Replies

1. 
   jackplane | Sep 23, 2005 09:58pm | #1

   bumppppp

    

2. 
   Brian | Sep 24, 2005 05:22am | #2

   I had one for 5 years - great water, same price, though I think I got it at lowes.  We drank lots more water when it was good - sold it with the house.  My next house will have one too.

   Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
3. 
   RyanBrant | Sep 24, 2005 10:26pm | #3

   We have a Kinetico that was refurbished.  It was $500, down from $1,000.  FWIW, I asked the Kinetico rep, "What makes this better than the Kenmore at OSH Sears for $300?"  He said those are built to last about as long as the warranty.  But he was the rep.  But I still love our Kinetico.  Our water is healthy enough, but loaded with salts like boron and calcium, that make it taste a little more than it ought to.

   Our Kinetico is an under-the-sink mount with the tank in the basement.

1. 
   Brian | Sep 24, 2005 10:42pm | #4

   We must be talking about very different products.  Mine was a Premiere (I believe) and it is identical to a Culligan model I have seen - 5 filters, the 4th being RO, and the 5th charcoal.  There is a small bladder tank to hold water in reserve   They cost $200-250 everywhere I have seen them.

   Ours lasted 5 years before we changed the filters, I'm certain is still in service and I see no reason they wouldn't last a lot longer or how you could improve the design.  The 500-1K model must be whole house.

    

    Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!

1. 
   jackplane | Sep 27, 2005 03:29pm | #5

   Thank you Brian and Ryan.

    I'll try the HD version. 

4. 
   plumbbill | Sep 27, 2005 09:39pm | #6

   Well I'll put my 2 cents in on this I do not recommend ro systems unless it's at the source like a well cause ro systems waste water when they flush themselves out so if it's at a well then the water is reclaimed but at a sink then it's water down the drain I have put them in sinks at pharmacies but most I put in are multi stage cartridge filters with a 10 micron pre filter helps the 5 micron stage filters last longer & since I have put in over 40 of these at Starbucks I have a little knowledge in this but the day I know everything is the day they nail the coffin shut.

1. 
   DavidThomas | Sep 27, 2005 10:12pm | #7

   "I do not recommend ro systems unless it's at the source like a well cause ro systems waste water when they flush themselves "

   Okay, IF you have one RO-treated line going to the kitchen, etc; and an untreated line go to the housebibs, etc.  Except for all those state and federal regulations about discharging waste water to subsurface.  That would be a weird permit to get - permission to make your own drinking water source dirtier.

   BUT, if you treated all the water through the RO unit, you should NOT dump the waste water to the well.

   The reason is that if you never remove any of the disolved solids from the well area, they will build up.  The RO unit will be "working harder" to remove contaminants and more of them will slip through.  Eventually you'd reach an equilibirum - if the unit removes 99 percent, then the equilibrium would be 100x concentration in the well and the original concentration being produced by the RO unit.   SO it would all have been for naught.  Also, if it ever fails, you'll get a slug of untreated water that has built up in the well.

   If you are concerned about high-TDS water being wasted, do a grey water system and use it to flush the toilet.  I'd hesitate to water the garden with the higher salt content.David Thomas   Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska

1. 
   plumbbill | Sep 27, 2005 10:31pm | #9

   OK I see your point I guess we were talking apples & oranges. I used well as an example but I guess I should have stated where I have seen most ro systems on boats.

1. 
   DavidThomas | Sep 27, 2005 10:58pm | #11

   On a boat, yes, it would be different.  Do you RO the drinking water only, with salt water for the head?  What kind of gpd do you get for what kind of amp-hours?  My recollection is that RO on a boat sucks the batteries down pretty quick.David Thomas   Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska

1. 
   plumbbill | Sep 27, 2005 11:06pm | #13

   Pleasure craft yes, but the boats I have experience with are a bit bigger. I'm sure you have seen them crabbers & purse seiners in your neck of the woods. St Paul island and damn what a God forsaken place that was.

2. 
   MikeSmith | Sep 27, 2005 10:55pm | #10

   plumb.. you are the winner..

    that is by far the longest run-on sentence i've seen posted  on BT

   good info...BTW..   but these olde eyes sure would appreciate some more white space..

   and, since my lips move when i read... i need to stop to catch my breath..

    whadda ya say , bud ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

1. 
   plumbbill | Sep 27, 2005 11:03pm | #12

   Well I knew there was a reason why I know crap roles down hill, payday is on Friday,and my boss is (hope he doesn't see this) an a**hole.  Point well taken.

5. 
   DavidThomas | Sep 27, 2005 10:21pm | #8

   I ought to look at it.  We get some arsenic in the city water in the summer.  Always godo to cut down our heavy metals consumption.

   Considering what is inside them and modern manufacturing techniques, there's no reason people could make money selling an RO system at $200.  Think about coffee makers for $15, waffle irons for $9, etc that comes off the boat from China.   If GE and HD saw a big enough market to tool up for a large volume, yeah, that is a reasonable price.

   So many things (digital watches, calculators, kitchen appliances) have already gone from high-priced speciality items to being incredibly cheap.  Other technologies (RO, photvoltaics, etc) will too.

   David Thomas   Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska