbers for more economical salt since economy is sort of the topic.
So for 2g of saltwater per week using own RO and DIY with salt ... about $387.44
Saltwater from LFS: $1.00 per gallon. Multiply by 520: $520.00. (This doesn't count fresh RO for top-offs)
Buying RO and DIY with the salt: $260 (520g @ 50 cents) and $135 for salt: $395.00.
If you don't factor in the time/gas to get water from LFS, the cost of buying RO at the LFS and DIY, versus doing it oneself with an RO unit is very small, based on that quantity.
You'll need both fresh and salt to keep the tank topped off and water changed. So these numbers are "ball-park".
Jenn
RO/DI wastes 3-4 gallons for every gallon of good water - so "actual" water use based on 2 gallons per week is likely 10 gallons per week, x 52 weeks = 520 gallons in a year. Check your water bill to see how much you pay per 1000 gallons and do the math. I just looked at my home water bill and mine is $4.70 per 1000 gallons. If I did my math right, that's $2.44 for 520 gallons added to your water bill.
RO Unit: $100-200 depending on what you get. Changing prefilters: $20-25 every 3 months or so, membrane every few years (with that little use, I could see a membrane lasting up to 5 years with that light use, but depends on the TDS of incoming). DI Resin is a bit more but needs changed less often if the prefilters are kept clean... $30-50 (I'll use $40 as example and split the difference).
So say $150 for a unit, plus say $60+40 per year on changing prefilters...
$150 for unit +$2.44 for water use + $100 for unit maintenance = $252.44 per year.
RO from LFS: 50 cents/gallon. Multiply by 520 gallons: $260.00. If you're making your own saltwater, add the price of salt - say, 3, 160g buckets of salt at about $45 per: $135.00 (That's for something like IO etc., not Salinity - that costs more). Using numbers for more economical salt since economy is sort of the topic.
So for 2g of saltwater per week using own RO and DIY with salt ... about $387.44
Saltwater from LFS: $1.00 per gallon. Multiply by 520: $520.00. (This doesn't count fresh RO for top-offs)
Buying RO and DIY with the salt: $260 (520g @ 50 cents) and $135 for salt: $395.00.
If you don't factor in the time/gas to get water from LFS, the cost of buying RO at the LFS and DIY, versus doing it oneself with an RO unit is very small, based on that quantity.
You'll need both fresh and salt to keep the tank topped off and water changed. So these numbers are "ball-park".
Jenn
