Saving The Earth ( and Your Wallet! )

1. Saving The Earth( and Your Wallet! ) Gary Dodge (Artful-Dodger) RMRC 9/30/2007 Artful-Dpdger RMRC

2. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Problem Statement: • 8 saltwater tanks (including QT & frags) • 10-12 gal/day for evaporation top-off • 70-80 gal/week for water changes • Net: 500 – 600 gallons of purified water each month! • Goals: • maintain high water quality • minimize ongoing costs • minimize waster water Artful-Dpdger RMRC

3. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Original Configuration: • (using ~100 gal/month) • 4-stage, 35 gpd Kent Marine Hi-S RO/DI from Drs Foster & Smith • Pre-filter, carbon matrix, RO, DI stages Waste water: approximately 400 gal/mo Artful-Dpdger RMRC

4. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Initially tried capturing waste water for outdoor use-- • Fish room, water production located in basement • 140 gallon tank on main floor • Quickly tired of carrying 5x as many 5-gal buckets upstairs! • Couldn’t keep up with waste production • Considered plumbing waste to toilet tank refill • (only problem…no bathroom in our basement) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

5. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Anthony Calfo • RMRC speaker, 3/5/05 • Suggested, for Colorado’s arid climate, to use DI only to avoid waste • Eye-opening idea! • Talked with Kip about DI system he distributed • Bulk resin • Imported from Germany • Expensive solution Artful-Dpdger RMRC

6. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • First system revision • Bypassed 3rd stage (RO) • Resin consumption skyrocketed! • Moved from replacement cartridges to bulk purchase of mixed bed DI resin from The Filter Guys $30! $6 Artful-Dpdger RMRC

7. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Second system revision • Based on write-ups at The Filter Guys website • Purchased two additional filter canisters • Now 5 stages: • Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) • 1-micron sediment filter • Carbon block • DI #1 • DI #2 • Cascading DI--#1 depletes first, move #2 to #1, refill #2 Artful-Dpdger RMRC

8. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Revision 2 problems: • Still using lots of DI resin! • Water usage now up to about 200 gal/month • Resin changes 2-3 times per month • Even bulk purchases @ $6 get expensive Artful-Dpdger RMRC

9. Lessons learned about DI: • Color-changing Mixed bed DI resin • Blue: “cation” captures positive (+) ions • The blue color is a pH indicating dye • Brown “anion” captures negative (-) ions • Example: salt water through DI • Na+ cations exchanged (for H+) • Cl- anions exchanged (for OH-) • The released ions (H+ OH-) form water H2O • Resin is depleted before color fully changed! • One may deplete before the other • Dumps waste back into water once depleted! • TDS can be higher (and more deadly) than the input tap water! • Resin can be recharged chemically • (cation and anion different methods) Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

10. DANGER!!!The chemicals used to recharge DI Resins are hazardous! Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Lye is extremely caustic!Will cause chemical burns to skin, eyes!, esophagus!, etc.Exothermic reaction: (generates lots of heat when dissolved to make a water solution) • Hydrochloric (or muriatic) acidWill cause chemical burns to skin, eyes!, esophagus!, etc.Always add water to acid (never acid to water) Work with good ventilation (outdoors) with rubber gloves, eye protection, etc.Keep these chemicals and processes separatedRead more than just this summary!!! (see links at the end) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

11. Separating depleted mixed bed DI resins: • Since two different chemical reactions must be used to “recharge” cation resin with H+ ions and anion resin with OH- ions, mixed bed resins must be separated before they can be recharged • A lye solution will cause the cation resin beads to deplete and sink and anion beads to recharge and “float” • Separate the stratified resins carefully with a turkey baster • Rinse the cation resin well to remove the lye before recharging in an acid bath Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

12. Alternative to mixed bed resins— • Separate bed DI • One canister for cation-binding resin • Second canister for anion-binding resin • Avoids needing to separate resins before recharging • Label your canisters! Be consistent. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

13. Overview of Anion resin recharging: • Replace the captured negative ions with hydroxide ions (OH-) • Requires a “stronger” base than what has been captured (greater ionic affinity) • Commonly used: lye • Or Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) • - or - • Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) • Soak resin for 1 hr • Drain and rinse well with water • Keep all liquid separated from cation rinse for neutralization Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

