RO/DI Unit plumbing

[Anemone0524]

What's the best way to tap into the water supply of a house for purposes of hooking up the RO/DI unit?

It's a small PVC pipe that provide cold water supply to the house. Is a saddle valve how most people do this? I've heard saddle valves reduce pressure, which is not what I need on my RO/DI unit.

Thanks...

 

[jasoncw]

Worse than reducing pressure, saddle valves have a tendency to fail, which will cause uncontrollable leaking unless you shut the supply line to your home off.

I would install a 1/4" shut-off valve you can find at HD or Lowe's. Much more reliable, although you will have to cut the pipe and glue the new one in (very simple with PVC BTW).

 

[46FiatYamaha]

the way a lot of people including myself install these is with an undersink shutoff supply valve. http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/Supply-Fittings-c46.html No mods needed, you just unhook the compression valve under your sink and put this in line with it, very simple and reliable

 

[jasoncw]

Yep, very similar, and this is the type you would see at HD:

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

you can also "Y" it off of your cold water supply of your washing machine.

 

[drummereef]

If you want an alternative to a saddle valve there are Add A Line compression ball valves available . My HVAC guys used one on my humidifier line because standard saddle valves are against code now in my area now. They can be used on all sorts of stuff from ice maker/refrig to water filters, etc... And the compression fitting makes them easy to install. Only $20.

SIOUX CHIEF 601-30CV ADD A LINE BALL VALVE
Click Here

 

[Anemone0524]

nice drummer! That's exactly what I need. I knew something like that had to exist. Are you sure this will work with PVC? All the instructions/diagrams show this product being used with copper.

So glad I asked this before piercing my lines with saddle valves...

 

[jasoncw]

IMO just get a valve with slip PVC fittings so you can glue it. Much less prone to leaking than compression fittings. Gluing PVC is very simple. Go to the PVC section of HD or Lowes and you should find them.