R/O Waste Water Uses

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14178183#post14178183 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Konadog
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.
Click to expand...
Thanks Ken. That sounds straight forward enough!

Did you split the line that runs to the tree? so that it doesn't soak just the one area of your tree's roots? i imagine that the roots wouldn't be happy if the soil in one area was constantly saturated..
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14180812#post14180812 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by klepto
Did you split the line that runs to the tree? so that it doesn't soak just the one area of your tree's roots? i imagine that the roots wouldn't be happy if the soil in one area was constantly saturated..
Click to expand...
No, it fills the 55, and if it gets to full, I have an overflow that runs to the tree. So the RO/DI waste is run to the 55, the 55 overflows to the tree. I usually have 35 of RO/DI water and 55 of waste water.
If you meant the over flow to the tree, no, just a line to the base I move around when I feel like it.

I only make water once a week so it really not to bad.
 
Yeah I meant the flow over the tree- thanks for the explanation. I am using an RO for both household drinking and tank water. So i produce quite a bit of reject water daily... I see how if you are only making water weekly it would be perfect.
 
use an ATO to water whatever you need watering. can be set up from a container of waste water with a pump and hose.
 
I have a garden timer that interfaces where the RODI attaches to the laundry room sink. One hour fills a gallon jug with RODI and a 5 gallon bucket in the sink with waste water. i use a pond pump and hose to pump the water from the bucket to the washing machine and do one load of laundry a day. one gallon of top off water per day. Works out nicely.

Once a week, I make five gallons of salt water for a water change and use the waste water for watering the plants, inside and out, just by dunking the watering can into the waste water bucket. That's also the time I wash linens and towels and such. Use up all that waste water.

Someone on this site once mentioned the concentration of minerals in the waste water is not good for human consumption. I suppose that depends on the amount of minerals in the original tap water, but it makes me leary of drinking it. or putting it in the water heater, for that matter. I've replaced too many water heaters to risk the sediment.
 
This definitely got me thinking. I'm in a place where we have 2 seasons winter and summer. and thinking about all that waste water that accumulates in the winter (9-10 months) can be used to keep the grass green in the summer. Now the only question is... is it worth the effort to store all the water through winter.... Any thoughts???
 
If you have access to storage barrels or tanks, and a place to keep them that isn't a problem, then it may be worth it. I can water all my plants for a week with 55 gallons.
 
Mine goes to my freshwater fish tanks that then overflows into the garden. No manual water changes for me! :)
 
i use it for my freshwater tank also, the plants are doing really good.

i'm thinking of getting a large rubermaid trash can to use it for plants.
 
At the moment i let the waste keep the pool filled up. I am not sure how that is going to go in the summer. It may cause more algae with the hot temperatures and all the tds in the water.
 
i use it in the washing machine use three 30gal trash cans mag5 pump from can to washer.the line is on a tee with a valve when the cans are full the valve is turned and it goes out side,tried it in the pool one summer worst algae ever never do that again.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14137963#post14137963 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vito is hooked
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..
Click to expand...
That's a good size laundry room you've got there, dude.
Do they actually meter the waste line in your community? They don't here in the Midwest. They just assume what came in is also going out.
I guess I'm just not used to having 100's of gallons of water sitting around the house waiting for the washing machine to fire up.
 
I've been interested in this subject of RO waste- When we buy a house and can permanently plumb whatever we darn wish I was hoping that we'd be able to run separate hotwater-type tanks that can hold ro good and ro waste water. RO good can go to the fish tank, RO waste to dishwasher and clothes washer. However, the significant other tells me that tanks such as these need to be pressurized and the ro unit wouldn't be able to do that. I see lots of people talk about putting the water into rubbermaid containers, I assume thats because of the pressure issue. Would there be a way to pressurize the ro waste tanks so that the ro waste can be in its own pressurized tank, or is this all wishful thinking?
 
Im willing to bet there is a way to pressurize the waste water... I have had the same thought- hopefully someone will be able to provide some more insight here...

And as far as using the rubbermaid containers- I use them mostly because they are convenient- It has nothing to do with the pressure on the membrane/ waterline. You could use a bunch of different containers depending on what you want to do with it.

For my situation (using a cheapo air gap faucet on my 5 stage RO- which I split for a separate tank line) I believe the waste line should be arranged to allow for ideal gravitational flow (short and below the faucet obviously)...
My questions are: Is this an issue if you aren't using an air gap faucet? and are there any issues with extending the waste line to remote containers for storage/ garden?
 
I think that as long as there is no back pessure on the waste line that exceeds the pressure across the membrane, you shouldn't have any issues with running a longer line to remote containers.
You could then run a pump from the storage containers for greater distances / elevations to your watering end points if needed.

here is another thought that I had. If you are just letting the water run down a drain, and that drain returns the water through the municipal water system, to be used again or returned to nature, is it indeed "waste" water? Other than you paying for the water that came through your meter, only to be unused for anything other than making RO/DI fish juice.
 
I figure, as long as I have to pay for what comes into my house, i'm going to use every drop of it if possible. Even if it "recycles" through the municipal water system. If I have to pay, i have to use.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14190152#post14190152 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by out
I have a garden timer that interfaces where the RODI attaches to the laundry room sink. One hour fills a gallon jug with RODI and a 5 gallon bucket in the sink with waste water. i use a pond pump and hose to pump the water from the bucket to the washing machine and do one load of laundry a day. one gallon of top off water per day. Works out nicely.

Once a week, I make five gallons of salt water for a water change and use the waste water for watering the plants, inside and out, just by dunking the watering can into the waste water bucket. That's also the time I wash linens and towels and such. Use up all that waste water.

Someone on this site once mentioned the concentration of minerals in the waste water is not good for human consumption. I suppose that depends on the amount of minerals in the original tap water, but it makes me leary of drinking it. or putting it in the water heater, for that matter. I've replaced too many water heaters to risk the sediment.
Click to expand...

I use pretty much the same setup. I use a garden timer too and found about the same times- one hour will fill up a one gallon jug. The only difference is my RODI waste line is simply dropped right into the washing machine. We do enough laundry that it's rare the washer ever gets filled, and when it does it's just because we've been lazy about laundry.

Of course I only have a 30 gallon nano reef so I only make about 10-15 gallons a week of RODI water. This setup may not work for large reef tanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
R/O Membrane GPH rating shipped 100 when ordered 50
Replies
3
Views
174
Vinny Kreyling
Vinny Kreyling
hipertec
R/O Water Containers at Patio outside OK?
Replies
2
Views
629
outssider
O
M
Matt's 210 rebuild
2 3
Replies
41
Views
10K
mms_citrus
M
Chocobo
Storing R/O Water
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
Pet Detective
Pet Detective
T
R/O versus tap water
Replies
7
Views
702
thomashtom
T
Back
Top