RO/DI QUESTION

[Fesso]

Originally Posted by Kryptic4L

vertex deluxe puratek. worth every cent.

Agreed.

You should really consider a unit that has a booster pump. With the booster pump you get water faster with waaaaay less waste. Also the booster pump will extend the life for the filters.

[SoloSK71]

If your pressure is good, I would suggest first trying to get your waste to product ratio down to around 3:1 or so, then a permeate pump and a booster pump as the last option.

Charles

[SoloSK71]

Originally Posted by cbrine

I really do not want to have to plumb it into existing water lines

You can get an adapter for a kitchen faucet or for a laundry hose faucet. The saddle style of piercing adapter for copper line can be abandoned after use if go with that style and a replacement is ~$10 or so.

Charles

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by SoloSK71

I am curious as to why you feel a vertical DI orientation is needed?

Charles

http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/FAQ.asp#FAQ15

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by Fesso

Agreed.

You should really consider a unit that has a booster pump. With the booster pump you get water faster with waaaaay less waste. Also the booster pump will extend the life for the filters.

As mentioned in my earlier post, if you find the PRV in your house, you can usually bump up the pressure. Imagine, free pressure boost from the city, which you are already paying for through your utility bill. If you can do this, why fork out the extra $$ for another add on to your RODI unit with more potential for leaks or other failures? Hook a pressure guage to your water line downstream of the PRV & adjust to 90 psi. I've had mine a shade over that at just over 100 psi for several years no problem, although BFS recommends you not exceed 90 psi. Performance & efficiency of membrane is increased, as is your rate of pure water output.

http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/FAQ.asp#FAQ21

[cbrine]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Test your current water source or download the info from your supplier. Knowing your home water pressure, temperature & incoming TDS will all be great info in helping to decide what unit to buy without going overkill with extra stages & unnecessary options. Eg, if your house pressure is at least 65 psi or more, you don't need a booster pump. Your house may have a PRV (pressure reducing valve) in the plumbing and these are adjustable within a certain range. You may be able to bump up the pressure in your house by tweaking the PRV. If you consider this, be advised that you'll need to ensure all your plumbing downstream of the PRV is in good condition. Most home plumbing is rated for 200 psi or better, so really shouldn't be an issue.

As far as changing your system, you'll find that most RODI units used in our hobby are built using standard 10" filter housings and regardless of manufacturer, you can usually add on or remove stages quite easily if your source water changes significantly as in the case of a move elsewhere. Booster pumps can also be added later no problem.

A good starting unit will have at least one pressure guage & a dual TDS meter, one sediment filter, a good quality carbon block, RO membrane & vertically mounted DI stage. You can add on & expand from there as needed.

Here's a link to FAQ at BFS. I did not buy my system from them, but I've seen that they consistently give good advice on many marine forums.
http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/FAQ.asp#FAQ21

THANKS for the great info! Totally appreciate it! I currently live in Airdrie and we get our water from city of
calgary. I have NO CLUE who/where to find the info about water quality as I wanted to know about phosphate levels and a few other tidbits. Whoever I called had no clue what I was talking about both in Airdrie and in Calgary.

Annnnd I have no clue how to find out/test my water pressure/TDS/temp in my own home. cold water comes out and turns hot in the tank is as far as my awesome home owner skills go. Hubby is away and I don't think he would be able to tell me how to go about testing or even adjusting the pressure. I am sure the pressure is not a problem in our house since the water coming out of the tap is pretty strong (for sure compared to my parents taps).
Would you be able to recommend where I can get info about city of calgary water? And how to find out the rest of that info?
Much appreciated!!

[SoloSK71]

City of Calgary 2012 Water Quality Report

Charles

[Magickiwi]

Originally Posted by SoloSK71

City of Calgary 2012 Water Quality Report

Charles

City of Calgary 2012 Water Quality Report

Keep in mind though that this report is all the best data from the City, not necessarily accurate for each household. I know my Ca is much higher than the City report.

[mike31154]

Looks like your TDS could be anywhere from 156 to 299 according to the water quality report. 299 is on the high side. The only way to test the TDS of your tap is to use a TDS meter. TDS can vary according to time of year & whether the city is flushing lines in your area or not. If you wish to test the TDS coming out of your tap, you should be able to score a small handheld TDS meter at one of the larger home centers or even Wal Mart. I found one at Wal Mart in Vernon in the RV/camping aisles & I think it cost less than $20. Can Tire may have them too. Small price to pay to confirm your TDS. Pressure guages can also be had for about $20 at Princess Auto or other hardware outlets, although by the sounds of it, your water pressure is pretty good. As mentioned, a decent RODI unit will have at least one pressure guage to help monitor when you may need to change one of the filters. I installed a second pressure guage so I can compare the source water pressure with the pressure before the RO membrane. This pressure differential will creep up over time & give you a great indication that a sediment filter is in need of changing.

[Fesso]

If you don't want to worry (or care) about the water pressure or the quality of your tap water before an RODI unit the Vertex Puratek 100 GPD is the best bang for the buck. It has a pressure gauge, booster pump and TDS meter built in. It also has other nice features like automatic flushing.
I live in an split level house and don't have access to the water line or space to plumb the unit in so I just pull my unit out of the closet and make water once a week attaching it to the kitchen sink. Very simple.
I found my unit used for about $150.

http://www.vertexaquaristik.com/Prod...ek100RODI.aspx