Is RO a pain in the buttocks?

CoralBeautyII

CoralBeautyII

New member
Ive been using bottled water for nearly five years now and im starting to think it might be time for an RO machine.
I need to ask some questions first because i dont want something that i wont be able to understand and that will drive me nuts, after all im the girl who cried over a sump and got rid of it! :lol:
ok, so i hook it up to the faucet right? and the waste tube goes down the drain? how fast does the water go down the drain?
how long does it take to make one gallon of RO water?
does it stay hooked up all the time? what if i need to use the sink?
are the cartridges easy to replace? Does it remove bacteria from the water too?
this is the one im looking at, mainly because its in my price range and i dont want to spend a fortune if i find it too difficult to use and i go back to bottled ro instead.
does this one look simple enough for the RO beginner?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12093
 
Last edited:
CoralBeautyII said:
1) ok, so i hook it up to the faucet right? and the waste tube goes down the drain?

2) how fast does the water go down the drain?

3) how long does it take to make one gallon of RO water?

4) does it stay hooked up all the time? what if i need to use the sink?

5) are the cartridges easy to replace? Does it remove bacteria from the water too?

this is the one im looking at, mainly because its in my price range and i dont want to spend a fortune if i find it too difficult to use and i go back to bottled ro instead.
does this one look simple enough for the RO beginner?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12093
Click to expand...

From the top:

1) Yes and Yes. There are also valves that piggy back on copper/brass water lines (if you have an apartment, these valves are not a good idea as this modification is permanent). They are easy to instal and hookup, they are called saddle valves (google it).

2) How fast depends on the units rejection rate and its GPD rating. Mine would fill up 8-8oz cups in about a minute.

3) Again, depends on the GPD rating & system pressure (you may need a pump to make the system run properly). A gallon for me on my old system took about an hour.

4) See 1, but for the most part you can install/un-install it as needed.

5) If you buy a cartridge wrench, replacement is a snap. The wrench is $4. I dont know the answer to your bacteria question, but i used to drink my ro/di water for months without a problem.


I would suggest www.buckeyefieldsupply.com for anything in this area. You can email russ@buckeyefieldsupply and he can better answer and expalin things. Or give him a call during the week if that works for you. Also he is near you so shipping will be very fast, and his systems are cheaper than Dr. F&S.

Good luck!
 
ok, so i hook it up to the faucet right? You can hook it to the faucet. I have mine setup next to the washing machine. Source water is from the cold water tap. and the waste tube goes down the drain? Mine goes down the floor drain. how fast does the water go down the drain? As quick as it needs to? Really units usually produce 1 part product water to 2 parts waste water. how long does it take to make one gallon of RO water? Depends on the unit. Units are rated in GPD (Gallons per day), so between 24 and 100 for what you're looking at. does it stay hooked up all the time? Depends on how you have it plumbed. Most are. what if i need to use the sink? You can get a sink adapter to switch between sink and RO. are the cartridges easy to replace? Yes. Does it remove bacteria from the water too? The chlorine and chloramines in your tap water should kill them. Bacteria can pass through the system, though. this is the one im looking at, mainly because its in my price range and i dont want to spend a fortune if i find it too difficult to use and i go back to bottled ro instead.
does this one look simple enough for the RO beginner? Looks like a nice unit.
Click to expand...
 
thanks :)
#2 scares me, thats alot of waste water! the sink i would be using is down the basement and its a small sink with a sump pump thingy under it, im not sure if it can handle that much water going down the drain
#3 i would need three gallons a day so thats a little time consuming

i think im better off with my bottled water lol
 
the guys at Elmers Aquariums in Monroeville PA suggested an API tap water filter. They claim the water is just as good as RO/DI and in many cases better because most ppl dont change cartridges when they should. The api is a snap to use, just hook it to the faucet when you want to make water. It makes no waste water and the cartridge changes color when it needs changed. 50 to 150 gallons out of a cartridge. I just bought another 1 as a christmas gift for my neice, 40 bucks at petsolutions .com. they are 60 bucks at Elmers and replacement cartridges are available at both places I mentioned
 
jimzin15754 said:
the guys at Elmers Aquariums in Monroeville PA suggested an API tap water filter. They claim the water is just as good as RO/DI and in many cases better because most ppl dont change cartridges when they should. The api is a snap to use, just hook it to the faucet when you want to make water. It makes no waste water and the cartridge changes color when it needs changed. 50 to 150 gallons out of a cartridge. I just bought another 1 as a christmas gift for my neice, 40 bucks at petsolutions .com. they are 60 bucks at Elmers and replacement cartridges are available at both places I mentioned
Click to expand...

I like this idea alot! thanks, i think i will go with this one :thumbsup:
 
I bought this one from a RC Sponsor:

http://www.airwaterice.com/product/1MMDI/Mighty_Mite_50GPD_with_DI_Added.html

It sits on my utility sink when in use and you only have to disconnect the hose from the faucet and store it anywhere you want when not in use. There is nothing to hook up, it's completely portable, it easily makes three gallons per day. I can't imagine that any drain would have difficulty handling the waste water flow. This is about the wisest purchase I have ever made and I highly recommend it.
 
1 tip I've gotten from reading other posts about the API...dont run your faucet full blast. Turn it on slowly so that it takes 30-40 minutes to fill a 5 gallon bucket.
 
EllieSuz said:
I bought this one from a RC Sponsor:

http://www.airwaterice.com/product/1MMDI/Mighty_Mite_50GPD_with_DI_Added.html

It sits on my utility sink when in use and you only have to disconnect the hose from the faucet and store it anywhere you want when not in use. There is nothing to hook up, it's completely portable, it easily makes three gallons per day. I can't imagine that any drain would have difficulty handling the waste water flow. This is about the wisest purchase I have ever made and I highly recommend it.
Click to expand...

I saved that one since im still deciding
the reason why the drain cant handle too much, it can for a certain amount of time, not sure everyday since it could burn out the pump. its not a normal drain, im not sure what its called but it was installed under a sink in the wet bar and looks like a big black jug, it is plugged in and it pumps the drain water up through the pipes. it only holds about 2 gallons so it fills quickly and the pump has to turn on in this time to push it to the drain pipes. too much water and it kinda breaks
 
I have the same kind of pump that pumps water from the laundry tubs. The wastewater hose on this unit is about the size of airline tube and it just dribbles into the sink. Not a problem.
 
EllieSuz said:
I have the same kind of pump that pumps water from the laundry tubs. The wastewater hose on this unit is about the size of airline tube and it just dribbles into the sink. Not a problem.
Click to expand...

ohhh ok, so its not a huge amount of water going down all at once
very good then :)
 
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