RO/DI questions

[grendl]

I recently hooked up my RODI, & have been fiddling around with it, trying to get it tuned in. The dealer I bought it from said he runs his home kit at ~90-100 PSI & tries to get 1 cup of good water, per 2 cups of waste. I am a bit concerned, because with my limited sampling of what my unit pushes, results fluctuate from test to test.

I have had it hooked up in the basement, directly to my utility sink spigot via a hose adaptor. I have had it setup a couple of weeks, & have checked it a few of different times... for some reason the pressure I had it set at doesnt seem to be holding fast. The last I checked I had it tuned to turn out ~ a ratio of 1 cup to 3. This evening when I went down to hook up & test what will be my FW reservoir (to test the float & make sure it shuts completely off) it was pushing out water at a higher pressure & I was getting around a 1/2 ratio.

Do you guys see these fluctations with your RO units, or do you even pay attention, just testing the TDS?

 

[sixliner6]

I don't know what you mean by it dosen't stay at your set pressure. My RO flucuates at 60-80psi. I at first had to do some measuring to get the right ratio and then cut the capillary tubing. I now only check the TDS. I am sure the ratio may flucuate some but I am more concerned with the TDS.

 

[grendl]

My assumption was that when I drilled down my pressure, it would be static. I can see from your response that it wont be!

What do you mean you cut the capillary tubing??? Just wanna make sure I am not missing something I am supposed to be doing!!!

BTW, float valve seems to have worked... I will check it again before I go to bed to make sure that there isnt a trickle coming thru, but it looks good so far. I just need to get some damn batteries now for the TDS meter.... Rite Aid didnt have my size. :/

 

[LtPiper]

Oh yeah it will flucuate with pressure and Temp too. I get a much higher ratio in the summer verses the winter. The colder it gets the lower the ratio. You would think mixing in hot water would reverse that but that's a bad idea as if it gets too hot it will damage the membrane in the RO unit. That said depending on the time of year the water temp and the pressure you will get different results.

 

[WVfishguy]

Just concern yourself with TDS. Don't obsess over "3 to 1" or whatever. Get a low TDS (less than 7, preferably 0) , and be happy.

 

[grendl]

thanks alot guys... hope to find batteries before the week is out & test the product.

 

[LtPiper]

If you have the one we got on the group buy they have them at the Rite Aide on Washington street next to Watts in the hearing aid battery section.

 

[grendl]

I have a cheapo Hanna TDS tester, wasnt from the group buy.. it requires the 800 ppm (or whatever) solution for calibration if that helps in distinguishing it. The battery is a 357a, I will swing by the west side before going home tomorrow, since they didnt have em up here on the hill. Those are my old stompin grounds anyhow.

 

[grendl]

Got the batteries & tested the water. After having sat open in my nasty old basement for about 3 days, in an old salt bucket that I rinsed & wiped out with an old rag, the water read 1 PPM TDS. I dumped it out & let it refill & measured it "fresh" & got a reading of 0. So yay!

I was going to use that old salt bucket as my FW reservoir for my topoff... Is that a bad idea?

 

[mcox33]

I would think it would be fine, but cut a small hole in the lid and push the tubing through the hole then connect it to whatever if anything it connects to inside the bucket. Put the lid on the bucket to keep out the dust and I think it should be fine.