RO purchase instalation?

[gooyferret]

im thinking of purchasing a 5 stage RO unit, its fully assembled im just wondering it says that its only suppose to have 40-80 psi from the water supply how am i suppose to know how much my faucet has? Is a 5 stage good enough?

thanks

 

[stresco]

Which 5 stage are you looking into? I have the 5 stage RO/DI from Air, Water & Ice, it came with a pressure guage and an automatic shutoff valve. It is rated at 100GPD, at 75-80psi. I have about 45psi and get about 50GPD. I can increase that output by adding a pump to my inlet with a pressure switch to shut it off, but i only have a 55gal tank, so 50GPD is more than enough. Oh yeah, i also have the reserv tank installed so i use it as my primary source of drinking water too.

 

[loganj]

Output from an RO unit depends on water pressure and temperature. I think most of them are rated at about 75*F input temp...none of us have tap water at that temp. They are also rated at different pressures...generally, within reason, the higher the pressure, the less waste water is generated. By within reason I mean you can put 300 psi on one. You can get a cheap pressure gauge at most any hardware store and plumb it in to the water line (or do a temp hookup to the sink supply) and find out about what your pressure is. If you're on city water, it's probably pretty good...40-50 psi. If you're on a well, you can adjust it some with the pressure switch.

 

[gooyferret]

my water is going to be coming from a faucet in the house that is hooked up through plumming to a well. The ro unit im getting is usually priced at 220 dollars but im getting it for $99 they are having a hugh sale on them it only does 50 gal per day but that is more than enough for what i need. It also says that it has a auto shut off valve, is that for when the holding tank is full it shuts off automatically ?

 

[stresco]

Yes, you definately need one. Unless you like swimming through your kitchen (even with a shutoff, i still need to keep my wetdry vac nearby).
If your water is comming out of a well, you may need to invest in a pump to increase your pressure, because even at optimal pressure and water temp, you will only get about 35-40GPD out of a unit that is rated at 50GPD.

 

[loganj]

Also, if it's on a well, make sure the membrane is TFC (it probably is). If it's city water, make sure there is a carbon prefilter before the RO membrane (there should be on that size unit). If you're on well water, you may find that you have a higher than normal rejection rate and the prefilters/postfilters (sediment, carbon, DI)may not last as long as advertised due to the high mineral content in the water. You might invest in a flush kit for prolong the life of the RO membrane as well. I think they average about $10.

 

[gooyferret]

when i recieve the RO unit what is the best way to set it up? I know how all the hoses and filters work, etc....What im wondering is there anything that i would need to do that are NOT on the instructions? The instructions are not the most precise if you know what i mean

 

[tbarton]

ro unit set up

when i installed mine it was really easy but i got a complete model. at 99 bucks be wary of whats missing. the best way to see if its all there is to go to home depot or lowes, and ask the guy that works in the plumbing dept. they are very knowledgeable and helpful, and are more than willing to show off how much they know about it, FOR FREE.

 

[gooyferret]

cool thanks alot, i know its a complete kit, just not sure how to properly install everything without making a mistake that would affect the process and cleaning of the water effectivly

 

[BillyZ]

every now and then, just to be sure, I test the water coming out of my RO unit. Don't forget to trash the first few gallons you create with the RO unit (at least thats what the directions for mine said) and I would also suggest testing the first batch of water you plan on using, again, just to be sure everything is operating properly.