anyone have the aquasafe instructions??

[golfbomber]

any got them instructions for their ro/di system? also what temp am i suppose to run the water through the system? somewhere around 75-80f i think?

[DanG]

Copied and pasted from the document they sent me about a month ago when I got my system.
As for temperature, you MUST hook it up to the cold water feed line, if you use hot, it can damage the system.
I have the whole word document with the pictures too if you want it. If you PM me your email address I can send it to you.


AQUA-SAFE(tm) SYSTEMS
ED'S EIGHT EASY STEPS
1.0 Relax
This is like putting together your kid's play set...follow the steps and everything will be OK. If you try and jump around, it will take longer. Read this manual before starting to see if you need to run to the hardware store. Rest easy... I am a mistakes expert!! Every mistake you can made I have made (several many times). We will get through this together.
2.0 Take Everything Out of The Box And...
2.1 Examine the contents and make sure everything is actually there. Better to find a mistake now than when you are ½ done.
2.2 Insert the RO Membrane. It is shipped sealed for freshness and only can go in one way. (the end with the two small o-rings)
2.3 Check all of the quick connects to make sure the inserts are inside... they sometimes fall out.
2.4 Take the elbow connector in the bag with the red hose and screw it in to the IN (left) side of the three pre-filters. The Quick Connectors are opened by pushing down on the O ring with two fingernails and pulling the hose. If your nails are not user friendly, then use a pair of pliers, a small wrench or any tool that can apply pressure on both sides of the Quick Connector. Do not over tighten. This fitting seldom develops a drip. If one occurs, tighten a little more. There are four ways of ensuring against drips. One is Plumbers Joint Compound (with Teflon), the next is Bath and Tile silicone one of these two should do it...on tough leaks and if you really have to get serious, two-part epoxy will seal anything. Reconnect the hose by pushing in. Teflon tape is not good as it is not made for plastics and it slips; however if you insist, pull it tight and work it in to the thread. You may note that some of our threads are sealed with tape...this is special high density tape made for plastics.
2.5 Take the short white water hose connected to the "in" side of the 4 way connector thing (it likes to be called the Auto Shut-off Valve or ASV) and take the elbow off and screw it into the "out" side of the pre-filters (right side). Re-insert hose.
3.0 Prepare the Tank
The tank has an air bladder and a water bladder inside it. It comes pre-set from the factory at 6-8 psi. Do not mess with it. The RO water bladder will push the bladder down until the pressure in the tank is 2/3 of the house pressure. This is when the auto-shut off valve operates and shuts off the incoming water. If you over-inflate this, it will create back pressure on the membrane and mess up the production of RO water (a bad thing). (TRICK: if you want to know the psi in your home, hook the feed water directly up to the tank and fill it. Then, take a tire gauge and measure the pressure in the tank... that will be your household psi.)
The tank can stand up straight or it can lay horizontal.
3.1 Put on the tank valve. This is a plastic to metal fitting. It is recommended that some anti-leak materials be used. Choices are the Plumbers Joint Compound or Teflon Tape. I suggest not using cement, as this part may have to be changed out at some point. I like the Joint Compound with Teflon. I hate call-backs, so I tend to get aggressive with that stuff.
The screw on plastic compression nut (white) that holds the hose can be hand tightened. It occasionally drips so I screw this compression nut tightly all the way to the ball valve. Then it never drips.
4.0 Clear the Decks
The next step is to totally clean out under the sink. Get some rags and wipe up any junk that is on the bottom. There will be some water from somewhere during the installation and you want to be able to wipe it up easily and not create mud. At this point (if not before) you will get anxiety noises from Mom, who is really nervous that you are in her space. Remind her of the taste and health benefits of purified water, or have a beer.
Now, step back and look at where you want the unit and the tank. For some reason, the unit usually ends up on the right side or in front. Remember, you have to service the system so don't make it hard to get at.
Most instruction manuals (written by engineers who have never actually installed a system and tell us to make sure we wear safety glasses...ya, right) say to mount the system on the wall by drilling two holes and putting in mounting screws. Why??? It only frees up 4 or 5" of totally unusable space. A far better solution (in my view) is to stand it up on the floor inside a drip pan. Either steal one of Mom's baking pans or buy one at the store. The disposable aluminium baking pans work fine. We do this because you will get water when you play around with the system or when you change out filters. Recently, I noticed my unit at home was slowing down. Vancouver has very turbid water. I flushed the membrane into a ½ gallon pitcher and a fine film of silt came to the top. I reconnected the piping and the system flowed normally (more on how to flush the membrane later). The point is that I got water here and water there, but the drip pan caught most of it.
Now that you have made a decision on where everything goes, start the installation.









