ro water saving idea
- Thread starter little_squid
- Start date
little_squid
In Memoriam
well the problem is romeoville town was going to go bankrupt years ago and then they had a great idea of raising the water bills to help out! well of course they would never reduce the cost even if the town doubled in size which it has! i moved from there some time ago and went from $150 a month bill to $50 and use the same amount of water! i turn my ro unit off everytime im done making water! i do 50 gallon changes a week. but i have other people in romeoville with this issue so i trying to help!
bryanth73 you on romeoville water?
bryanth73 you on romeoville water?
landragon
Premium Member
OK I got the dirt on the goods. Here is what you need. All links are not preffered or even the cheapest, just showing the stuff.
The booster pump http://www.pwgazette.com/6800pump.htm
This boosts inlet pressure and maintins it. Get the 8800. They work best with a 10-20 mic prefilter.
Check valve x 2
http://www.rowatersystems.com/catalog/j-0422427_1_4__jg_x_1_4__jg_scv_1819561.htm
One on the product water, and one on the waste water prior to the piercing saddle feed valve.
Feed fitting
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/rob785sp14.html
This enable you to punch into the hot water line.
The booster pump http://www.pwgazette.com/6800pump.htm
This boosts inlet pressure and maintins it. Get the 8800. They work best with a 10-20 mic prefilter.
Check valve x 2
http://www.rowatersystems.com/catalog/j-0422427_1_4__jg_x_1_4__jg_scv_1819561.htm
One on the product water, and one on the waste water prior to the piercing saddle feed valve.
Feed fitting
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/rob785sp14.html
This enable you to punch into the hot water line.
landragon
Premium Member
The hookup involve this : Turn off main water and bleed through a faucet to relieve pressure. Attach the booster pump preferably after a prefilter, on the cold feed to the R/O unit. This will need to be plugged in. There are other accesories I would purchase to make on and off cycles more pleasant. take the waste line cut it and insert the check valve preventing feedback. This should be after your flow restrictor. Then place the piercing valve on the hot line, preferably BEFORE the heater. Turn on mains.
This setup will make the same quality water as non ZeroWaste setups. I would also buy a pressure switch and solenoid to turn off the feed pump at the closure of product water valve. Under $200 I think if you shop around. Pays in a few months for your friends.
This setup will make the same quality water as non ZeroWaste setups. I would also buy a pressure switch and solenoid to turn off the feed pump at the closure of product water valve. Under $200 I think if you shop around. Pays in a few months for your friends.
little_squid
In Memoriam
good job jamie
now what happens if you start making 50 gallons of water at lets say 9am and no one takes a shower or runs the dishwasher? wouldnt the hot water heater be full and not be able to take on anymore water? just a thought:-/
now what happens if you start making 50 gallons of water at lets say 9am and no one takes a shower or runs the dishwasher? wouldnt the hot water heater be full and not be able to take on anymore water? just a thought:-/
landragon
Premium Member
No. At least not according to the purveyors of such systems. The inlet pressure is much less than the booster output. But the booster can adjust to the inlet pressure. The extra water will defuse through your pipes ending back in the membrane for multiple passes. It is easier on th membrane than the original plan, as it dilutes the waste into the incoming feed wate, and is not concentrating much. A shower can be taken at the same time and neither the membrane or the showeree would suffer. Keep in mind the waste is still passing a flow restrictor, and stepping sown it's pressure a little. Water can not compress much at all, anfd a properly made/maintained waterheater will handle any increase. Plumbing after the heater will result in water backfeeding from the hot into the cold, and may excessivley warm the r/o systems water depending on orientation.
joelowrider
In Memoriam
so wheen you run an ro you only get 1 galon for every 5
asnatlas
New member
chrisguy
New member
I have a permeate pump and it has cut the amount of waste water. They do work without pressurized holding tanks. Not sure why they are advertised as needing one, cause they do work without one, as long as you have some type of cutoff valve (i.e. float switch) in your holding tank.
To test I connected the waste water output into a 5 gallon bucket. I then drained 1 gallon of water from my holding tank. When the process of topping off the container was complete, the 5 gallon bucket had overflowed. I have low water pressure in my house, so productin levels are not optimal. I then conducted the same test with the permeate pump. The bucket had just under 4 gallons in it.
At the time I then did the math and calculated that it would take a couple years to pay for the pump.
To test I connected the waste water output into a 5 gallon bucket. I then drained 1 gallon of water from my holding tank. When the process of topping off the container was complete, the 5 gallon bucket had overflowed. I have low water pressure in my house, so productin levels are not optimal. I then conducted the same test with the permeate pump. The bucket had just under 4 gallons in it.
