RO/DI Water Pressure Woes

You need a booster pump. They increase the quality and quantity.

I can fill a 5 gallon bucket in under 4 minutes with my ro (2x600gpd tankless units). :)
 
Crooks said:
More info on your set up please
Click to expand...

I'm on a well, so chlorine doesn't come into the picture with me. My water is very rusty, and when I was breeding discus, I was changing 100 gallons a day on my 210.... just plain stupid looking back. So I decided I needed fast production in a small space. I found it.

(3) 100 gpd membranes. Water goes through the first two membranes. Waste from the 2 membranes feeds the third membrane. It was supposed to be a 1 gallon product to half gallon waste. I think it's really more of a 1:1 ratio. TDS at my house varies, with the season. IIRC, it's in the 800's sometimes in the spring out the tap. RO gets it down to the 10-15ish range. I've tried DI for a couple years. Didn't see a bit of difference. I haven't used DI in a couple years now either. Don't plan on ever using it again.

Water storage area:
P3151214.jpg


unit:
P3151215.jpg

It has a minute counter on it, 6000 minutes it turns off until reset. I've found I can actually get good water for 12000 minutes too, just change the sediment filter and I'm good to go.

Taken apart a while ago:
rounit.jpg


Maybe it's just me, when I need water, I want it now! - I'm in a hurry!
There's a guy out of florida that sent me a couple replacement pumps for it. I've gone through 3 pumps. A pump would go every other year. It is a hard unit to even find, they're made where life comes from... china.

Long story made short: The guy I got it from had the manufacturer make them operate on pressure. They had quite a few claims for water damage from these units, no longer willing to order them or sell them. They sit 5' from a floor drain in the basment at my house. :)
 
One nice freature is auto flush about every 5 minutes of run, and it flushes once every couple hours to keep water inside the unit fresh too when not in use.
 
I would highly suggest getting a booster pump. The biggest reason I suggest it is the great speed at which you get water from the RO/DI. I have the 5 stage from BRS and the 8800 booster pump. Thanks to PufferPunk for quoting my review on it.

If you end up going that route please read that review as it'll save you from creating a leak at the seals in the canisters.

I noticed that it wastes a lot less water when using the booster pump because it has more pressure so the waste water is actually waste instead of the flow taking the easy way out (which would be the waste water line) instead of being forced through the RO membrane and on into your tank or reservoir.
 
Those saddle valves are not the best as a way to tap into your plumbing. They are convenient enough, but they:
1. pierce a small hole an you may have issues with getting enough flow through the small hole.
2. won't work as a shut off valve
3. tend to leak if you fiddle with them
4. the hole they pierce tend to get smaller over time as scale builds up around the hole.

Additionally, you can't use one of those valves if you are going to feed a booster pump - they often starve the pump for feedwater.

Russ
 
OpTiCz said:
Got my new 5 stage system from BRS today, and it's all hooked up.
Saddle valve coming straight off the main line, however my pressure is only 20 psi. I would think it would be much higher being connected where the water comes in. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Can't tell from your pics, but what are you doing with the pressure tank? Are you set up such that RO water in that tank never makes it to the DI?

Russ
 
BuckeyeFieldSupply said:
Those saddle valves are not the best as a way to tap into your plumbing. They are convenient enough, but they:
1. pierce a small hole an you may have issues with getting enough flow through the small hole.
2. won't work as a shut off valve
3. tend to leak if you fiddle with them
4. the hole they pierce tend to get smaller over time as scale builds up around the hole.

Additionally, you can't use one of those valves if you are going to feed a booster pump - they often starve the pump for feedwater.

Russ
Click to expand...

I use an auto shut off on a saddle valve and it seems good. Will that be a problem in the future?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Hmm. Not sure I follow. Do you mean that you have a self piercing needle valve that feeds a shut off solenoid that then feeds your system?

Or do you mean that your system is fed by a self piercing needle valve, and your system has an ASOV?


Either way, the ASOV is really unrelated to the saddle valve. All the issues I mentioned above still pertain...
 
BuckeyeFieldSupply said:
Hmm. Not sure I follow. Do you mean that you have a self piercing needle valve that feeds a shut off solenoid that then feeds your system?

Or do you mean that your system is fed by a self piercing needle valve, and your system has an ASOV?


Either way, the ASOV is really unrelated to the saddle valve. All the issues I mentioned above still pertain...
Click to expand...

Sorry I misread. You were saying that the saddle doesn't work as a shut off itself (true and often misunderstood). I read it as the saddle interfering with asov. Thanks for the vocabulary :)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
About the only time we recommend those self-piercing needle valves are for customers who are REALLY intimidated by "plumbing" and are unwilling to learn/talk about other/better options.
 
BuckeyeFieldSupply said:
About the only time we recommend those self-piercing needle valves are for customers who are REALLY intimidated by "plumbing" and are unwilling to learn/talk about other/better options.
Click to expand...

Or guys like me that are lazy and don't want to convince their wife that shutting the water off for "a while" because of "fish stuff" is OK. :p

Honestly, do you think I would see gph performance improvement if I replaced the saddle?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top