Re-Cycling RO Waste

[juice_1080]

I know alot of you use your RO waste water for other things but I was curious if I could save it in a bucket and hook a pump up that runs it back through the unit.
Has anybody done this or is it just a bad idea in general. I know that the more total disolved solids you have in your water the quicker you burn through the different filters in the unit.
Which do you think would be cheaper though?
Running it normal and wasting all of that water or rerunning the water through the unit and burning up the filters quicker?
Right now I can't think of any use for the rejected water unless I fill up my sink with it to do dishes when I run my RO unit. I just end up attaching mine to the faucet through an assortment of adapters anytime I need RO water.

 

[robn70]

I sometimes run my drain line in to the washer to get a load of laundry started. I've also been thinking of a way to run it outside to a storage contain to use for watering the plants.

 

[t316]

I ran a thread a while back about drinking it, so I can tell you what "not" to do with it. I don't think running it back thru the unit would be good. I mean, if it kicked it out once, why wouldn't it kick it out again? A lot of people water their yard and plants with it.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by RobN70
http:///forum/post/2479088
I sometimes run my drain line in to the washer to get a load of laundry started. I've also been thinking of a way to run it outside to a storage contain to use for watering the plants.
Yeah, my RO/DI is mounted on the wall next to the washer and my waste water normally drains down the washer waste drain, though if I'm filtering a huge batch of water I'll run the waste into the washing machine.

 

[juice_1080]

Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/2479118
I ran a thread a while back about drinking it, so I can tell you what "not" to do with it. I don't think running it back thru the unit would be good. I mean, if it kicked it out once, why wouldn't it kick it out again? A lot of people water their yard and plants with it.
From what I understand the membrane can only handle so much water at once so whatever it can't handle gets kicked out and is more concentrated. Maybe I am wrong about this. If I am right re-running it through would still produce RO water but the waste would be even more concentrated. Right now I don't have a yard, plants, or a washing machine so I don't have anything to use it for.

 

[apos]

Yep. The waste water basically just has the TDS that got rejected, though I doubt that it's in higher concentrations than the tap water (think about it: RO/DIs waste several times the amount of water they produce, which means that the percentage of TDS that was once in the good water is split up amongst several volumes or other water, which itself is far lower TDS than the original tap water because its gone through the carbon stages prior to hitting the rejection membrane).
Safe for just about any usage, I would think, other than in the aquarium (in fact, hypothetically maybe even safe there too, at least for water change water, though I'd never risk it myself).

 

[zeroc0o0l]

Could you use the old water in fresh water tanks ?

 

[spanko]

Has anyone run their waste water the a TDS test?

 

[brandan]

Originally Posted by RobN70
http:///forum/post/2479088
I sometimes run my drain line in to the washer to get a load of laundry started. I've also been thinking of a way to run it outside to a storage contain to use for watering the plants.
I throw the waste line into the washer every once in a while to do some laundry, I jsut have to plan ahead a little to do this.

 

[apos]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2479310
Has anyone run their waste water the a TDS test?
Very good point!
Honestly, the best way to answer these questions is just to test your waste water directly! If it's stripped of chlorine and any heavy metals, then it's technically "safe" to use in freshwater, but only by testing can you actually tell if its ideal to use (i.e. low levels of nitrate, phosphate, and other bad stuff).
My guess would be that it's going to vary a lot by the TDS of the tap water in your area, and even the temperature of the incoming water. I would never put anything in my tank without first testing it myself, even if someone online said it was okay.
The main thing is the chlorine/chloramines though. Those have to get to absolute 0 before you would ever consider using the water even in a freshwater.
And I still wouldn't risk it. Especially since my guess is that the quality of the water filtered through just the carbon block stages would vary quite a lot from time to time.

 

[garnet13aj]

How would you recycle it? I feel so bad every time I turn my unit on, but I don't want to risk not using it. I live in an apartment so I don't have a yard and my washer is down 3 flights of stairs so using it for either of those is not an option. I'd love to run it back through the unit a few times if I could though.

 

[juice_1080]

Originally Posted by garnet13aj
http:///forum/post/2479499
How would you recycle it? I feel so bad every time I turn my unit on, but I don't want to risk not using it. I live in an apartment so I don't have a yard and my washer is down 3 flights of stairs so using it for either of those is not an option. I'd love to run it back through the unit a few times if I could though.
Same thing I am thinking of trying. I would use a TDS meter though before I used it in a tank just to be sure though. There has to be a way to hook a pump into it. The biggest thing would be to make sure that there is enough pressure going to the unit but not too much to harm it.

 

[caleigh05]

if you really want to recycle it, when iam making a lot of water i usually fill a about 2-3 5gal pails and use it to fill the toilet after a good flush its lots of work, but hey money doesn't grow on trees

 

[mpls man]

i have my waste water drain into a 55 gallon drum, i have a mag 3 in the bottom to pump into washing machine, etc , plants. works great for me.

 

[juice_1080]

I don't have plants or a washing machine here. I live in a crappy college apartment otherwise I would. The only think I can think of is to maybe make my roommate use it for his FW tank as long as the TDS is ok. Well actually I don't think he even takes care of the chlorine in the tap water out of sheer laziness. So I think this would probably be an upgrade to what he is using now, and to think he wants to start a SW tank when he can't even keep up with his FW.

 

[apos]

Well actually I don't think he even takes care of the chlorine in the tap water out of sheer laziness.
I don't know how long fish could plausibly live very long in chlorinated water. He must be doing SOMETHING. That stuff burns their gills horribly.

 

[juice_1080]

We must just not have that much chlorine in our water then. I know our tap water honestly smells like fish if it sits in a glass for more than 30 seconds. Thats why I don't drink our tap water anymore.

 

[curve]

Do you guys that live in apartments actually have to pay for your water usage. All apartment complexes around here actually pay your water for you out of your rent money. If that was the case it wouldn't matter how much you wasted b/c your paying a fixed amount no matter what. I could see wanting to recycle it if your paying for it like I do or any homeowner does but in most aprtment complexes you don't have to. I know it is the same eveywhere but it is a waste no matter what.

 

[juice_1080]

Originally Posted by Curve
http:///forum/post/2481309
Do you guys that live in apartments actually have to pay for your water usage. All apartment complexes around here actually pay your water for you out of your rent money. If that was the case it wouldn't matter how much you wasted b/c your paying a fixed amount no matter what. I could see wanting to recycle it if your paying for it like I do or any homeowner does but in most aprtment complexes you don't have to. I know it is the same eveywhere but it is a waste no matter what.
I don't pay in my apartment but I will be moving into a house next year where I will have to pay for it. Thats why I am trying to find out. I think before I move (since I am upgrading to a 75g) I might just make a bunch of RO water here and bring it with me....save the money of the initial setup water.

 

[t316]

Originally Posted by Curve
http:///forum/post/2481309
Do you guys that live in apartments actually have to pay for your water usage. All apartment complexes around here actually pay your water for you out of your rent money. If that was the case it wouldn't matter how much you wasted b/c your paying a fixed amount no matter what. I could see wanting to recycle it if your paying for it like I do or any homeowner does but in most aprtment complexes you don't have to. I know it is the same eveywhere but it is a waste no matter what.
I'm not a tree hugger by any means (actually, I usually side on the other side of the fence), but I don't think it matters whether he's paying for the water or not. Waste is Waste. I'm finding this more important lately in regards to water. Here in NC we are under mandatory restrictions....no irrigation, no complimentary glass of water in restauraunts, it goes on and on due to our drought. None of this affects me, since I have my own well, but I applaud him for trying to be thinking of "what can I do with this stuff".