5.0 The Faucet

This is the hardest part of the installation since it goes all the way at the back and you have to crawl into the cabinet, so let's do it first.
You will be going through one of three types of materials. There is a fourth-porcelain. I know how to do it, but I strongly advise against you trying it. Either find another spot, or call a Pro. If you mess up, you ruin the entire sink... big bucks and big trouble with Mom. So, I am not going there, because when you screw up, you will say, "Ed did it".
a) Laminate: the most common material is a laminated counter top. Find the spot on top, which looks good, and crawl under and see where it is clear. Remember, you have a large plastic washer to put under the counter. The safe thing to do is to drill a pilot hole with your smallest bit first. Better a little mistake than a big mistake. When comfortable drill a ½ inch hole and assemble the faucet. The rubber gasket goes under the chrome faucet and the plastic washer goes under the counter. After the plastic washer, put in the lock washer and then tighten the nut. You may find the faucet up top turning as you turn the stainless steel nut. Either have someone hold it or get inventive, like put a wrench on it and secure the wrench. Be careful not to damage the faucet surface.
b) Stainless Steel: Do the same as for laminate, except be really sure of your clear space. Take a metal punch (or a big nail) and give the magic spot a good hit. At this indentation drill a pilot hole. A wood drill will not do it. You must use a metal drill bit suitable for stainless. Once the pilot hole is made, follow up with a ½" hole and attach the faucet.
c) Marble or Granite: This is not that hard, but it is boring. You need a diamond tipped drill and about 15-20 minutes of standing there and trying to think of something. The price of a ½" diamond tipped drill is around $75.00 and they are not in every store. Since you will probably never use it again, you would probably be better off calling in a Pro. Most glass installers have diamond drills and all vendors of stone have them. Some will rent it out, as will "Rent-All" stores. If you insist on doing it yourself, get the Yellow Pages out and find the diamond drill bit. Start the hole by drilling a ½" hole in a piece of scrap wood. This will serve as a guide. Hold the piece of wood and let the diamond drill bit do the work. DO NOT push down or apply pressure. Keep the hole filled with water and wipe out the hole often. It is important to let the weight of the drill be the pressure and to let it just grind away at its own pace (which is slow).
6.0 The Feed Water
DON'T ATTACH TO THE HOT WATER PIPE-IT WILL RUIN EVERYTHING
Position the needle-piercing valve where you can get to it. It is normally best to have the valve handle on the right (unless you are left-handed) and the connection facing towards the cabinet doors. Fit the insert to the pipe size-turn the adjusting screw all the way out and place the unit around the pipe and then slide the insert in. Then, tighten the adjusting nut fairly well and double check the insert to make sure it is flush. If everything looks good, then tighten the handle and pierce the pipe. Remember, the insert must be flush with the pipe, or the needle will be off center. Also, make sure you are after the shut off already in the pipe.


6.1 Take the clamp off after piercing and drill out the hole with a 1/8" bit
If you have soft rubber tubing, the book says to remove it and replace with copper or rigid plastic. My view is if you have to throw it away, why not try it?? You almost always need to drill out a hole and center the piercer over the hole. The soft rubber tends to expand and fill the needle hole. I have always gotten them to work. However, it is tricky. I hate running to the hardware store.
7.0 The Discharge Water Saddle
7.1 Find a place on the discharge pipe under the sink and clamp it on. Try to have it where it will not block anything, like where you want to put the tank. Attach the rubber gasket to the pipe, position the saddle over that spot and screw it on. Drill it out with a 1/4" drill bit. Put the compression nut on the yellow line and push the yellow line into the discharge pipe. It is ok to force it in. Screw the compression nut on fairly firmly. This is usually a no problem area.
Make sure---like make really sure--- that you are above the trap.
If you have a double sink it is OK to place the saddle on the horizontal portion of the piping.

