Help with an RO/DI system

larry broderic

larry broderic

Member
I need help with hooking up an RO/DI system. My girlfriend bought this for our fish tank and it is used. im not sure how to hook up all the filters in the correct order and what hook up is the in and which is the out and which is the waste. If any one could help that would be great. Pics are great too. I have a 1/4 inch water line run to my "filter Closet" and im gonna use a 5 gallon bucket as my waste bucket and a rubber made bin as my good water collector. here are some pics of the system broken down so it can be described pic by pic



 
cveverly

cveverly

Member
It looks like the blue line should hook to the output (left side) of the three canisters. The yellow line is waste water. The red line hooks to the DI unit. Final output comes from the taste filter. Personally I would not use the taste filter. Main feed hooks to the right side of the canisters.
BTW, if you want just RO water that is what comes from the red hose.
 
larry broderic

larry broderic

Member
ok so the blue line goes to the out side. The out side is the right side of this filter system. the red line goes to the DI part. which end is the in and which is the out of the DI. on connecter is in the middle the other is of centered. if i was going to use the taste filter same question which is the input and out put on has what looks like a t and has two connections the other has one. how does that hook up
Thank you so much for the help.
Hopefully ill be making some water tonight
 
cveverly

cveverly

Member
Originally Posted by Larry broderic
http:///forum/post/2833591
ok so the blue line goes to the out side. The out side is the right side of this filter system.
Correct, the blue line goes to the output end of the three canisters.
Originally Posted by Larry broderic
http:///forum/post/2833591
the red line goes to the DI part. which end is the in and which is the out of the DI. on connecter is in the middle the other is of centered.
I am not sure it really matters. The taste filter is the last thing in the chain so I "assume" the left side of the DI was the input.
Originally Posted by Larry broderic
http:///forum/post/2833591
if i was going to use the taste filter same question which is the input and out put on has what looks like a t and has two connections the other has one. how does that hook up
The taste filter should be the last thing in line so I would say the left side of the taste filter is the output side. I doubt it matters in and out on this filter.
EDIT: Sorry, I missed the Tee fitting. That would be a bypass for the taste filter. Water from the Tee would be reef water and water from the taste filter would be for human consumption.
Clear as mud?

You may try a search on the manufacture and see if they have a diagram on line.
 
zman1

zman1

Active Member
You are missing a few parts - the tank, drinking water faucet, and auto shut off valve - this stops water waste production when holding tank is full.
You can make it work for your tank though. I'd leave the taste filter off since it has a tee. You want TAP water going to the RED line in the picture. Yellow is the waste water to the drain. You see the 4 way that is the auto off, you didn't show one, so continue on white -white and Blue to Blue in the picture above. The BLUE on the DI side, that goes to the TEE, this is your GOOD water RO/DI
 
cveverly

cveverly

Member
Nice find! This unit has an auto shut off and a pressure tank. On this one the red is the main supply. Blue is RO/DI/taste filtered. Yellow is waste.
Without a pressure tank you do not need the auto shut off. So in your case follow the white and blue tubes like the shut off valve was not there.
 
larry broderic

larry broderic

Member
thank you all so much im going to turn the water on tonight when i get home from work and hopefully get my first batch of top off water.
 
larry broderic

larry broderic

Member
ok i got it all hooked up and water is flowing. the only problem is i have more water coming out of the waste water than anything else. for every gallon of waste water i get about 2-3 drops of ro/di water. Right now i opened up the flush valve and i am flushing 5 gallons of clean water through it. any ideas on what can cause this and what can resolve this?
 
cveverly

cveverly

Member
Originally Posted by Larry broderic
http:///forum/post/2834818
the only problem is i have more water coming out of the waste water than anything else. for every gallon of waste water i get about 2-3 drops of ro/di water.
A couple things come to mind. Bad or missing flow restrictor. Dirty/pluged DI filter. Drity/pluged RO membrane. Very high TDS. I would start by not using the taste filter and DI filter. If waste water slows down then that is the problem. You should make sure the RO membrane is fully seated in the canister. This will also cause excessive waste water. As I recall the waste water is about 4:1 for RO water. I could be wrong on that number, just going from memory.
 
larry broderic

larry broderic

Member
i removed the taste filter. and it did the same thing with the DI filter removed. Im not sure how to tell if the RO filter is plugged. I removed it and it appears to be ok but i feel like this is something that you cant just look at and decide its ok. is the 4:1 ratio 4good to 1 bad?
 
cveverly

cveverly

Member
Originally Posted by Larry broderic
http:///forum/post/2835011
is the 4:1 ratio 4good to 1 bad?
As I remember it is 4 bad 1 good. I have a 100 gallon per day filter and it takes about 20-30 min to make a gallon of water. My waste goes down the drain so I have no idea how much I have.
Depending on your incoming TDS yours could take longer and generate more waste. If waste water is streaming out and RO is just dripping something is wrong. It is not uncommon for the RO to just drip but the waste should only be about 4 times as fast.
Hard to explain thing over the net. I hope this helps.
EDIT: Found this maybe it will help.
The first one would be the water temperature; it should be between 33-85 degrees Fahrenheit (1 - 29 degrees Celsius). Everything below or above this temperature range will destroy the membrane.
Another enemy is air. The membrane has to be submersed in water at all times. The membrane is destroyed if it dries out. If you have to store it, store it in water.
RO units create a lot of wastewater. Generally, 5 Gallons on the inflow will leave you with only 1 Gallon of RO water. This can be considerably high if you think that you will need 50 Gallons of water to get 10 Gallons of RO water, wasting 40 Gallons. The "waste water" is only 20% higher on average in minerals and salts than the original water so there is no reason not to consider re-using the "waste water" for other purposes.
RO water can be used for marine and reef tanks as the salt mix provides all the essential minerals and salts needed. Straight RO water is not acceptable for freshwater as it lacks essential minerals and salts.
 
larry broderic

larry broderic

Member
ok i took the whole unit apart and i think the filters in the main unit are pretty bad. i clean them and the unit out. Im gonna replace all the filters and the membrane i guess. i have a 1 gallon jug hooked up right now and the waste is going into a 5 gallon bucket. well see how long and what the ratio is when its done. do you know the best, cheapest place to buy the filters and membranes at. i was thinking home depot cause i know they sell rodi units there.
 
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