New ro/di unit

[Tex]

I purchased this ro/di unit. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4452293819&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

I paid $138 shipped to door from Taiwan. Ordered last Thursday night and received it Wednesday. Wow!

I installed it last night under the kitchen sink and mounted the faucet on the sink. I piped it in exactly as the instructions showed. There are only 4 lines to hook up: Cold water supply, wastewater, a line to the tank and the final line (after the last stage) to the faucet. I can't seem to get the tank to fill and can't get much more than a trickle from the faucet. I have zero experience with an ro/di unit. Am I doing something wrong?

The instructions weren't very good and seemd to be full of contradictions. If I understand this right I open the valve in the wastewater line so water flows through filter. Then I turn on the faucet for pure water.

I was hoping somebody with some ro/di experience could comment.

 

[BillyZ]

I've never set up an RO unit with a tank so I may be mistaken, but where you said "a line to the tank and the final line (after the last stage) to the faucet. " doesn't seem right to me. It would seem the last line should be from the tank to the faucet so that the RO unit fills the tank and the faucet always has a preasurized source of water.

Just remember i've never set up one with a tank so I could be wrong.

 

[Tex]

This afternoon I'll scan the connection digram and post it here. That should help.

Scanned the digram and can't get it to post to this website. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I saved it a s tinly 14.5K jpeg files. Hmmm.....

 

[seaham358]

I never used a tank either and I think Bill is right.. the last stage should be the DI water which you want for your fish. the ro water is for drinking and that should go to the tank..
Just so you know a ro/di units produces a very low amout of water and the waste line is cranking out water..
It around a 5 to 1 .. 5 gal bad to 1 gal good..

 

[Tex]

I'm convinced I have the thing piped right. Checked, double checked and triple checked and it seems now that I might get 4 gallons an hour which puts me near the rated output. Maybe I was confused at how much would come out of the faucet. Somehow I expected a much greater flow rate. 100 GPD is only 4.2 gallons per hour. I'm probably getting that, I'll measure it for sure.

Still can't figure out why the holding tank won't fill up. And, important question, does the the wastewate discharge have to be opened while you are capturing your pure water?

 

[seaham358]

waste line needs to always be open..
You may not have enough pressure to fill the tank?

 

[choupic]

I set up that same ro/di unit this past weekend.I have to keep the drain line closed to fill the tank and get some good pressure.Takes about 2-6 hours to fill tank for first time.Drain out your first full tank though.

 

[jasno999]

If you have a tank that is pressurized to begin with or it is a closed sustem than as water fills it up it will becoem pressurized and at some point you may not have enough water pressure to continue filling the tank. I would think that there should be some type of presure release valve or way to open the tank so that air is allowed to escape while water comes in and then when the water reaches the top the valve closes off so that water can not escape.

Not sure how it works in that respect. But if you cloe off your disscharge water line you are goign to jsut get crappy water out of the good line cause the crap will have noplace to go. YOu always need the disscharge line open and flowing free.

 

[Tex]

That's a great thought. The tank has a schraeder valve just like a car tire. I think I'll bleed the pressure, see if the tank fills and then air the tank back up to the recommended 6 to 8 PSI.

I still very confused on the whole waste water thing. I'm confused because the directions are very misleading. If I leave the waste valve open the water pressure/flow out of the faucet trickles to a stop after a few seconds. If I leave the valve closed the pressure gradually builds to where I get a decent trickle out of the faucet. I think I understand the concept of the waste line. But, here's what I don't get, if I leave the valve closed 100% of the water is forced through all the filter stages and the filter elements trap all the nasties. (At least that's what I think) With the waste valve is open at least 3 or 4 times as much water goes down the drain as I get in ro/di water.

FYI - my city water pressure is outstanding. The water from the shower head will put your eye if you're not careful.

My specific questions to ro/di users:

1. Do you leave you waste valve open when making water?
2. If I leave waste valve shut am I really filtering properly?
3. Am I just insane?

 

[jasno999]

I think you need the waste line open in order to filter properly. If there is no waste water out to carry out the bad stuff (dissolved solids) then where do you think it is going to end up???

