RO Filter questions

[Slyguy00]

So I just got an ro filter system, and have my plumber friend hooking it up. But he seems to think its hooked up incorectly and the instructions included are beyond garbage. How do I know if everything is hooked up right, and im actually getting RO water coming out. Is there a way to test or prove the water is ro? The shutoff valve that has 4 hoses connected to it, doesnt seem to make sense. Any information I can find online doesnt seem to help. Its a crystal clear 100gpd ro filter system. And info would be a huge help. Thanks

[hillegom]

How many filters do you have, ie how many stages
I can't find any info on y0ur system

[hillegom]

Here is a good link, page 8, that shows the connections to the auto shut off valve

http://www.watergeneral.com/support/pdf/RO585.pdf

To check out put water you need a TDS meter (total dissolved solids)
Make sure you throughput at least 5 gallons before you use the water, to get rid of impurities in the filters

[Slyguy00]

I have 2 filters and the membrane. I have been informed it isnt for fish tanks. Its by crystal clear. Any thoughts? Also thanks for the advice

[Craigdillman]

Get a TDS machine 25-35$ and it will tell you. The TDS should be zero coming from RO/DI not sure for straight RO also it will tell you when you need to change your filters

[canadianbudz604]

That ro unit will be fine for your reef tank.

[Slyguy00]

Thanks for all the input guys. Where would I go about finding a tds meter for that price? I would also like to make sure I have it hooked up correctly. It comes out very very slowly and it says its supposed to do 100gpd.

[Slyguy00]

so I took the auto shutoff valve apart, only to find the seals inside are all mangled and have clearly been installed wrong. So now my next question is where would I get one of those ASO devices? This is turning out to be quite the headache.

[mark]

simple drawing from Aquasafe Canada but shows connections, look up their site also as they have parts

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h316/das75/ro-1.jpg

[mike31154]

so I took the auto shutoff valve apart, only to find the seals inside are all mangled and have clearly been installed wrong. So now my next question is where would I get one of those ASO devices? This is turning out to be quite the headache.

If you're willing to manually turn on & off your RO system & monitor it while running, there's really no need for the ASO valve. I've actually never used mine since it's been finicky from the start & I've never been able to bring myself to fully trust it. The system would continue to produce waste water even after the shutoff valve on the pure water container closed. I've been thinking of bypassing or removing it altogether. I only make RODI water when I'm at home these days. Not everyone has that option, but it's pretty much the best way to ensure you don't end up with a flood at one point or another. Actually, I've even forgotten it's on when I'm at home & had the odd mini-flood. Generally I use the timer on the kitchen stove to remind me, but I've also installed a small battery operated water detector on the basement floor beside the collection tanks. This has saved me some major mopping up operations since there's no drain in my basement floor.

[mike31154]

Thanks for all the input guys. Where would I go about finding a tds meter for that price? I would also like to make sure I have it hooked up correctly. It comes out very very slowly and it says its supposed to do 100gpd.

An other invaluable item to invest in when running an RO system is a pressure guage, two would be even better. RO production is based on specific paramaters by the manufacturer of the membrane. This usually means something like at least 60 psi water pressure and a water temperature of 21 degrees C. If your pressure in particular & water temp deviate from those numbers to any significant degree, pure water production will be affected accordingly.

First, check your source water pressure with a gauge, if it's 60 psi or better, you should be fine. If it's 40 or less, start looking for a PRV in your home plumbing & see if it can be adjusted for more pressure. If you can't find the PRV, you may have to invest in a booster pump to get the desired performance out of your RO. It just keeps getting better & better, no? How's that headache coming along now?

[Slyguy00]

Hahah its gettin a lil worse but thanks for all the info guys. It all helps alot.

[Slyguy00]

So I think iv finally gotten it all figured it out. I removed the storage tank and the stupid aso valve, and hooked it directly up to my tap. Would you guys say its doing its job. I tested my tap water with my TDS meter and it read 221, and then i tested the water coming out of the ro it says 20. Is that acceptable or should it be doing a better job?

[hillegom]

Thats acceptable for your system. The RO works at about a 98% efficiency.
If you wanted to bring it down to 0, as many do, then u have to add a DI (dionization) cartridge.
Here in Surrey we have about 12-15 ppm water and I run an RO/Di system for 0 TDS.
The lower your ppm, then the less work the DI portion has to do. The DI, expensive stuff, lasts longer.

[Slyguy00]

This may be a stupid question, but once I have my RO water do I still need to add prime to it? Also the PH coming out of ro is like 6, so obviously add some PH booster? I ran my filter for a few hours and its now down to 14. So hopefully it gets lower still.

[tang daddy]

This may be a stupid question, but once I have my RO water do I still need to add prime to it? Also the PH coming out of ro is like 6, so obviously add some PH booster? I ran my filter for a few hours and its now down to 14. So hopefully it gets lower still.

No adding prime, infact you shouldn't need to add anything!

[Slyguy00]

Awesome thanks chris!

[spit.fire]

This may be a stupid question, but once I have my RO water do I still need to add prime to it? Also the PH coming out of ro is like 6, so obviously add some PH booster? I ran my filter for a few hours and its now down to 14. So hopefully it gets lower still.

Don't have to add anything, the salt mix will buffer the ph as well