Watermill Express water? (1 Viewer)

[Cakepro]

I'm having problems with my RO unit, and at the rate my 3 tanks are evaporating water, I'm going to go have to buy some for awhile until I get my RO unit problem figured out.

I've read that quite a few of you use Watermill Express RO water for your tanks. I would really like to talk to the guy(s) who maintains a couple of Watermill Express stations nearest to my house to see if he's having the same problems I'm having with brown gunk buildup in my carbon block and tubing from that one housing. Anybody know if their daily station check-ups are purely random, or is there some way to contact one of these guys? I'd hate to have to take the time to stake out a Watermill Express station!

Thanks
Sherri

 

[DonnieKim]

Mark(Fireater), has talked to the watermill guy in Texas City! I know that they service ours everyday!

 

[MarkieB]

My guy is on a schedule. I pretty much see him between a thirty minute window when I happen to be by the machine on Saturdays and Sundays.

Finding out the schedule would be a challenge I would think.

If you want to talk and meet him consider leaving a note on the service door asking him the time frame he services that machine.

 

[FireEater]

I think there is a number to call them at on the machine. A service number I believe.

Mark

 

[MarkieB]

There is, or you can find it on the WWW also.

 

[boudster]

I used them for a long time with great results until I finally got my RO/DI unit

 

[AggieBrandon]

Sherri,

How old are the cartridges in your RO unit? Is the unit exposed to a lot of light? Very interested to see what is causing this. Probably some information that will be nice to know. You could try contacting Russ at BFS and see what he says. He is after all a water guru

B

 

[Cakepro]

Russ has been troubleshooting this for me and says it's "biofouling."

I did some research (being the skeptic that I am) and it is plausible, because my RO/DI unit is in the garage, which is lit by indirect sunlight. Funny thing, though, is that this filter "biofouled" after three weeks of use, and my RO/DI unit has been in the same spot for 2 years now, without problem. It's never happened before. I would think that the bacteria would invade the whole system, not just one filter cartridge...unless the membrane is catching it, which is why there's no funk between the RO and the DI housings.

Pics of my nasty filters:

http://www.buttercreamdreams.com/miscpix/2filters.jpg

http://www.buttercreamdreams.com/miscpix/filters_RO.jpg

By the way, does anyone know of a local source for the different colored icemaker tubing? I am going to disinfect the entire system, replace all the filters and DI resin (Lord, I hope it didn't ruin the membrane), and replace all the tubing. Then cover the frigging thing with a black garbage bag.

 

[AggieBrandon]

Did you take the ro unit from your old house to the new house? Wonder if something could have happened along the way. I haven't seen any tubing locally. It was always easier for me to order it online from Buckeye or Marine Depot or something. Also I'm sure the filter cartridge is keeping the stuff from spreading to the other areas. On my ro unit, the sediment filter turns orange from the rust in the pipes but it never gets past the sediment cartridge. I use 1 micron sediment cartridges so that helps.

B

B

 

[Cakepro]

I have not yet moved. Like I said, nothing has changed physically with my unit for 2 years, except the regular changing of filters.

 

[Guest]

sounds to me like the water coming through your system is really dirty.

I have used that type of water in the past. and then i found that i get better results from tap water that has been left out in my garage for 2 days. last time i tested it it came up just as clean as RO/DI water. I know that alot of other people disagree with me but i have had great successwith using tap water. I have a 50 set up in my garage with a really strong air pump and a bubble bar that goes across that back of the tank. this setup actually decreases the time by half. again i know that alot of other people disagree with me, however it has worked great for me.

 

[AggieBrandon]

LOL I bet you didn't test the TDS of that water. I could let tap water sit for 3 days and it would still have way too much crap in it that I wouldn't want to put in my reef tank. It is true that you could take tap water (that has chlorine in it) and let it sit for a day or so and it would be safe to use in a fish tank. Well water could be used without letting it sit. The reason for using an RO/DI unit is that there is a bunch of other stuff in the water that can cause problems. Phosphates, heavy metals, etc can all be found in tap/well water. Over time this stuff will accumulate and eventually cause problems. As for me, I'm sticking to using my RO/DI unit for my fish and corals...I'm sure they appreciate it.

B

 

[southeast123]

Guess I should remember this thread. My filter gets morning sun til around 10am.
Is the city digging any where around your home?
Also, if your main water is turned off and on it will stir up crud in the pipes.

 

[Guest]

my RO DI unit is in a shed out side and it gets some light plus the heat. I know my water gets to 88 degress.