At the time I then did the math and calculated that it would take a couple years to pay for the pump.
joelowrider
In Memoriam
damn thats wild i dont have an ro unit i just buy it from the fish store 23 cents a gallon 55 cents for salt
AZDesertRat
In Memoriam
I think you guys are amking a big to do about nothing. The average cost for municipal water across the US is about $2 per Thousand gallons. I don't know about you but I use much more brushing my teeth and showering than I do making RO water. If your waste valve is set at 4:1 you can make 200 gallons of product water and waste 800 gallons for 2 bucks. Thats probably about how much I make per month between drinking, cooking, ice maker, pet water and aquarium water uses. At $2 a month it would take a long time to recoup my investment for a zero waste option which I am not sold on anyway. With my raw water TDS averaging 630, my waste is 20 to 25% higher than that and I sure don't want to dump that in my hot water heater or run it back through my membrane and prematurely wear it out either.
I am satisfied to waste it and let the local wastewater plant treat it and sell it again for reuse or as cooling water for the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant.
I am satisfied to waste it and let the local wastewater plant treat it and sell it again for reuse or as cooling water for the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant.
Roland Jacques
Premium Member
AZDesertRat
Very good point. I guess we need to look at our own bills and water demands
I use a lot of water 800 / mo.
4000 waste (water is $3.30/1000) is only $13.80 mo. Not bad for the winter but in the summer we have a surcharge if you go over 10,000 gallons of usage it is $4.13 / 1000.
The waste recovery would keep me under the 10,000 gallon threshold. For that 5 month period.
Without waste recovery I use 12,000 Gal a mo at 4.13 = $50.00/mo.
With waste recovery I use 8,000 at $3.30 = $26.00/mo.
Im also not that comfortable putting 4000 gal/mo of water in a septic tank not sure what would happen during the rainy season.
So for me waste water cost me $215 / year.
630 tds, Are you sure your tap water is before the Nuclear Plant. :eek1:
My waste water is less than 60 tds. Yeah im bragging. I can recycle my waste water 20 times before it is as bad as your tap water.:lol: You have good weather we have good water ill trade you.
Very good point. I guess we need to look at our own bills and water demands
I use a lot of water 800 / mo.
4000 waste (water is $3.30/1000) is only $13.80 mo. Not bad for the winter but in the summer we have a surcharge if you go over 10,000 gallons of usage it is $4.13 / 1000.
The waste recovery would keep me under the 10,000 gallon threshold. For that 5 month period.
Without waste recovery I use 12,000 Gal a mo at 4.13 = $50.00/mo.
With waste recovery I use 8,000 at $3.30 = $26.00/mo.
Im also not that comfortable putting 4000 gal/mo of water in a septic tank not sure what would happen during the rainy season.
So for me waste water cost me $215 / year.
630 tds, Are you sure your tap water is before the Nuclear Plant. :eek1:
My waste water is less than 60 tds. Yeah im bragging. I can recycle my waste water 20 times before it is as bad as your tap water.:lol: You have good weather we have good water ill trade you.
AZDesertRat
In Memoriam
My employer is an Environmental Engineering firm and we have an office in Atlanta. I'm jealous of your water quality there, I hear about it all the time from projects we are working on.
RO has a ways to go to become environmentally friendly for sure but so do water softeners and other technologies too, I hear about high sodium and potassium levels entering the WW plants all the time. It would sure be nice if someone could come up with an efficient, ecological friendly device that doesn't cost an arm and leg and would be small enough for a point of use device.
RO has a ways to go to become environmentally friendly for sure but so do water softeners and other technologies too, I hear about high sodium and potassium levels entering the WW plants all the time. It would sure be nice if someone could come up with an efficient, ecological friendly device that doesn't cost an arm and leg and would be small enough for a point of use device.
Roland Jacques
Premium Member
little_squid
So did you try your idea? Or did you go with Jamie’s idea. Im just starting my new fish room. Im leaning to your idea. or sticking with DI Only.
I can’t seem to visualize Jamie’s set up that good right now. I wonder if the backpressure on the waste water interferes with water production.
water production.
So did you try your idea? Or did you go with Jamie’s idea. Im just starting my new fish room. Im leaning to your idea. or sticking with DI Only.
I can’t seem to visualize Jamie’s set up that good right now. I wonder if the backpressure on the waste water interferes with water production.
water production.
Roland Jacques
Premium Member
dose any one have any info on back pressure on the waste water?
RobbyG
Active member
AZ for the first time I have got to disagree with you, I don't think it's a question of how much you pay for water, it's the idea of letting good water go to waste. Much like the SUV argument 4 years ago, now with Gas prices sky high people see the folly of their ways, greater demand = higher prices. I think Little_Squid has a good idea, even if he shortens the Membrane life it may well be worth it.
BTW Little_squid take a closer look at Permeate pumps and dual RO systems. You may be able to create something that does not depend on a booster pump.
BTW Little_squid take a closer look at Permeate pumps and dual RO systems. You may be able to create something that does not depend on a booster pump.
