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drimo

Reminder to change your RO/DI filters!

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drimo
, 03-08-2010 at 10:16 PM (16163 Views)
Over the last few weeks I've noticed some SPS bleaching in my tank. I've been pretty busy lately with a lot of projects at work, plus the birth of our first child, so the tank had to go on autopilot for a while. About the only thing I have been doing regularly for the past two months was replace top off water and feed the tank.

So tonight when I went to get more top off water, I checked the TDS. The TDS coming in was 373. The TDS coming out was 356. And then it all clicked.

I replaced the filters, dumped all the "RO/DI" water I had in my reservoir, and have started replenishing my water supply.

I feel so stupid for not checking this earlier because I am losing some of my favorite colonies in the tank!

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Comments

  1. melev's Avatar
    Be sure to clean your reservoir / barrel with 10:1 (water & bleach) at least once a year. Over time, containers become contaminated and brand new pure water can quickly end up full of TDS even with a perfect RO/DI system.

    And if you need filters, Melev's Reef always has them ready to ship!

    http://www.melevsreef.com/shop/index.html

    They are a sponsor of this site, btw.
  2. VitalApparatuz's Avatar
    I read that changing the carbon pre-filter will increase the life of the subsequent filters.I change mine right when it begins to turn brown.I think its also the cheapest of the chambers to change out 7$.
  3. Trido's Avatar
    373 TDS!!!! Ouch. Id be afraid to drink that water. How long do you suppose your filters actually last with TDS readings like that?
  4. drimo's Avatar
    The filters last a couple months; I was overdue. We have hard water in our area. For drinking, we have another RO system in the kitchen.
  5. Trido's Avatar
    Two months..... Thats tough.
    IN the north Seattle area the TDS out of the tap ranges from 28-35 depending on the season. I change my filters once a years just for good measure. At one time I ran only a DIY carbon chamber and a DI to ready water for my remote prop system. I guess I should consider myself very lucky in that regard.
  6. afgoody's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by melev
    Be sure to clean your reservoir / barrel with 10:1 (water & bleach) at least once a year. Over time, containers become contaminated and brand new pure water can quickly end up full of TDS even with a perfect RO/DI system.

    And if you need filters, Melev's Reef always has them ready to ship!

    http://www.melevsreef.com/shop/index.html

    They are a sponsor of this site, btw.
    Melev, are you serious about the bleach solution?
  7. melev's Avatar
    Yes, you can do that as described. Scrub it down, rinse it well, air it out for 24 hours. Then it is ready to go. If you had TDS in the barrel before, fill it up anew and measure again. You'll see the TDS is back to zero in the reservoir.