Ro Unit Setup

Hello all,

I've kept marine fish before but when I did I always used to buy RO water at the local store and mix it myself. As such, I never really bothered learning about how RO units worked.

Soooo, how do they work? I don't mean the filters etc., but do I need to plumb it in and then have the RO water produced sent to a storage tank? Or does the water get produced 'on demand' as it were?

Any recommendations?

Cheers,
Andy

 

Basically, its like a filter. You can either plumb it into your water line somewhere, like at a sink, and have a little lever where you can turn the water off and on, or just screw it onto a sink head. I just screw mine onto a sink head.

So, you turn it on, and most are around 100 gpd, as they're the most common. If you have a bigger tank then say 50 gallons you might want a bigger unit. You can turn it off and an to make however much water you need, whether it be 5 or 50 gallons. I only make 5-10 gallons per week.

Most are four stage, but 5 stage is best, as it will save your RO membrane, which is expensive. Theirs four stages, Sediment Filter, Carbon Block, RO membrane, and DI resin. The sediment and carbon block stages are cheap, like $10 each. You replace them around every 6 months. RO membrane about every 2 years or whenever your TDS starts creeping up. DI resin is replaced whenever its exhausted.

You can either put it into a 5 gallon bucket, or a brute, or any other container. I know a lot of people with bigger tanks have there's plumbed with a float valve into a brute trash can. So you always have like 20-30 gallons of RO/DI water.

 

Basically, its like a filter. You can either plumb it into your water line somewhere, like at a sink, and have a little lever where you can turn the water off and on, or just screw it onto a sink head. I just screw mine onto a sink head.

So, you turn it on, and most are around 100 gpd, as they're the most common. If you have a bigger tank then say 50 gallons you might want a bigger unit. You can turn it off and an to make however much water you need, whether it be 5 or 50 gallons. I only make 5-10 gallons per week.

Most are four stage, but 5 stage is best, as it will save your RO membrane, which is expensive. Theirs four stages, Sediment Filter, Carbon Block, RO membrane, and DI resin. The sediment and carbon block stages are cheap, like $10 each. You replace them around every 6 months. RO membrane about every 2 years or whenever your TDS starts creeping up. DI resin is replaced whenever its exhausted.

You can either put it into a 5 gallon bucket, or a brute, or any other container. I know a lot of people with bigger tanks have there's plumbed with a float valve into a brute trash can. So you always have like 20-30 gallons of RO/DI water.

I'm still slightly confused. Can I run it direct to a tap and have it on demand, or do I need to have a storage tank for the water produced?

 

I have a tap in my basement where my unit stays plugged in. I use three brute containers. Two for ro water and one for waste

I use calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate, marine salt and baking soda to remineralize to what ever levels I want. You can buy a remineral mix. I like to make my own

 

I'm still slight confused. Can I run it direct to a tap and have it on demand, or do I need to have a storage tank for the water produced?

It doesn't come out of the filter very fast, usually just a light, slow trickle. That's why most of us turn it on and have it collect in a bucket or container of sorts until we need it.

 

Yeah my 5 stage RO/DI unit is a portable one that I can screw onto my faucet when I need it. It does 3 gallons per hour and I just put a gallon jug for it to go into, and when the jug fills up I’ll pour it into my bucket. However, my parents have it hooked up in their house to have it on demand.

 

Okay, thanks all. I assume I can plumb it in so that the 'waste' water just goes back to the 'normal' water system?

 

Absolutely

 

Absolutely

Wicked! Thank you!

 

Yeah my 5 stage RO/DI unit is a portable one that I can screw onto my faucet when I need it. It does 3 gallons per hour and I just put a gallon jug for it to go into, and when the jug fills up I’ll pour it into my bucket. However, my parents have it hooked up in their house to have it on demand.

What brand RO/DI are you using?

 

Hi,
You can plumb them in no problems, and just use it when you need it.
Be sure to get a potable water container to store it in.

As has been stated, they can be used on demand, but they take forever, depending on how much you're trying to make, and the rate of the membrane and your water pressure. If you get a 100G a day filter, that's about 4 gallons an hour. I used to fill my storage container outside, just in case I forgot to turn it off and over-filled the container.

I've seen people do it in their bath tubs, showers etc just so that if it does overflow, water doesn't go everywhere.

You can also use RO water for drinking water.... If you're using RODI however, and want to use it for drinking water, you'll want to get a DI bypass tap. Drinking RO is fine, but DI is not recommended as the DI water can deplete the body of ions as the water quickly re-ionises. (or something like that, according to research about the effects of RODI on the human body)

As for waste water, you can put it back into normal water. Some people use it for the washing machine, toilet flushing, or just simply watering the garden. A lot of units out there run at about 4:1, which means for 1 gallon of good RODI, there's 4 gallons of waste.

 

Hi,
You can plumb them in no problems, and just use it when you need it.
Be sure to get a potable water container to store it in.

As has been stated, they can be used on demand, but they take forever, depending on how much you're trying to make, and the rate of the membrane and your water pressure. If you get a 100G a day filter, that's about 4 gallons an hour. I used to fill my storage container outside, just in case I forgot to turn it off and over-filled the container.

I've seen people do it in their bath tubs, showers etc just so that if it does overflow, water doesn't go everywhere.

You can also use RO water for drinking water.... If you're using RODI however, and want to use it for drinking water, you'll want to get a DI bypass tap. Drinking RO is fine, but DI is not recommended as the DI water can deplete the body of ions as the water quickly re-ionises. (or something like that, according to research about the effects of RODI on the human body)

As for waste water, you can put it back into normal water. Some people use it for the washing machine, toilet flushing, or just simply watering the garden. A lot of units out there run at about 4:1, which means for 1 gallon of good RODI, there's 4 gallons of waste.

Are there some decent brand RODI filters you recommend? I was looking for a portable one. Do I really need a 5 stage or would a 4 stage be sufficient? I’m not looking to spend a fortune, but definitely want quality

 

HI Mike... 4 stage filters work fine, mine is a 4 stage. It's so much the brand of the filter that matters, more the filter media and the membrane itself.
DOW Filmtec (made in the USA) are some of the best membranes on the market. Lot's of good info in this thread: Question - Which is the best RO/DI system??