14. Overview of Cation resin recharging: • Replace the captured positive ions with hydrogen ions H+ (free protons) • Requires a “stronger” acid than what has been captured • Commonly used: • Hydrochloric acid (HCl) • (May be sold as Muriatic acid in hardware stores) • Rinse well with water if separated with lye • Add acid solution to container of cation resin • Soak 1 hr, stirring occasionally • If color changing resin, should return to original color • Drain and rinse well with water • Keep all liquid separated from anion rinse for neutralization Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

15. Alternative to mixed bed resins— • Separate bed DI • One canister for cation-binding resin • Second canister for anion-binding resin • Avoids needing to separate resins before recharging • Label your canisters! Be consistent. • Can purchase the separate resins in bulk (by the qt or gal) through chemical supply house or SpectraPure Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

16. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Third system revision • From SpectraPure literature at IMAC • Purchased two additional oversized filter canisters for separate bed DI • Included inline TDS Monitor • Added pressure gauge • Added permeate pump • Reconnected RO (with control valves) • Replaced RO membrane that had dried out while disconnected Artful-Dpdger RMRC

17. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Third system revision, cont’d • Now 8 stages(YIKES!) • Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) • 1-micron sediment filter • Carbon block • RO (can be bypassed) • DI #1 (high capacity) ANION • DI #2 (high capacity) CATION • DI #3 mixed bed • DI #4 mixed bed Artful-Dpdger RMRC

18. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Permeate pump • Uses the “extra” water pressure of your water supply to force water through the RO membrane • In effect, it switches off the incoming water until the pressure drops below the required pressure • Causes RO waste discharge to “pulsate” on and off • Saves water during “off” phases Artful-Dpdger RMRC

19. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Other changes: • Added automatic shut-off valve (combined with check valve) • Added ~10 gal storage reservoir for purified topoff water • Used old Amiracle sump • Single Maxi-Jet recirculates water, supplies faucet and solenoid-controlled auto-topoff lines • Kent float valve Artful-Dpdger RMRC

20. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) • Other changes, cont’d: • Added 100 gallon tank for saltwater mixing and storage • Water pumped from bottom bulkhead back to top bulkhead with filter sock • Tees & ball valves in same water return line to feed refill faucet(s) • Added UV filter to circulation line • Added bulkhead fitting for heater • Kent float valve Artful-Dpdger RMRC

21. RESULTS!— • Changed to final configuration in June, 2007 • TDS (output) zero throughout • (input is usually between 250-300 ppm) • Still have not replaced DI resins • (the separate bed canisters are ready, though) • Can now run RO stage with • Waste directed either outdoors (nice weather) • or sink drain (freezing weather). • Can also bypass RO stage entirely. • Can direct purified water to: • 10 gallon topoff reservoir • 100 gallon saltwater mixing tank • or both Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

22. Recommendations • Consider all costs (personal time, environmental, as well as dollars) in decisions • Provide for worthwhile use of RO waste water • Provide for bypass of RO stage • Add GAC stage to remove chloramine before DI stages • Use sediment filter after GAC (change a week after GAC) • Use multiple, staged DI stages • Move to bulk purchase of DI resins • (either mixed bed or separate bed) • Avoid tossing out used DI resin (save for recharging) • Consider doing own recharging if comfortable with the procedures and safety issues • Provide to a club member who can do recharging • Add inline TDS meter! • Peristaltic pump is a luxury that saves some water (but will take forever to repay actual cost) Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

23. LINKS • Recharging instructions • (listed in descending order of technical complexity) • Reefkeeping Magazine, May 2005, “Reef Alchemy” column by Randy Holmes-Farley • Reefs.org article, “Edited TWP Recharge Instructions” • Reefs.org article, not dated, “Tap Water Purifier Recharging” by Gary Deutschmann, Sr. • Reefs.org article, 1995, “Tap Water Purifier Recharging - Instructions” by Gary Deutschmann, Sr. Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC

24. LINKS • Sources for purchasing • (that I used) • Drs. Foster and Smith • MarineDepot • The Filter Guys • SpectraPure Saving Your Wallet (and the Planet) Artful-Dpdger RMRC