The discharge line has to have back pressure or the RO will not work. Most vendors choose the cheap way to create this back pressure by putting a little plastic insert into the discharge line. It is similar to the little white insert used at the feed water faucet. We have chosen to spend the extra $$ and buy and mount a manual flushing flow restrictor. The normal position for this switch is at a 90-degree angle to the line. If your system is slowing down, it may be tired filters or it could be the RO getting silted up. To flush the membrane merely turn the handle on the flow restrictor so that it points to the yellow line and the water will wash off the membrane. Let it run for 30 minutes. Do this at least once a month and you will prolong the life of your membrane.


8.0 Hook up The Tubes And Let it Go
Ok, what is left???
8.1 The feed water hose goes to the "In" side of the filters.
8.2 The hose from the faucet goes to the final in-line filter.
8.3 The other hose goes from the double connector at the beginning of the final filter to the tank.
8.4 Make sure the flow restrictor handle is in the correct position:

8.5 It is a good idea to flush the pre-filters prior to hooking them up to the IN side of the membrane. Just hook up the yellow discharge line to the third filter ("out"), and let the water run for 10 minutes or so. When it's done, reconnect the yellow discharge to the flow restrictor and also hook up the line to the auto shut-off valve.
8.6 That's it. Turn it on, and get the sponge out.
8.7 After the tank has filled up, dump the whole tank full and refill. The post carbon filter and the tank's water bladder need to be flushed out before drinking the water.
GET A GOOD FLASHLIGHT AND CHECK OVER THE ENTIRE SYSTEM CAREFULLY WHEN COMPLETED. ALSO, REMEMBER THAT WHEN THE TANK FILLS UP COMPLETELY, THE SYSTEM IS THEN FULLY UNDER PRESSURE AND THAT IS WHEN THE TINY LEAKS OCCUR---IF THEY ARE GOING TO OCCUR-SO KEEP YOUR EYE ON IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.
ALSO REMEMBER THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONE AND ONLY TIME YOU WILL DO THIS...EXPECT A COUPLE OF BUGS...THEY WILL BE WORKED OUT.


Hints
1. Icemakers: it is a good idea to hook up your icemaker if it is accessible. Remember, the point of having an RO is for good health and for good taste, Ice-cubes melt. Why buy 12 year old scotch and put it with "chlorine-cubes"??? That's very unhealthy. Freezing does not kill more bugs. We supply you with a free T connector. Put it after the final filter and before the faucet and run a line to the refrigerator.
2. Pets: are you spending a small fortune on vets bills and quality animal food and giving them water with poisons and chemicals in it??? (Chlorine is a poison).
3. Plants: they are living things also. No serious hydro farmer uses tap water. Don't poison your plants...they will like you for it.
4. Manual Shut Off Valve: We have thrown in parts that we call the Dual Conversion Kit. I know, it is a bit flowery...I must have been reading a self help book at the time. The "Kit" is made up of the T connector, the 10 ft of extra tubing and that blue and white thing with the ball valve, which is a manual shut off. Together you can use the kit as an e-z way of filling jugs. Or, you can use the shut off valve as a way of turning the RO system off. Just splice it into the red line. Don't use the brass handle on the c-clamp too often, as it will wear out.
5. DI Filters: Picture, in your mind, a tube filled with small crushed rocks. This is what your DI bed of resins look like. If the water just passes over these rocks,then some of the surface area never collects
LAST TIP: NOTHING LASTS FOREVER...EVEN US. THE SYSTEM YOU BOUGHT WILL WEAR OUT. THE THINGS THAT WEAR OUT ARE THE RO MEMBRANE, THE AUTO-SHUT OFF VALVE AND THE TANK. OTHER PARTS, LIKE THE FLOW RESTRICTOR AND THE YELLOW LINE GET CAKED WITH THE JUNK THAT IS BEING SENT DOWN THE DRAIN. THE RUBBER "O" RINGS WILL GET OLD AND CRACK, JUST LIKE GASKETS ON YOUR CAR. IF YOU START REPLACING THEM ONE BY ONE, YOU ARE GOING TO GO CRAZY AND WILL SPEND LOTS OF TIME AND MONEY. FIGURE $50.00 FOR A MEMBRANE AND $40.00 FOR A TANK AND $15.00 FOR THE AUTO SWITCH OFF VALVE. THE RO MEMBRANE IS SWOLLEN IN THE HOUSING AND DIFFICULT TO REMOVE. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT IT IS CHEAPER AND EASIER JUST TO JUNK THE SYSTEM (OR KEEP IT FOR PARTS) AND BUY A NEW ONE EVERY 5 YEARS, OR WHEN THE RO MEMBRANE DIES. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN THE RO MEMBRANE DIES...THE WATER WILL START TASTING BAD. IF YOU ARE MORE PARTICULAR, GET A TDS METER AND CHECK THE TDS OF THE FEED WATER AND THE TDS OF THE RO WATER. WHEN THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE, THE RO IS DEAD. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT...THERE WILL BE A GRADUAL DECAY.
REMEMBER-CHANGE FILTERS EVERY 6 MONTHS. THIS IS FOR AVERAGE USE WHICH IS 150 GALLONS PER MONTH OR 5 GALLONS PER DAY. IF YOU HAVE HEAVY DUTY USE, ADJUST ACCORDINGLY...I.E. 300 GALLONS PER MONTH WOULD REQUIRE FILTERS CHANGES EVERY THREE MONTHS.
THANKS AGAIN AND GOOD LUCK, ED




