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Can I use Softened Water in an RO System

Coys

Coys

Member
Joined
28 Oct 2015
Messages
160
Location
Basildon, Essex, UK
I know that water that has been softened in a domestic water softener is not suitable for use in a freshwater aquarium, but I'm wondering if it would be suitable if I then put it through an RO system.

From what I've read I understand that processing the softened water is more efficient and beneficial for the life of the RO membrane, especially in a hard water area such as mine (I live in Essex), but I'm not sure if the RO process would remove enough of the sodium which is added in the softening process.

Any ideas?
 
hey i also use ro water and i live in london you dont need to do that just filter your normal water. And yes if you us water softener it will add sodium to the water. Ro will remove 98% sodium but there is no need to use water thats softened as your ro system will do that for you.
 
mow said said:
hey i also use ro water and i live in london you dont need to do that just filter your normal water. And yes if you us water softener it will add sodium to the water. Ro will remove 98% sodium but there is no need to use water thats softened as your ro system will do that for you.
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Thanks for the reply. The only reason I'm considering doing this is that I've read that processing the softened water is better for the RO membrane in that it doesn't get clogged by calcium carbonate scale and is also more efficient, presumably for the same reason. If the RO process removes sufficient sodium to make it safe to use, then I can't see any harm.
 
Do you flush your membrane ? In my system i have an automatic flush system which flushes the membrane everytime i turn on the system
 
mow said said:
Do you flush your membrane ?
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I could if I had one! :).

At the moment I'm just thinking about installing an RO system; TBH I'm getting too old to lug 50 litres of RO from my LFS every week :(. First thing I need to do is to check my maims pressure as I'm not sure it will be up to it without a booster pump. Then I'd need to look at where I could install it with a decent size collector tank.
 
i bought my ro system for 40 pounds on gumtree it was new. it came with booster pump and all sorts. how many litres is your tank? And what is the reason for changing to ro water?
 
And as i said your membrane wont get clogged up if the system has a flush kit installed. it comes automatic or sometimes a manual one which will help the life of the membrane. And also membranes are very cheap these days my system was 50gpd the membrane that came with the system was not good i used it for the first month i was getting 25 litres of water in 6 hours with booster pump. I removed the membrane realised the seal was dried up . I think the guy left the membrane for too long till the rubber that covers the membrane dried up. Then i bought a membrane in china for 8 pounds which was 75gpd with a new flow restrictor 450cc. Now i get 25 litres of water in two hours and the my product to waste is 1:2.7 which is good.
 
You could also try a DI resin instead of a softener or even better, you get Potassium based water softeners also instead of Sodium so you could look for one of those
 
In the end I bought a hose-connector pressure gauge and compared the pressure from the outdoor mains tap and the water softener-fed washing machine connector; the mains was almost 5 bar vs. about 3 bar. So I bought a V2 Pure 100 RO system, hooked it up to the mains and get my 100 litre of RO within one day without the need for a booster pump.
 
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