Mounting RO/DI

[rtoycrow]

I recently purchased an RO/DI system for my aquarium. I wanted it inside and hooked to my sink but my sink but my faucet will not hook to the unit so I was wondering would it be ok out in my garage and hooked to a hose from outside? I didn't know if the system needs to be in a room temp enviroment or if it matters. Thanks

 

[loganj]

Two questions...have you looked into tapping into the water line that feeds the cold water side of your sink? And, do you have a washing machine inside? There are several ways to tap into the plumbing under the sink if thats where you want the unit. Also, your washer uses a hose bib fitting already. You can put a Y fitting on that and feed the washer off one side and the RO/DI off the other side. I think the optimal working water temp for the RO membrane is about 73*...I could be wrong...memory...age...yeah right Anyway, you could have it outside as long as there is no danger of freezing. Those plastic cylinders will crack easily and one good freeze would trash the whole unit. My advice would be to work out a way to have it indoors. If you're not into plumbing as a hobby, send me some pics of the water supply lines under your sink and I'll try to help you get it worked out.

 

[roka64]

I agree, you don't want the water to freeze. Most folks in the winter (assuming you live in a place that has freezing weather) will turn off the outside water source, to keep the pipes from freezing....

 

[rtoycrow]

Yeah I live in SC so it does get below freezing sometimes. I just built my house so I haven't gotten the chance or the money to buy my own washer/dryer yet so I can't do that. I will try and get some pics from under my sink. Thanks for the help fellas.

 

[mazilla]

quick hijack.....at what rate do the ro/di untis normally dispense water? i hooked mine up yesterday and it is barely trickleing out. at this rate it would take a day or two to fill my resevoir. is it normal for them to flow so slow?

 

[loyalrogue]

quick hijack.....at what rate do the ro/di untis normally dispense water? i hooked mine up yesterday and it is barely trickleing out. at this rate it would take a day or two to fill my resevoir. is it normal for them to flow so slow?

It all depends on what the membrane is rated for in GPD (Gallons Per Day).
Most are somewhere between 50-100 GPD.
Compare that to your normal faucet which is able to push out at least a few thousand GPD, and yes, the RO/DI looks like a trickle.

 

[loganj]

Lots of variables affect the rate that your RO/DI unit will process water. Water temp, water pressure, and TDS of the tap water being the primary ones. Tap water TDS (total dissolved solids) doesn't really affect output so much as membrane life. If you don't backflush though, you will notice a drop in flow as the membrane clogs. If you have low water pressure, it's hard to get decent output from an RO membrane because there isn't enough pressure to force the water molecules through the membrane and you get a high rejection rate...lots of waste water. If your water pressure at the sediment filter is less than 50psi, you might consider a booster pump. Also, you might want to consider installing pressure gauges before and after the sediment/carbon filters. A noticeable pressure drop across those filters indicates that they need replacement. Here area couple of pics that may help illustrate what I talking about. The first is an RO unit with a double DI. Note the pressure gauges and the TDS meter...these tell you how your unit is performing. Second is a chloramine filter used for top off on a FW tank...pressure gauges are easier to see here. JMHO.

 

[melosu58]

I have mine in my tool shed hooked up to the water hose. The colder it is the less water you will get but it will make water. It will just barely trickle out. Mine makes 35 gallons a day but on a cold day I`ll be lucky to get 15 gallons a day.

 

[mazilla]

it's rated a 50 gpd, but i have not yet had a chance to test that. work has been driving me crazy and i've been in and out of the house so much that i dont want to let it run unmaned until i get used to it. i would hate to find a leak after i get home 12 hours later. i have mine in the shed as well, but i think im gonna bring it inside and put the res in the tub so i dont have to worry about overflow/leaks.

 

[melosu58]

I put mine in a rubbermaid tub in the tool shed. A tub should be standard for your Jugs.

 

[mazilla]

i just got everything up and running and where i would like it to be. now i noticed that the water level in the 2nd chamber is about 50%, and the 3rd chamber is almost empty. the first chamber is full and i can see allot of flow in it. does that mean some or all of the filters are in need of change??

 

[Ziggy953]

Hmm....not sure about the filter issue. I thought I would chime in with what I have mine going into. Mine is a 5stage 100gpd and I have it going into my fish room and it fills a 32g trashcan which I have a heater and a circ pump in. I have a drain pump that I drop in when I need to fill buckets and mix saltwater up. Works great!

All of these units require a certain amount of water pressure to work properly so if you don't have at least 40psi I think (someone correct me) you wont get the water to go through the RO membrane and you wont have the filtered water you think you do.

 

[mazilla]

i use my garden hose for water and the pressure appears to be greater than 40 psi, i guess i need a pressure gauge to be sure. i just replaced the micron filter and the carbon filter and the unit completely filled in all three chambers, but the flow is still painfully slow. i was only able to get about 10 gallons since 11 am. i did not replace the di filter yet, but i will tommorow after i buy a gauge to make sure the pressure isnt the problem.

 

[Ziggy953]

Like I said I'm not sure what the pressure is supposed to be but I know it has to be a decent amount of pressure. I can tell you that mine is "painfully" slow too but that is how these filters work. It takes a lot of pressure to push the water through that RO membrane. I usually get about 15-20g in 8 hours. I try not to let it run more then that because I have, more then once, forgot to turn it off and have had very precious RO/DI water running all over my basement floor.

 

[loganj]

As I said in the earlier post, you really need about 50psi. If you're below 40psi, you need a booster pump to get decent performance from the unit. Having two pressure gauges (see pics) will tell you when you need to change filters. A TDS meter ($40 or so) will alert you when to change RO membranes or DI cartridges. A hydraulic shut off coupled with a float valve in the reservoir will solve the turning it on and off. A Rubbermaid Brute trash can makes an excellent container. If you're worried about an overflow, put an emergency drain right at the top of the container and run it either outside or tee it into a drain line under the house. I can send you some pics of how all this is set up if you are interested in doing any of this. You also should rig a backflush valve on your unit so you can backflush the membrane once in a while...it'll last longer and work better.

 

[Ziggy953]

I have a flush valve on my unit it came with one I usually let it flush for 15-20 minutes once a week or so. I've thought about putting something on mine to have it shut off but I have no idea where to start with that! Some help would be great!!

 

[loganj]

I'll get some pics together...maybe do an article on it. You only need to backflush for about 30-45 seconds. There's no harm in running it longer though.

 

[mazilla]

i went ahead and changed the carbon and micron filters and it filled up instantly, i got about 20 gallons in 7 hours. so much for the guys claim of "only 50 gallons of use". im gonna change the di filter, then i'll buy a tds meter. this crap sure adds up rather quick, i cant imagine how expensive keeping a sw tank used to be...