Trouble Shooting

It's OK to call Ed, but try first and remember; I cannot see it from here.
All problems are fixable and they all will show up in the first 24-48 hours after the system is fully charged.

1. "I have leakage from a push-in fitting"
The push-ins never leak (never say never???). Try pushing the line in harder. Take the line out and check the end of the tube. Is it a clean cut?? If not, take a pair of sharp scissors (or a sharp knife) and cut it and push in again... firmly.
2. "The system is not making water"
This is almost always a psi problem. First question..."Are you on well water?". If so, then kick the regulator up. Check the psi of the house by the tank method (above). 40 psi is about as low as you can go. If the psi is low it often is a bad hole on the feed water pipe. Drill it out. If you have good psi to the IN side of the pre-filters, then check the following:
a) Check to see if the flow restrictor (that thing with the yellow line coming out of it) is at a 90 degree angle to the line ("closed position") this restricts the flow by 60% and water runs out whenever the unit is producing RO water.... it discharges the bad stuff.
b) Check to see if the water is flowing out the yellow discharge line...if so, then the membrane is getting water.
c) Disconnect the blue line from the in side of the auto-shut off valve...(that thing with four connectors) if water is coming out, the RO is producing and the problem is between there and the faucet. Maybe a defective auto-shut-off valve.
d) If the yellow line is flowing and the blue is not, maybe blocked check valve at RO Housing. There are two outlets on the out end of the RO Membrane. One goes to the discharge saddle and the other is purified water. Since we switched to the chrome plated brass check valve, this part has never had a problem.
e) If unit has been in service for a while, the problem is probably clogged filters. Pull the filters. Test them one at a time by putting them into the first filter position and see if it flows. Clogged filters are usually only associated with well water or with really turbid water (like Vancouver).
f) The RO Membrane has silted up. Very rare unless very bad feed water. The RO Membrane is self-flushing. Try flushing the membrane by putting the restrictor in the "open" position. This will allow all of the flow to wash the membrane off.

3. "My filters are leaking"
Loose O-Ring. Take housing off and make sure they are properly aligned. Housing not tight enough...tighten. Do not use plumbers gunk here...they housings are supposed to seal.
4) "I have leakage from a screw-in connector"
a) Not tight enough...gently apply pressure...too much and you will strip the threads
b) If that does not work, remove and apply Plumber's Joint Compound or dry off and use silicone or just glue it.

5) " I have some leakage coming from the tank"
a) if from the top...tighten screw at the top
b) if from middle...tighten the compression nut all the wayc) it from the bottom...tighten gently, if that does not work remove
and apply Joint Compound or Teflon tape.

