Currently acquiring hardware to make a spot-free DI system. Here is some basic information I found for those interested.
The two basic elements are filter housings and refillable filter cartridges. There are two basic standards, 10" and 20". Housings and cartridges are interchangeable and industry standard.
I opted for a 3-stage solution with 20" x 4.5" "Big Blue" clear housings and clear filter cartridges. I wanted the more expensive clear housings and cartridges in the event that I used color-changing DI resin. For reference, the big CR Spotless system is a 2-stage 20" x 4.5" Big Blue arrangement with opaque housings. I also chose 20" x 4.5" housings with 1" fittings (vs 3/4"). The cartridge and housings are here:
I searched and found various sources by using Google Images, believe it or not. Drill down and you find links to various suppliers, eBay, Amazon, etc. Google Images is a great way to find B2B items that sell to consumers.
DI resin is widely available and I plan to get that later once this system is complete. I believe I can find local sources but can also order online if necessary. I plan to recharge the resin myself using acid and lye, and I will buy the resin in bulk so I have no concerns about expending the resin at this point. Time will tell about this.
This is not done to save money vs the CR Spotless or other products. I'm doing this because I like to design and assemble things like this and because I wanted something with a higher flow rate than the CR Spotless could handle. Total cost so far for these 3-stage components is $160 for three housings and $80.85 for the filter cartridges. It would have been about $40 cheaper if I opted for opaque components. I believe the cost for DI resin is about $12-$15 per cartridge when bought in bulk. I already have a cheap TDS meter so some basic plumbing components, the DI resin and a few other miscellaneous parts should be enough to finish the job.
I'm thinking about bolting a small sheet of 3/4" plywood to a small hand truck so the system can be wheeled around the house without much difficulty. Still haven't thought much about this. The three housing caps will probably be lashed together in series using 1" nipples and then bolted to the plywood on the hand truck. Standard garden hose fittings will go on the endpoints.
At this point I am not sure if I will have 3 DI stages or a single pre-filter stage feeding 2 DI stages.
If anyone has any suggestions about what would be optimal for reducing TDS in the first stage housing I would be very interested, and no RO (reverse osmosis) since that would be too slow.
I plan to use this system for rinsing vehicles and more importantly, pressure washing and rinsing the windows and skylights in our home. In the case of windows and skylights it would be VERY NICE to be able to wash them with a brush and then rinse and let air dry, especially large french doors and other intricate glass around the house which is a pain to squeegee and thoroughly dry to avoid spotting. This would greatly speed up window and skylight washing and we do live in a moderately dusty area so more frequent washing would be desirable.
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