Buffy's 1st Ever SW Build - Reef Tank

[Buffy]

Do you have the proper water pressure? I keep my garden hose fully on and get at least 5g an hour. Sometimes its more but I can't carry the jugs so I stop at 5g. lol

I believe so. I timed it. When I first start it takes 7 and 1/2 minutes to make 2 quarts, which is bout 4 gal an hour. Then I timed it again as it's flow is down and it took 23 minutes and 40 sec to get 2 quarts. I don't even want to time it now as it is just dripping. And I mean drip drip drip. At this rate I believe I'd be down to 2 quarts in an hour.

I changed to a different faucet thinking my new faucet was bad. Nope same thing. City water. I don't know what the pressure is but I know that without RO and I turn water on....if I turn on too much it splashes all over LOL.

I've research the makings of faucets, my drains, reconnected every dang fitting I have and even JerryRigged a couple and still the same.

I'm thinking bout a booster pump but dang it I know I don't need one just to get "enough" pressure maybe eventually to increase efficiency.

 

[carey]

Hmm that does seem slow. How is your unit postioned? Is it on it's side or staight up? Not sure if that could account for the slow water making....

 

[Buffy]

Hmm that does seem slow. How is your unit postioned? Is it on it's side or staight up? Not sure if that could account for the slow water making....

Straight up. I laid it horizontal just to see and no change in flow, but I put it back cause I don't want channeling and I know that the flow DOWN is the best for compacting and removing impurities.

We make di water at work (anion, cation and mixed beds) regeneration and all that stuff. So I have a little understanding on the system. Of course our little 10" canister doesn't compare to the 10 foot high tanks we use. We installed an RO unit on the end and it has 6 stages I believe with a pump that has 250 lb discharge pressure and believe it or not, it makes 50 gallons per minute permeate and 150 gallons per minute waste. Now I know that it is industrial but the principals are the same and similar set up.

So only thing I can think of is removing all the tubing and making sure that after the flow gets going that it doesn't slow down due to some resin or something plugging. So far I am disappointed in my RO. Definitely has not been a plug and play.

 

[carey]

I'm so sorry it hasn't been working out for you. :-( I had zero issues with mine. You got the one from ebay right that alot of us bought?

 

[Buffy]

Yes

I've tried hooking it up to 3 different faucets, replaced a faucet so it had hot and cold seperate.

Fits on 2 of the 3 faucets. But pressure is same thoughout house. City Water.

I read somewhere last night or should I say bout 3am that I could go to the water main and adjust pressure. I didn't want to do that cause it should be sufficient. I'm gonna go down in basement and look at water main, check it out and see if I could boost pressure.

BRB with my conclusions from basement.

 

[carey]

Have you tried a garden hose hookup yet? Just as a test? i don't have killer water pressure inside my house but the hose hook up is quite powerful.

 

[Buffy]

Gonna do that next. Just got off phone with water company to find out what the output of the pressure regulator is. It's not labeled.

I should have no problems though because my underground sprinkler works just fine which is T'ed off from the runs to the rest of the house. No leaks down there either. Water temp is 68degF out of faucet.

Gonna run a test on the garden hook up, but I can't do that in winter.

I got so many adapters to fit everything except kitchen faucet and tub lol.

I really wanted to dedicated the "extra" 1/2 bath to this too. Sorry I am just getting so friggen frustrated with this water thing. On the bright side, least I have a new faucet in one bath, and found drain leaks under 3 of 4 sinks to fix before they get too bad. (Guess I should look under sinks more LOL)

 

[carey]

Way to look on the bright side.

if the hose connection works better then you might need a booster for the sink flow. At least it's summer right, you can make all the water for all your tanks before the weather gets bad. lol

I wonder if anyone else had the same issue with theirs?

Speak up folks, we need to know!! hehehe

 

[Buffy]

Well I put 15 gallons in my tank. Took out live rock. Put that in 10Gal Brute covered with RO/DI Water.

Put a circ pump in tank below water level. Water not high enough for power filter, grrr. I have to Carbon filters in my power filter now, I have room for 2 more media. Should I use my other 2 carbon filters and make it 4 to help get rid of debris and stuff initially? There are 2 compartments and each compartment holds 2. I have 1 in each "side" right now.

Rinsed rest of sand and put in. Now I'd like to see so I can move it around.

Rock is rinsed and sitting out on deck.

Need to put the black sand in AND THEN start the rock scaping.
I need to rinse the black sand too don't I?

I repositioned my heater to the back of the tank, center of glass and horizontal. That ok?

Grr been off for 4 days and feel like I'm in circles and going no where. Been trying to get this going so much, that I've forgot to pay my bills!!!!!!

 

[jsmith]

Way to look on the bright side.

if the hose connection works better then you might need a booster for the sink flow. At least it's summer right, you can make all the water for all your tanks before the weather gets bad. lol

I wonder if anyone else had the same issue with theirs?

Speak up folks, we need to know!! hehehe

Im no plumbing expert but the pressure coming out depends on the facets you have installed .. we switched all ours thoughout house couple years ago to save on consumption.. tends to be more beneficial on showerheads but that could be a factor...

