R/O Waste Water Uses

klepto

klepto

New member
Im interested in hearing about the clever methods people have devised to reuse/recycle their waste water from r/o or r/o di units.

I know some companies have zero waste setups running back to the hot water tank.. but im looking for some diy creativity...

I personally just trap the majority of my waste water in a rubbermaid and manually use it to both: flush the toilet (oldskool i know) and to water my garden.

Let me know what you are doing or have done with your 'waste' water...

:rolleye1:
 
Washing machine, I save enough money right there the way my Gal washes clothes. I store some in garbage can's ( rubbermaid ) for our Dry Season (Winter) I have TONS of outdoor plants.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13929842#post13929842 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vito is hooked
Washing machine, I save enough money right there the way my Gal washes clothes. I store some in garbage can's ( rubbermaid ) for our Dry Season (Winter) I have TONS of outdoor plants.
Click to expand...
can you explain? how are you able to use it in your washing machine? or does she just hand wash your stuff?:eek:
is it true that the majority of the waste water is rejected from the membrane so the waste water is cleaner than the source water after having run through the carbon and particle filters?
i remember reading somewhere that the waste water from my ro typically had twice the tds of the product water...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13929842#post13929842 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vito is hooked
Washing machine, I save enough money right there the way my Gal washes clothes. I store some in garbage can's ( rubbermaid ) for our Dry Season (Winter) I have TONS of outdoor plants.
Click to expand...
How many gallons of RO/DI do you make at a time?
I struggle to grasp how you can use that much water in a washing machine? If you make 25 gallons at a time, that's around 100 gallons of by-pass. Where do you use all of that?
 
we run the waste line outside
have ample tubing so we water different areas of the yard/garden/flowers etc... we were using it to water the indoor plants (w/ seemingly good results) but when mentioned to spectrapure (the company that manufactures our rodi unit) they reported that the wastewater was not good to use for indoor plants and would matter more for the more delicate varieties (orchids etc)...

so iow
we never put the wastewater line down the drain... its always going somewhere useful or being used for something...

have heard multiple times
where people were using the rodi wastewater line to fill up their washing machines... then forgot it was being filled - ending up w/ all kinds of water in the house... just heads up for anyone who might be considering this... seems to be yet another good use for the wastewater (in the washing machine) but then would require monitoring/time (while filling up)...

we opt for the easiest route in this case
and simply put it outside and forget about it.


regards
 
Ro `s are a wast, 4 out of every 5 gal`s are dumped down the Deane . I use a adamant filter ` carbon block` and a DI ` know wast !
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13986397#post13986397 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by loosecannon
Ro `s are a wast, 4 out of every 5 gal`s are dumped down the Deane . I use a adamant filter ` carbon block` and a DI ` know wast !
Click to expand...
not true- the waste content will vary depending on water pressure, temp, type of ro membrane used etc... theres no sweeping statement.

the point of this thread is to save people from just tossing the brine/'waste' water down the drain.

how often do you have to change your carbon and di resin? and what is your tds at with the adamant?

im definitely interested in alternatives- but some constructive info would be great.

:p


Thanks for your thoughts Warren- thats a nice idea to just run it all outside for peace of mind.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13984237#post13984237 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RumLad
How many gallons of RO/DI do you make at a time?
I struggle to grasp how you can use that much water in a washing machine? If you make 25 gallons at a time, that's around 100 gallons of by-pass. Where do you use all of that?
Click to expand...
Dont STRUGGLE so much dude, If you read my post I said I store it in rubbermaid garbage can's ALSO. Pay Attention. I live in Florida and water is wicked expensive, so I waste none!! We get charged twice for the water we use, 1 coming in, and then again going out. So, The more I save, The more I save! I make about 50/60 gallon's a month, which fill's my 4- 30 gal container's that are stored right next to my washing machine. Every little bit help's..
 
Just run the waste line into your toploading washing machine. When we got one of those modern hyperefficient machines that no longer allows that, we run it into a bin and out the window to the garden. It is also good for household washwater, for floors, etc, houseplants. They love the minerals in general. All that phosphate that fuels algae does pretty nicely for houseplants.
 
Mine goes to two different places, to a 55 gallon water drum used to water plants. If that's full, directly to a lemon tree.
 
I've heard of people drinking it with no problems. They say that it is still better (cleaner) than water from the tap because of the filtration it goes through. I've never tried it. Any thoughts?
 
I understand storing it and later using it to water house plants or simply watering the outdoor flowers, but how would you put it back into the system so to speak for use in the water heater or washer or whatever? I make roughly 50 gals of R/O a week so that's a lot of waste water that I'm losing each week.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14158163#post14158163 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Konadog
Mine goes to two different places, to a 55 gallon water drum used to water plants. If that's full, directly to a lemon tree.
Click to expand...
Thats along the lines of what Im considering setting up. Any pics?

What kind of lemon tree do you have? im guessing its in the ground and a few years old at least?
I have some young dwarf citrus (lemons,lime, mandarin) and I use the waste water for them with no issues whatsoever. Im growing my trees in containers and the volume of 'waste' water I produce would be overkill for watering them I think. Now if I had mature trees in the ground, they would probably love the moisture- but only to a certain extent.. (depending on individual water usage/soil composition and weather conditions) I definitely think removing the chlorine and fluoride from the water for your plants is a great benefit. Most rain water has a very low tds i believe- and the tds of my waste is definitely lower than the tap water.. so its a step in the right direction.

Thanks for all the thoughts people-


:thumbsup:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14166978#post14166978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jgsensor
I understand storing it and later using it to water house plants or simply watering the outdoor flowers, but how would you put it back into the system so to speak for use in the water heater or washer or whatever? I make roughly 50 gals of R/O a week so that's a lot of waste water that I'm losing each week.
Click to expand...

watts premier makes a 'zero' waste RO which is designed to run your rejected water directly to your hot water tank- if you do some searching on their site you can learn more. I'm sure there are other options more suitable for reefkeeping - you could probably DIY a clone of their idea to work with you existing RO.

you can find little 'retro kits' of theirs which basically consist of some plumbing parts and a small pump I believe.

here is one of the kits...http://www.wattspremier.com/watts/showdetl.cfm?&DID=15&Product_ID=121&CATID=1
 
I have 4 poly 55gal drums I fill with the waste water and use it to replace evaporated water in the pond. The rest goes into the yard. Why let any go down the drain.Our water and sewer bill just increased 6.1%
 
klepto, no pictures. It's just a simple 55 gallon drum with a valve at the bottom to fill a watering can. If the drum is full, it overflows to the lemon tree. The tree is in ground, and was here when I bought the house 11 years ago.
 
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