6) Trick on how to check PSI:
The RO system does not use electricity and works on water pressure. Therefore, adequate PSI is critical to the proper functioning of the system. There are three critical points at which the PSI should be checked. A PSI in-line pressure gauge is available, but you can also use the water tank with a tire gauge to accomplish the same thing for free. Here is how you do it:

a) The PSI from the red "feed water" tube....take this line and run it directly to the tank and let it fill...take the tire gauge and read the PSI...it should be over 40 PSI....if not, then well water customers should kick the regulator up to 50/70 and city customers should drill out the needle valve hole with a 1/8" bit. The 40+ PSI is for normal water...if you have 800 TDS then figure 50 PSI...1200 TDS figure 60 PSI 2000 TDS figure 70 and sea water 36,000tds figure 700 PSI ...(don't try it as the unit will blow up). IF YOU HAVE NASTY TDS AND MARGINAL PSI, THEN YOU WILL NEED A BOOSTER PUMP.
b) The PSI from the white tube after the three pre-filters...this should also be 40+ PSI...if it is lower that 35 PSI (the absolute min.) and the red is ok, then change out the filters. When the reservoir is low in West Vancouver, we pump muddy water...I had to change my filters after less then a month...a customer in Germany had the same experience. It is better to change filters than kidneys.
c) The PSI from the blue tube coming from the RO Membrane...this should be at least 2/3rds of the PSI in the white tube...if not then flush the membrane. The ASV needs the blue line to have 2/3rds pressure to activate and shut down the system. While the membrane is self flushing, the is a certain amount of caking that occurs and the membrane needs to be washed off, just put the valve on the flow restrictor into the "open" position (parallel to the line) and let it go for 30-60 minutes. It really works wonders. Pity the average RO owner who has the flow restrictor INSIDE the RO housing.

7) The water coming from the final filter with have some carbon dust in it for a while. This will,for some time, cause elevated readings....accurately measure the performance of the DI or the RO Membrane, take the reading from the blue line
after the RO or the DI.

[Invigor]

any got them instructions for their ro/di system? also what temp am i suppose to run the water through the system? somewhere around 75-80f i think?

system's are rated at 77F. I know some people have is they have about 20'+ of water feed line coiled in a pail of water with a small heater in it set at 77. at this tempature and good PSI you will get the MAX output of your unit over using COLD water. I do not recommend hooking it up to both your hot/cold lines and "finding a good blend"...that's just askin for it.

[Invigor]

my mistake..it's 70F

The advertised GPD values assume ideal conditions, notably optimum water pressure (65 PSI) and temperature (70°F). The purity of your tap water also affects it. In other words, your mileage will vary.

however:

Do I care about temperature?

The GPD ratings are for room temperature (~70 ° F). Colder water travels more slowly through the membrane, which reduces the output. If a high-GPD unit is connected to a cold water line, that can be a problem. Here's a solution from Marc Levenson:

You want approximately 25' or 30' feet of tubing from the connection at the cold water running to the RO/DI unit.

Fill a 5-gallon bucket with water, and coil the excess tubing in the bucket so it is submerged. Immerse a small aquarium heater set it to 78 degrees F. As the RO/DI unit kicks on, water in the tubing will be warmed up to 78 as well, since it processes rather slowly, and the membrane will be able to produce maximum output in the dead of winter.

[christyf5]

I usually run just straight cold water through mine but it takes bloody forever just to get 5 gallons. When I'm in a hurry or my roommate isn't looking I crank on the hot to get the water up to about 70F or so and it fills up the 5g carboy in a couple of hours :wink:

[adidas]

I have mine hooked up with the faucet adapter, the roomie put on hot water accidently once, and a peice of tubing exploded and the DI beads turned brown... so ya, make sure you dont run warm/hot water through it.

[DanG]

I usually run just straight cold water through mine but it takes bloody forever just to get 5 gallons. When I'm in a hurry or my roommate isn't looking I crank on the hot to get the water up to about 70F or so and it fills up the 5g carboy in a couple of hours :wink:


Did you get the PSI meter? Do you have enough pressure in the lines?