Calgary water pressure

lastlight · #1 10-01-2009, 10:13 PM

Hi folks. I'm thinking of buying the "Water Saving 150 GPD RO Upgrade Kit" from BRS when I purchase my ro/di and I was wonder if anyone else here is running it? I want to run it without buying a pressure booster if possible and the website says it requries 65 PSI at the first membrane. Anyone know what pressure they're getting at their first membrane?

Not sure if the area of the city influences it much but I am in Evergreen in the south.

Thanks!

parkinsn · #2 10-01-2009, 10:22 PM

Im getting about 73psi in willowpark coming into my unit. Not sure how I would go about measuring the first membrane though.

lastlight · #3 10-01-2009, 10:25 PM

So it would be less at the membrane I guess? I wonder by how much.

parkinsn · #4 10-01-2009, 10:43 PM

The first stage is the hardest for the water to get through (at least that my understanding) and there is no 73psi coming out the other end thats for sure.

Delphinus · #5 10-02-2009, 01:37 AM

I get around 96 I think. I can lend you a pressure gauge that fits on your hose if you want to do a quick reading but I'm pretty sure we're on the same outlet.

Delphinus · #6 10-02-2009, 01:42 AM

Oops, had a thought. I get 96psi but that's because I bypassed the pressure regulator. Most homes these days have regulators (if you have a bathtub and/or shower where you can't regulate the flow, ie., on or off and temperature, but no "more flow" or "less flow", then you have a regulator). In my case they dialed it down to 60. I chose to bypass it because at my old house I was getting close to 100psi, and had awesome RO/DI output, at this house I couldn't believe how slow it would trickle out.

I first tried opening up the regulator all the way - I don't recommend this approach - unless you happen to like painful showers (those little streams of water get supersonic at high enough pressure). I just T'd off a line before the regulator and this services my tank room and outside hoses (impulse sprinklers work better with some pressure).

ALBERTA REEF · #7 10-02-2009, 05:40 AM

I have just build a 7 stage 300gpd Ro/DI systems. It is hooked up to the down stairs bathroom sink. Pressure their is about 41psi. I suggest running a booster pump. It is inproves pure water out put. My system avarge 12.5gph. I am still have one more test on pure water and waste water ratio. Hopefully it is a 1:1. Still working on it.

lastlight · #8 10-02-2009, 05:54 AM

Sounds interesting Tony. I'll have to take a peek at what you did. Is it just cutting some PEX and inserting a T?

Alberta Reef...Are you running 4 x 75gpd membranes!?

Delphinus · #9 10-02-2009, 06:40 AM

Yep, that's exactly what I did. I just checked on my RO/DI gauge tonight and I guess it's now >100psi.

Just don't do what I did, I should have filmed this and sent it into Discovery as my entry admission request into "Canada's Worst Handyman", when I hooked up the plumbing to the tank room a couple months ago, I put the regulator back in backwards. THAT was an interesting phenomenon: when you open a tap first a huge whoosh of water, then it would slam shut (reverb throughout the house) and then trickle up and down. I was all .. WTF is wrong with the water? Then I noticed the regulator had a little arrow on it and it was pointing the wrong way.

I gotta admit though, I love cutting pex pipe and crimping new crimp rings on them. Man I wish it wasn't $200 for a pex crimper. I'd go hogwild with one. Ker-crimp!! Ker-crimp!! ... Whee!!!!

lastlight · #10 10-02-2009, 06:55 AM

Yeah that is one fun $10 rental. I'm looking forward to doing a little of that again. Those links are bulletproof!

I'm hoping I can find a PEX-john guest fitting somewhere so I can avoid those piercing saddle valves etc. Much rather CRIMP.