Good RO filter that doesnt waste alot of water

[MsMileHigh]

Im looking to purchase a good RO filter,that doesnt waste to much money.If anyone has any experience with one please fill me in.

 

[St3ve]

I always recommend a Small Boy filter. Its not RO but there is zero waste water and it does a great job.

It will not bring the water down to zero ppm like an RO but it does clean it very well, much faster than an RO filter, and without wasting ANY water.

 

[Jhhnn]

I always recommend a Small Boy filter. Its not RO but there is zero waste water and it does a great job.

It will not bring the water down to zero ppm like an RO but it does clean it very well, much faster than an RO filter, and without wasting ANY water.

It won't change the hardness at all, which is the only reason to use RO, anyway, and that's only if your water is like liquid rock.

How do your houseplants do on tap water? If they like it, you secret garden will like it, too.

 

[MsMileHigh]

It won't change the hardness at all, which is the only reason to use RO, anyway, and that's only if your water is like liquid rock.

How do your houseplants do on tap water? If they like it, you secret garden will like it, too.

Dont have any "house palnts" but will check my tap ppm tonight.

 

[Lammy]

I hear you on that wastewater. I stopped using my RO unit after the city knocked on my door to tell me I probably have a water leak because my usage has went up 10 fold. I simply hooked the city water directly up to the float valve for what was my RO rez. that way the chlorine can evaporate and I have quick access to 100 gallons.

 

[SooperSmurph]

Tall Boys will take care of most of your filtration needs, and won't cost a lot, I wouldn't recommend a small boy for anything but very small grows, the wait time on res filling is awful, makes you want a storage tank, which is its own hassle, etc.

 

[GuyManDude]

i have an old Merlin, by GE. They no longer make them. Hydro-Logic bought the patent and improved it.
here's a link

I can fill a 40 gallon reservoir in less than 45 minutes with mine. In my opinion, it's worth every penny i paid for it

 

[TribalSeeds]

The Tallboy is meant to remove chlorine, not chloramine. You can make it remove chloramine by replacing the chlorine filter and replacing it with one designed to remove chloramine. I believe that filter costs around $80. This info came from an hydrologic employee at a garden convention.

Ive heard this from guys that work at different shops
Id be curious if using a tall boy infront of an RO causes less waste though

 

[SooperSmurph]

Even though the new tallboys specifically say on the box that they remove Chloramines?

 

[St3ve]

It won't change the hardness at all, which is the only reason to use RO, anyway, and that's only if your water is like liquid rock.

How do your houseplants do on tap water? If they like it, you secret garden will like it, too.

What do you mean? It DOES drop the PPM's. What do you think its cleaning out of the water? Only smell and chlorine?

 

[St3ve]

Tall Boys and Small Boys are the same thing, just different sizes.

No there is the same amount of waste water if you'd try to use it in front of a RO filter.

They are no where NEAR as slow as an RO filter. Much faster!

I would NOT use it to get rid of the chlorine/chloramines. I used it to drop the PPMs and clean up the water. The amount of chlorine they put in the water isn't harmful to plants at all.

As mentioned, if you have low PPM tap, just use that. My PPM comes out around 250ppm/.7. I started with RO, then moved to Tall Boy, then moved to just tap. Plants are always healthy. BUT, all water sources are different so YMMV

 

[soursmoker]

chlorine is harmful to the microorganisms in Living Organic Soil and ACTT teas tho. just sayin.

I don't know much at all about RO systems tho, just saying the chlorine is not something to just say "oh it wont hurt anything"

 

[St3ve]

chlorine is harmful to the microorganisms in Living Organic Soil and ACTT teas tho. just sayin.

I don't know much at all about RO systems tho, just saying the chlorine is not something to just say "oh it wont hurt anything"

I didn't say "won't hurt anything", I said plants. Its JOB is to kill microorganisms and other baddies that can cultivate in water. Obviously if you're running bennies you would know not to use something that kills bennies.

 

[MsMileHigh]

Does chloramines evaporate out of water like chlorine does?

 

[Hurk]

Does chloramines evaporate out of water like chlorine does?

Unfortunately no. It has to be filtered out.

 

[TheArchitect]

What do you mean? It DOES drop the PPM's. What do you think its cleaning out of the water? Only smell and chlorine?

I'll repeat it since you didn't get it the first time.

A standard carbon/sediment filter will not reduce alkalinity/hardness.

The fact you see a ppm drop out of your smallboy doesn't change that fact. Lots of things can change water conductivity, which is how you get your ppm reading on your meter, it reads conductivity and uses a conversion to show you "ppm".

CaCO3 is not removed in appreciable amounts by sediment/carbon filtration.

And ultimately that is why we use water filters in our garden, to reduce hardness issues.

 

[TribalSeeds]

Very high temperatures. (135-
140°F will definitely start killing them
off but then, at those temperatures,
the happiness of your fungi is the
least of your problems!) The less
chlorine your water contains, the
better for both fungi and plants too.
However, typical levels of chlorine
from municipal supplies should not
cause a problem.

http://www.plant-success.com/images/stories/super_feeding_article_web.pdf

Thats for Great White. I mean, Im not sure how much more sensitive beenies in your tea are tho

 

[Jhhnn]

What do you mean? It DOES drop the PPM's. What do you think its cleaning out of the water? Only smell and chlorine?

Not really. It's a common misconception wrt carbon filters-

http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/frequently-asked-questions.php?id=3

Google "water hardness carbon filters"- all the sellers will tell you the same thing.

I know this stuff from my other hobby, aquariums.

There are several products that will neutralize chlorine & chloramines, making tap water safe for fish & aquatic plants. I use "Prime" water conditioner for the aquariums, Denver tap water for plants in general. Works fine.

Hydro guys, I suspect, can adjust their formulas to compensate for local water, unless the water is just way too hard. Lots of water providers have good web presence. Denver Water has a really comprehensive site, for example-

http://www.denverwater.org/

 

[St3ve]

I'll repeat it since you didn't get it the first time.

A standard carbon/sediment filter will not reduce alkalinity/hardness.

The fact you see a ppm drop out of your smallboy doesn't change that fact. Lots of things can change water conductivity, which is how you get your ppm reading on your meter, it reads conductivity and uses a conversion to show you "ppm".

CaCO3 is not removed in appreciable amounts by sediment/carbon filtration.

And ultimately that is why we use water filters in our garden, to reduce hardness issues.

lol quite snippy.. I just asked you what you meant. Don't need to get all "let me repeat" on me.

And you may be right about the CaCO3 levels, but I do know my water is cleaner and lower ppm so the filter obviously cleaned out something. I don't know what negative effects high CaCO3 levels can have because my tap always comes out at 250-300ppms. (which apparently ec is not measuring CaCO3?)

So are you suggesting that the sediments in the water (that is being filtered by the sediment filter) isn't relevant to growing then?

 

[St3ve]

Not really. It's a common misconception wrt carbon filters-

http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/frequently-asked-questions.php?id=3

Google "water hardness carbon filters"- all the sellers will tell you the same thing.

I know this stuff from my other hobby, aquariums.

There are several products that will neutralize chlorine & chloramines, making tap water safe for fish & aquatic plants. I use "Prime" water conditioner for the aquariums, Denver tap water for plants in general. Works fine.

Hydro guys, I suspect, can adjust their formulas to compensate for local water, unless the water is just way too hard. Lots of water providers have good web presence. Denver Water has a really comprehensive site, for example-

http://www.denverwater.org/

Its a sediment filter and carbon filter, not just carbon. What exactly are you referring to when you say "not really"?