 

[jsmith]

Well I put 15 gallons in my tank. Took out live rock. Put that in 10Gal Brute covered with RO/DI Water.

Put a circ pump in tank below water level. Water not high enough for power filter, grrr. I have to Carbon filters in my power filter now, I have room for 2 more media. Should I use my other 2 carbon filters and make it 4 to help get rid of debris and stuff initially? There are 2 compartments and each compartment holds 2. I have 1 in each "side" right now.

Rinsed rest of sand and put in. Now I'd like to see so I can move it around.

Rock is rinsed and sitting out on deck.

Need to put the black sand in AND THEN start the rock scaping.
I need to rinse the black sand too don't I?

I repositioned my heater to the back of the tank, center of glass and horizontal. That ok?

Grr been off for 4 days and feel like I'm in circles and going no where. Been trying to get this going so much, that I've forgot to pay my bills!!!!!!

I have my heater that way works out fine for me..

 

[carey]

I would rinse the sand, save yourself some cloudiness LOL

The heater is fine that way.

It sounds like you are getting somewhere, but to you I bet it seems like you are going backwards sometimes. hehe I think youre making progress. And would love to see some pics later of how far you get today.

 

[Gregcoyote]

It sounds like low pressure to me. The water pressure forces flow thru the RO membranes and if there isn't good pressure, it will just drip. It isn't going to be fast even when working properly unless you bought a big unit. The total pressure at the faucet should equal the water pressure in your lines unless a pressure reducer was installed.

 

[Smitty]

It is another expense but you can look into getting a booster pump to help this out. Something like this could help: Aquarium Water | Reverse Osmosis | RODI Water | ReefKeeper Water | Booster Pump System Power Station for Reefkeepers.

You may be able to find something cheaper than 120 on ebay.

 

[Buffy]

Uggg

Thanks everyone, yes I'm VERY frustrated.

I talked to water company. My area has high water pressure, we do have to have a pressure reducer in the house (it is located at the main cutoff valve). However, they said I have enough pressure to run the RO/DI without a booster pump.

I hate plumbing.

The outside pressure faucet would be greater because of it just being a valve. Where as as someone stated, faucets have alot to do with it. Especially since the faucets these days ARE made to reduce water usage. GRRR (Like the toilets they make now, which don't even flush paper).

I have 4 sinks in my house. 3 had the same faucet style. I'd replaced all kitchen plumbing last year (grrrrrrrrr and the dang garbage disposal too).

I hate plumbing.

Now I've replaced the faucet in one of the bathrooms (new supply lines too). I have the adapter I could have put there, but I don't want to squeeze under sink with the 32Gal Brute in the way.

I hate plumbing.

Just got done trying to use the garden hose style (yes I made my own) didn't work............YET. I don't have "the" adapter for it and the one I made (thanks to not throwing away parts when you run over a garden hose with a snowblower LOL). However, the threads don't quite match. I did get a trickle through BUT more was coming out the threads and I wasn't about to turn the water on full blast and blow the thing off like a rocket sooooooo off to the hardware store I go to buy more stuff.

I hate plumbing.

Off topic - On a lighter note, my 4 year old granddaughter should be done with her nap in a half hour so I'm gonna pick her up do some shopping with her (promised her walmart and a tiera yesterday) and take her to dinner. Don't know if I'm gonna have her spend nite yet. She loves her grandma thissssssssss muchhhhhhhhhhh And that will make my frustrations go bye bye for abit. (Well til I sit down and scramble to pay bills that are late and cry over my checkbook LOL)

Oh last thing..........Did I say "I hate plumbing?"

LOL

@Carey----here's where I'm at right now. Gone backwards for now but soon to go forward I HOPE.

 

[Buffy]

My DIY pump

Here's my maxi-jet 1100, rigged to attach my garden hose and pump from my RO Tank to my Aquarium. At least this works like a charm. (garden hose use is temporary til I get tubing that is safer). Hose was brand new and never used except for this so hopefully it'll be okay for a short time.

 

[carey]

Youre definitely getting somewhere. This is generally the time I get most excited with my builds cause its where the action really happens.

Sounds like a nice night planned, do the grandkids know they are getting a fish tank yet? You did buy some for them didnt you on your grande shopping trip at petco?

 

[carey]

Here's my maxi-jet 1100, rigged to attach my garden hose and pump from my RO Tank to my Aquarium. At least this works like a charm. (garden hose use is temporary til I get tubing that is safer). Hose was brand new and never used except for this so hopefully it'll be okay for a short time.

WOW! See, I could never be that creative. I can't think outside the box sometimes.....lol

 

[Grizz]

Buffy, if you want to use that HOB with what water you have in the tank wrap the motor in a baggie place a pane of glass (i use a pic frame glass8x10) in the tank and hang the HOB from that kinda like a baffle except leaning on back of glass

PS i like monkeys

 

[Buffy]

Buffy, if you want to use that HOB with what water you have in the tank wrap the motor in a baggie place a pane of glass (i use a pic frame glass8x10) in the tank and hang the HOB from that kinda like a baffle except leaning on back of glass

PS i like monkeys

Am brain dead, I read this 11 or 12 times and I still can't picture it. LOL