Reverse Osmosis Questions

[seecrabrun]

Whoa, that's high! Obviously they don't service their machine right...

If you aren't having problems with your tank that's good. Don't worry about the TDS of the tank as it is going to vary and isn't really relevant to this.

What you are wanting is to get the water as close to pure as you can and then build it back up with what you WANT in your system vs dealing with whatever it throws at you.

 

[Bryce E]

Yeah correct. TDS is total dissolved solids so this only pertains to the clean water you're using to begin with... everything in your tank will make this go up. Not only fish waste but also any trace elements (Calcium etc) and good things you are putting in your tank will increase this number. Didn't notice snake already commented on this but yeah even salt is dissolved solids (along with everything else in the salt mix) so just looking at clean water after you mixed it will salt will make it jump off the charts..lol

 

[silverado61]

Your tank water is saltwater, so it is highly reactive. Tank water is not read in parts per million, but parts per thousand - which is salinity - and measured by a refractometer. (such as 35ppt salinity) or 1.026 specific gravity.

Walmart needs to replace their filters. Apparently they aren't maintaining it properly.

Your tap water reading of only 154ppm or mg/L is actually not that bad. Mine is over 400 on average.

I put my tap water at 400ppm into the three stage BRS unit with a 10 micron sediment filter, a 5 micron GEM coconut carbon block and a 1 micron sediment filter and just with those filters, it came down to 147ppm TDS. So that's roughly 250ppm TDS that those filters alone took care of. The problem with my water is that it uses monochloramine, which needs catalytic carbon blocks (preferably two of them) to be able to get rid of it all.

Since your tap water uses chlorine as its main disinfectant and is only putting out 154ppm TDS, I would sSounds the Typhoon III from AirWaterIce - and still replace the GEM coconut block with catalytic carbon, in case your city switches disinfectants, like they did to me.

You can probably get by with a four stage unit and a membrane that has a 98-99% rejection rate.. (that doesn't mean you only get 1 gallong of water for every 99g of water wasted... it means that it rejects that much TDS.

While you are in the buying mood, you could invest in additional filters and replace them after the TDS starts to creep instead of waiting to order them after it does.

Sounds like a plan to me.

 

[silverado61]

So then, if I'm reading this right, 354tds isn't too bad for my tank. The only reason I tested it was strictly curiosity. I mainly got the meter to test my tap water.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Lol, your tanks salinity is measured in parts per thousand, which is much higher than what a TDS meter can read(in parts per million). Either way your looking at it, using a TDS meter in saltwater is irrelevant. It's for freshwater only.

Out of curiosity sake, I'll measure my tank water, even though it doesn'tatter what the number is.

 

[silverado61]

Hey, I learn something new every day.

 

[snakeblitz33]

My tank water read 679, but like I said, it's irrevelent.

 

[snakeblitz33]

What's your plan?

 

[silverado61]

The plan is to get a four stage ro/di unit. Scrap the coconut filter for carbon. Get some backup filters and install an inline tds meter. Figure out a simple way to install it for easy removal for maintainence or in case I ever move. Get another 33g bucket on wheels to store it. Maybe put a power head in to keep it moving.

 

[silverado61]

I got a lot of research to do. I keep reading about waste water. What's the deal with that for starters?

 

[seecrabrun]

I have mine attached to my washer's water supply using a hose splitter. Did I mention that? I feel like I mention it a lot LOL

 

[seecrabrun]

Waste water is the water that doesn't get purified. If you are concerned about wasting water or your water bill going up, you want to get as low of a waste to pure ratio as you can. Most units you can pick up at "any ole store" give you a 6:1 ratio, most of the ones built by companies specializing in it do a 4:1, you can lower your waste output in many different ways.

I personally got a buckeye hydro 75gpd premium system, which is a 4 stage system. I then added a 35gpd flow restrictor on the waste line that forces more water through my membrane. I get ever so slightly over 2:1 ratio with this setup and my house's water pressure, etc. I also get about 3.5gph of pure water.

The size of your membrane will denote its standard of gallons per day. A larger membrane will do it faster than a smaller, obviously.


Also, having my unit in my laundry room, I use my waste water to wash my clothes. They come out just as clean and clean smelling. I have relatively low TDS for tap, not sure how it would work with higher TDS. Mine is usually about 70, highest I've seen was 100.

 

[silverado61]

I might have about it in a few of your posts. Even saw a photo.
How is it separated? All I've ever seen is one line in, one line out.
Wow! I'm a newbie all over again.

 

[seecrabrun]

This is my setup.

My plumber was drunk and this is actually the cold water. I have a standard garden hose splitter from Lowe's on it. I run my waste water (yellow) into the drain for the laundry unless I'm filling the washer with it.

This is the auto shut off valve so I can use a float valve in my bucket for auto top off of the water. Here you can see how the unit attaches to the wall

This is my setup. It's a 20g brute with the float valve and a spigot on the bottom.
My unit is hung on the wall and easily removed for maintenance.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I might have about it in a few of your posts. Even saw a photo.
How is it separated? All I've ever seen is one line in, one line out.
Wow! I'm a newbie all over again.

Lol, your still getting wet behind the ears.

 

[lngliv3]

This is my setup.

My plumber was drunk and this is actually the cold water. I have a standard garden hose splitter from Lowe's on it. I run my waste water (yellow) into the drain for the laundry unless I'm filling the washer with it.
View attachment 867

This is the auto shut off valve so I can use a float valve in my bucket for auto top off of the water. Here you can see how the unit attaches to the wall
View attachment 868

This is my setup. It's a 20g brute with the float valve and a spigot on the bottom.
My unit is hung on the wall and easily removed for maintenance.
View attachment 869

Can you explain to me how you use ur waste water for your laundry in more detail please . I know already before I hook my ro/di unit up and we get our first waterbill momma is gonna give me a WTF!!.

 

[bang guy]

I just got my TDS meter in the mail yesterday and tested it today. WOW! The RO water I get from Walmart read 207tds. My tape water read 154tds. Whats up with that? My tank water right now before a water change is 365tds. Now I've never tested my tank for tds before. Is this ok or something I should worry about?

The TDS of your tank water should be somewhere between 34,000 and 45,000. If your TDS meter has a high range then you can very accurately measure salinity. If it's the typical TDS meter it's not going to give you a meaningful answer.

 

[2014FishKiller]

I use drinking RO water system, which installed under the kitchen sink, for more than 11 years, I never change filter, and still read 13, to compare to the water I get from Walmart, Costco 35.

 

[2014FishKiller]

The TDS of your tank water should be somewhere between 34,000 and 45,000. If your TDS meter has a high range then you can very accurately measure salinity. If it's the typical TDS meter it's not going to give you a meaningful answer.

Should people measure TDS for the water from your tank?

 

[bang guy]

Like I mentioned, you can test the salinity that way if you have a high range TDS meter. There is no other reason to do so.