New Ro/di

[gobie]

I Just Purchased My First 6 Stage 110gpd Ro/di. The membrain is a TFC (genuine filmtec) w/ auto flush, manual flush. It Should Be Here On The 21st Of Dec. Now Should I Run It On A Cold Water Supply Line Or Can I Have Water That Is Semi Warm 50 Gal Drum Thru Ro/di Into Another 50 Drum With Rejection Water Returning To First Drum? How Much Does Temp Play In Quality Of And Life Of Membrain?
The Only Reason I Have Waited So Long Is I Hear There Is A Lot Of Rejection Water Using An Ro.

 

[Scooterman]

I don't think they recommend using warm or hot water, I'd steer clear of that but for the sake of it, see what the instructions say.

 

[Nashon]

I've seen discussions about this. It seems that the membranes work best if the temp of the water is around 70 degrees. Higher than that and its less effective and will start to ruin the membranes. My RO/DI system was very vague about temperatures and said "Do not run hot water through the system."

 

[gobie]

my thought was to bring water to about room temp 65-70F. and allow chlorine to gas off out of solution first, then run thru ro/di. I already have a fiberglas sediment filter in place for water fines (same type used in magnum 350) .It captues a lot of crap. I think I will email mfg for secs on membrain. another thought, do i need to add anything to water such as kent marine osmo prep to water? or just add salt. to ro /di water?

 

[mfinn]

I talked to Spectrapure this week about the water temp. They said that you would lose up to 20% of your flow when the water temp is at 50F.
Once it's gone through the ro/di unit, just add salt.

 

[ScottT1980]

do i need to add anything to water such as kent marine osmo prep to water? or just add salt. to ro /di water?

As stated, just add the salt. However, buffer if you are using it for a freshwater system (I have seen reefers make this mistake, in turn compromising their freshwater systems).

While I do like your idea of running waste water back to the first drum, I think for the sake of parsimony, just hooking up to a cold water line might be your best bet. Of course, I grow weary when I try to make a system too complex, because it just allows more areas for me to screw up.

Take er easy
Scott T.

 

[mattseattle]

but did they say the ideal temperature for the membrane?

in the winter i mix hot and cold water to get to a temperature of about 75 which dramatically improves the performance of my RO/DI unit. Winter water around here is too cold for optimal production. I think it's like 48 to 50 degrees coming out of my tap.

I talked to Spectrapure this week about the water temp. They said that you would lose up to 20% of your flow when the water temp is at 50F.

Once it's gone through the ro/di unit, just add salt.

 

[mfinn]

When I talked to a tech person at Spectrapure, he told me that 70f was the ideal temp. And that would be the temp at which the ro/di unit would operate the best.
My incoming water in the winter is about the same,48f to 50f.

 

[mattseattle]

yeah i thought 70 - 75 was ideal for membranes. winter water temperature really slows down our membranes.

 

[seaham358]

I have my unit hooked up to my washer hook up and I run warm water through the unit. Been doing this for about 2 years with no problems. Makes water faster if warm like they say. If it burns the membrane out faster thats ok because it is saving my $$$ on less waste water being more efficient. IMO it is worth the few extra $$ to hook it up to warm water.

 

[gobie]

okay heres a question for you all, on average what is your waste water per 5 gallons of pureified water that your unit makes. and please let me know,if using warm or cold water.

 

[wrightme43]

It says about 4 gallon waste to 1 gallon made. I just try not to think about it. LOL. Thats the same thing I tell people about reef tanks, when they ask how much it costs. Its better if you just dont think about it. LOL. I have a question about rerouting waste water to the input jug. If the ro membrane is increasing the tds of the waster water and decresing the tds of the output water, wont you reach a point as the tds in the input water gets so high it affects your output and damages the ro membrane? What do you think? I think that it would be best to use the waste water for washing cloths or watering outside plants or some other use. These are only my opinions and are not ment to argue with you. I assume you wanted input on doing so or you wouldnt of posted the question. HTH. Steve

 

[dwall174]

Well here in Michigan my water supply gets down to around 42 degrees in the winter! I’ve thought of using some type of inline heater or mixing in some hot water but haven’t yet! I do notice that the waste water goes up to about 5 to 1 versus 4 to 1 in warmer weather. On the other side though I have noticed that with the colder water my TDS out of the RO is a little lower so my DI lasts longer! From what I have read the cold water won’t hurt the membrane like hot water can but it does restrict the output! My output will drop to about ½ of what I will get during the summer so my 75gpd membrane will only put out around 35~40gpd.