RO/DI running slow? cold outside? Solution!

[greenfish]

My 100GPD RO/DI was reduced to a drip. It has been fairly cool here at night. My RO/DI is in the garage. I assumed the cold was probably effecting my production.

While surfing the web, I came accross this site:
http://www.melevsreef.com/ro_di.html
It states the following trick:

When your source water is very cold, RO units tend to slow down in production rate. They are designed to run with water that is closer to 78° F, which just happens to match our aquariums. Here's a neat trick that will get things back up to speed during the colder months:

Replace the tubing that leads from your cold water pipe to the unit with a 25' long piece. Coil as much of that tubing inside a 5 gallon bucket and fill the bucket up with water so the coils are submerged. Put an aquarium heater in the bucket and set it to 78° F. The heater will keep the bucket water at that temperature, and that water will warm up the water traveling through the tubing to your RO/DI unit. Production rates will jump back to normal.

I tried it and now my RO/DI is producing like crazy! If you are having troubles with yours this winter, I HIGHLY recommend you try this!

 

[fishfreek]

Yep. the colder water makes it less condusive to the RO process. There is some math formula for calculating the decrese in production based upon the intake temperature but I dont know it.

 

[cmor1701d]

10 Kudos for that tip. I'm rarely affected by low temp, but every once in a while...

Thanks for that tip!

 

[arowanaman420]

Yes, thank you. Sounds like low temp is probably to blame. The water around here is nowhere near 78 degrees even in summer. I will definitely try that. Very clever.