Artesian Well and Iron

[Yboat]

you still need to pay power for the well pump.

[David Rose]

RO systems don't use electricity directly. They work on the existing household water line pressure that is generated by your well pump and pressure tank system. Booster pumps are not needed unless your water pressure is low, but you can often have your well pump/pressure tank system adjusted slightly to compensate, even if it is needed at all. I would recommend having whoever does your water testing to gauge your water pressure as well in the event you install an RO system. For example, Culligan does all this testing for free whether you use them or not. The GE Merlin can generate up to 700 plus gallons of RO a day and even if I had to replace the membrane every year or two years, it would still be less costly than having to have a household water softener and iron treatment system. As for waste water, it can be plumbed into your existing household drain or be plumbed at some point to water lawns/gardens etc for the more environmentally inclined.

I have a household brine system water softener currently by Culligan. It uses about $50/year in salt to remove calcium/magnesium. My former Culligan RO system costs about $850 installed and the household brine system another $1800. Because of my lower water pressure, I did use a used booster pump/$40 with my Culligan system that require electricity when it ran. Given your water change routine, you would probably have it running all the time; however, the adjustment to your well pump/pressure tank can eliminate this need all together. Pretty expensive compared to the $350 I spent on eBay for a GE Merlin with no need for a booster pump. The only add on to the Merlin I would suggest is a sediment pre-filter that are inexpensive/easily replaceable and would extend the life of your membrane justifying the $20 annual expense on the pre-filter.

I only change about 300-500 gallons per week for my existing tanks, so I remineralize with Kent's RO Right (1K) and Kent's Discus Essentials (64ox) that complement each other. I use one to two a year of each, but homemade brews are less expensive and easy to come by.

Installation and tweaking costs will be your big ticket item; unless, you have someone you can do it for you for free or cheap. So your start up costs would be $350-500 plus installation with $100-200 annual maintenance for replacement filters and remineralization products. RO systems typically come with a mini faucet to install at your kitchen sink supplied by your RO system. I love mine! I also have mine supply water to my side-by-side ice and water dispenser. So my discus are not the only ones to benefit from pure clean water!