 

[Brenden]

Waste line has to be open or you will ruin the RO membrane.

 

[LouieB]

Judging by your picture all of your water will go through your di filter although it is ok it is a waste of DI in my opinion. Although i don't have that brand of ro-di, mine is hooked up as the attached picture shows. Also make sure your storage tank valve is in the open position so it can fill up the tank.

 

[Tex]

All right, thanks guys, advice taken. Wastewater ballcock open like a mofo. You know it's just funny to me, I been an injuneer for long long time. Gradyouated from decent university. I understand basic chemistry and thermodynamics and I can damn sure design and sell you a piece of gigantic mechanical equipment that cost a millon dollars. But, for for some reason the concept of the ro/di was foreign to me. My lovely wife even laughed at me in a good natured way, the same way I might laugh at her for not being able to sew a button on a shirt for some crazy reason.

My PHD biologist/zoologist/bacteriologist/arachneologist and dna geneticist father in law came over and explained more than I could ever hope to remember about water purity. He says, according to my ro/di tests, that my parameters are excellent and that the basic AP tests are really good. Believe it or leave it but I tend to trust the guy because he's just never been wrong about anything to do with biology. 8)

 

[choupic]

I need help with this same unit I have drain line open and I have good pressure but very little output and the drain line has water constantly coming out.

Any suggestions
At this rate my water bill will be high.
Does the Drain line stop when the tank gets full?

 

[SW-FLguy]

I have that same RO/DI setup. The waste valve is a special Ball Valve Restrictor & Quick membrane Wash. The valve should actually be closed during normal use. The closed position forces the water to go through the membrane, the open position allows all the water to pass over the membrane and washes it off.

The RO membrane is self-flushing and should not need to be flushed but if you have very bad feed water it could become silted up and you then could turn the valve open to flush the membrane. Again in this system the valve should be closed. Even in the closed position you will still see a great amount of waste water coming from the waste line.

 

[Tex]

Now I'm really confused. Jasno999 and Brenden say the waste valve has to be open. SW-FLguy says with THIS unit the valve should stay closed except to flush the membrane. I assumed they all worked the same. Is there a possibilty THIS is different? I will say it seems to work with the drain valve closed and I just get a few drips with the valve open. Now what?

I bought the unit from Ebay. The seller has been pretty responsive to emails and seems concerned I'm having issues. I have just been busy and haven't really had the time to mess with the unit.

 

[SW-FLguy]

The way I read it the valve should be closed. It's not like no water comes out of the waste line if you close the valve, plenty of waste still comes out. I tink the valve should be in the closed position and open to flush the membrane.

I do have another question. Does it take time to break in before you will get a reading near 0? I have only started using mine since yesterday and have made about 10 Gallons of water. My reading are now at 14 from my TDS meter. The number does seem to go down a point with each few gallons I make so I am hoping that is the case. The purified water I was buying from Publix measured a 1 with my TDS meter. Is a reading of 14 to high to use in my tank as top off water?

The good news is the unit does appear to be working as my water out of the tap measures 230 PPM

Thanks

 

[dorian965]

the valve is actual a restrictor to give you pressure to force the water through the membrane. it should be closed to fill the tank. you can open the valve to flush the system. it is the same system i have from filter direct with a deferent name.

when you used the words "waist line" and "closed" it probably gave people the wrong idea.
the whole reason it uses the tank is so that you can fill it up and have some fresh water on hand to use for drinking and di for the tank. the water in the tank is used for both just plumbed through different lines for final product. maybe that helps. dorian

 

[choupic]

If you close the waste water line where does the unpure water goes? If you keep the waste water line open all the water seems to go down the waste line. Im getting very little output from this ro/di unit.

 

[dorian965]

im sorry, ive been giving all these colors and just noticed the pic.

if you close the restrictor you still have waiste going to the drain. it just slows down the rate of waiste water causing presure. with it open, your waiste water is tap water that has been sent through three sedament filters but has not made it through the ro membrane.

is the unit rated at 100 gpd? if so, thats no more than a slow drisel unless you alow the tank to fill.