New to RODI

[gregzz4]

I'm finally making water with a 100gpd RODI unit
I flushed the pre-filters for about 20 mins, then flushed the RO for another 20 mins. It took forever to fill the DI
The TDS today is only 8ppm going in and 0ppm coming out of the RO, so I'm not wasting the DI. I have a 45g drum. There are no Chloramines in our water here.
My questions are;
-do I need a powerhead in the storage tank
-is there any point in a heater for the storage tank as it's in a heated room
-is 50/50 waste/clean water OK for the RO membrane
Any tips would be great thanks

[coolhandgoose]

If you're just storing water you shouldn't need a power head, once you mix salt then use a power head for some good mixing. If you're getting50/50 water than that's awesome, I get like 80%waste to 20 good clean water.
What are you storing your water in?

[hillegom]

Most RO systems have a 1:4 ratio. You are getting a 1:1.
What does your ro membrane's manufacturer suggest?

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by hillegom

Most RO systems have a 1:4 ratio. You are getting a 1:1.
What does your ro membrane's manufacturer suggest?

Sorry, the 50/50 was an original guesstimation, but that is way off now that I look down the drain with a flashlight.
They don't suggest. It's Vertex, and their documentation is horrible.
As stated above, with the waste water valve off, I'm probably getting at least 2 or 3:1 waste to clean. I gather the valve was built to alleviate any guessing

[hillegom]

Usually the systems have a flow restrictor that is not adjustable, it is matched to your membrane's g/day output and usually gives you one gal of good to 4 gal of waste. I see yours has a valve so it seems you could dial in the ratio that you want.
I don't see your auto shutoff. It must be hidden behind the canisters?
You have done a fine plumbing job.

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by hillegom

Usually the systems have a flow restrictor that is not adjustable, it is matched to your membrane's g/day output and usually gives you one gal of good to 4 gal of waste. I see yours has a valve so it seems you could dial in the ratio that you want.
I don't see your auto shutoff. It must be hidden behind the canisters?
You have done a fine plumbing job.

Thanks for the kind comment.
And thanks for taking the time to look at my build to note the plumbing
It's frankly a rats nest, but I did the best considering the space constraints
The check valve is behind/between the pre-filters, as well as the raw water TDS probe, and the auto shutoff is behind the RO canister. I don't get credit for the auto shutoff location as that is where Vertex placed it, and hard as I tried, I just could not locate it any better
Concerning the shutoff;
I'm a bit dissapointed. I installed the check valve and a float. I was expecting it to totally shutoff the water. It only cuts the new/clean water flow. So unless I plumbed it wrong, I guess I won't be leaving it running 24/7. Not that I plan on it, but it would have been nice to leave it fill itself after use and not worry about wasting any more water than necessary.

[coolhandgoose]

Maybe someone else can chime in here as well but I don't think you should drink ro/di water, if you want you can dri k the water before it reaches the di phase. As long as the container isn't like an anti bacterial one then you should be fine.

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by coolhandgoose

Maybe someone else can chime in here as well but I don't think you should drink ro/di water, if you want you can dri k the water before it reaches the di phase. As long as the container isn't like an anti bacterial one then you should be fine.

Thanks for the heads up
Ya, I agree, drinking DI water is not so healthy. Besides the fact that we will not need to run the DI much with our clean city water, the plan is to only drink the RO water, and only use the DI for the fish if the raw water ever gets dirty enough, such as after a storm

[gregzz4]

After a bit of lookin', I probably should mod the original post, but I'll leave it for the membrane question.
It's a Vertex unit. With the waste water valve turned off, I'm still getting waste water. And I wouldn't be surprised if it's close to your 80/20
The storage is a cleaned out food industry 45g drum
I've heard of some people keeping powerheads in their storage tanks. Maybe that's for stagnant issues?
I did a taste test. Even removing 8ppm and the Chlorine, wow, what a difference in both taste and smell
The fishies are going to love this, as is my bottled-water buyin' wife

[Myka]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

The fishies are going to love this, as is my bottled-water buyin' wife

Lots of people suggest collecting water for drinking after the RO, but before the DI. The reef + drinking water systems on the market use a valve to bypass the DI resin for drinking water. I'm not totally sure why. I believe it is more taste than anything (I know I find DI water tastes funny), although I have heard things like DI water is ionicly aggressive and some impurities from the DI resin makes it into the water so is not healthy to drink, but I am not sure of the validity of those claims.

Btw, when it comes time to replace the RO membrane (years from now) replace it with a 75 gpd or 150 gpd RO membrane which is more efficient. Since you have REALLY low tds to begin with it really doesn't matter though. If you do change the membrane select a flow restrictor of the same rating.

As far as 1:1 output, I think you're quite alright with that considering you're only putting 8 ppm into the system to begin with. I have been using 1.5:1 for about 2000 gallons nows starting with 160-180 ppm and I'm not having any issues with the membrane clogging so far.