Ro Unit

[cooper1973]

evening all...........can anyone help me try t identify this ro unit im trying to find out where each tube goes as the flow direction on the membrain housing does not correspond to the way the previous person had this set up there is a blue tube a white tube and a red one the white one was being used as the supply tube...thought this would be final filtered water or would this be blue one? i have added a picture to see if anyone can help

 

[AK77]

Hi,

Its a bit hard to tell what's going on from that picture. A close up of the pipework would be much more handy.

What you should have is the following :

There should be one pipe coming from the mains tap supply. This connects into one of the bottom pre-filter chambers. If this unit was previously used then you should be able to indentify which one it is, because the other sediment chamber will be connected to the RO-membrane chamber via 1/4" pipe. The one you want is the pre-filter with a pipe not connected at one end. Normally the pressure gauge is connected between the mains supply and the first chamber.

From the output of the second pre-filter chamber should be a pipe leading to the RO membrane chamber as mentioned above. There should be a directional arrow on membrane chamber, telling you which way water should flow through the unit. At the opposite end should be two pipes running off. One is the waste pipe and should have a valve connected to it. Keep this in the closed position to create the required pressure inside the RO chamber to produce the RO water. The RO water will connect to the smaller chamber at the top. This is most likely a post membrane carbon filter. The "pure" water will be on the outflow from the top unit and is what you want to harvest.

The waste pipe you can either run straight into a drain or like I do, run into a waterbutt or maybe a pond or something. I keep goldfish in my waterbutt and the fish are doing great in there with the RO waste water. Once a week, open the waste valve for 20 minutes or so. This will help flush out the RO membrane and extend its life. Its also a good idea to hook an in-line TDS meter up between the mains supply and the RO water output. Mine reads about 270-400 at the infeed and 0 at the RO output. If it starts rising from 0 then its time to look at changing the RO membrane. Remember, the waste pipe will still release water, even when the valve is in the "closed" position.

Hope that helps,

AK

Edit: At a guess I would say the blue pipe is your RO water as it looks like its coming from the top chamber. The white pipe looks like its connected to the pre-filter chamber on the bottom right and white pipe is used throughout the system. I would assume then that the red pipe is your waste water. If the red pipe is connected to the waste valve at the back of the unit then the above is correct.

 

[cooper1973]

here are somemore pics of the unit i was abit concerned about the membraine with the arrow pointing the opposite direction to where the harvested water would come from in blue can any one tell me if this is correct
http/i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/cooper1973/DSC03112.jpg
http/i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/cooper1973/DSC03114.jpg
http/i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/cooper1973/DSC03113.jpg
http/i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/cooper1973/DSC03116.jpg

 

[AK77]

The top one isn't the RO membrane. The RO membrane is the larger chamber below in the middle of the unit. The top one is a post membrane carbon filter. It looks like they have connected that up incorrectly. Just reverse it and switch the tubes so that the blue still remains as the RO water pipe.

The one you want to be concerned with is the large chamber in the middle. Check an ensure that the flow is going the correct way on that.

 

[cooper1973]

yep turned it round it looks all ok now and just finished installing it..........i have one more thing to ask as i say its all installed now but is it right that the waste pipe should be constantly running? or does this happen so it keeps a constant flow in there so filters dont go green?

 

[AK77]

yep turned it round it looks all ok now and just finished installing it..........i have one more thing to ask as i say its all installed now but is it right that the waste pipe should be constantly running? or does this happen so it keeps a constant flow in there so filters dont go green?

Yep its totally normal for it to be running. You will notice that the flow increases through it when you open the valve, but decreases the flow from the RO outlet. Keep the valve shut to produce the RO water, then once a week, leave it open for 20 minutes while its running to flush out the membrane. This will prolong its life.

Before you go adding water to your tank though, I would suggest you get the water tested with a TDS meter first, just in case the membrane is past its prime. You can probably get it checked for free at your LFS. For about £20-£25 you can get an inline TDS meter which will monitor your water every time you press the button.

 

[cooper1973]

should there be a valve on the waste pipe? and should i keep this close while getting the ro water?

 

[AK77]

should there be a valve on the waste pipe? and should i keep this close while getting the ro water?

Yup, there should be a valve on the waste pipe. It's more of a restrictor than an on/off tap valve. When its closed it increases the pressure inside the RO membrane chamber, forcing water through the membrane filter and the rest of the RO system. Waste water will still come out of the waste pipe and this is normal. Keep the valve closed to produce RO water from the blue pipe. Once a week, run the valve on open for 20 minutes to flush the crap out of it.

In your case, I think its the small cylinder with "ORGANICS" in blue. Look on that to see if there is a valve mechanism on it somewhere.

 

[cooper1973]

should there be a valve on the waste pipe? and should i keep this close while getting the ro water?

Yup, there should be a valve on the waste pipe. It's more of a restrictor than an on/off tap valve. When its closed it increases the pressure inside the RO membrane chamber, forcing water through the membrane filter and the rest of the RO system. Waste water will still come out of the waste pipe and this is normal. Keep the valve closed to produce RO water from the blue pipe. Once a week, run the valve on open for 20 minutes to flush the crap out of it.

In your case, I think its the small cylinder with "ORGANICS" in blue. Look on that to see if there is a valve mechanism on it somewhere.

just had a look and there is nowhere nr or on the organics cylinder that possibly would shut off the waste outlet. can i just add a on/off tap valve but release it once a week?

 

[AK77]

NO! Remember, the valve is not an on/off tap valve... its a flow restrictor. Water must still flow through the waste valve at all times while the system is running, otherwise you'll be spending another £35 because you knackered the RO membrane. The RO system is not like say.. a Britta water filter, where a litre of water goes in, is filtered and 1 litre comes out, minus some pollutants. The RO membrane acts more like a refiner. It produces pure water but at the same time, all the bad stuff is filtered out and washed away with the rest of the water. If that water has nowhere to go, then the membrane will be damaged. Usually the RO to waste water is about 1:5 although different restrictors can be purchased to adjust this ratio.

I'm not familiar with the model that you have. I'm assuming that the white cylinder is the flow restrictor valve. Does it not twist or rotate to allow full open flow/restricted flow to enable the membrane to be flushed? If not, then you might want to replace it with a flow restrictor that has this feature. Again, I'd recommend that you get your RO water tested to see if the membrane is still functioning properly. If this one doesn't have a flush function on the restrictor valve, then the chances are that the RO membrane will fail quicker that one that can be flushed.

 

[cooper1973]

the post membrane carbon filter is a sealed filter is it possible to get a housing that the filter can be replaced inside rather that replacing the whole thing all the time and what would i put inside obviously carbon is it the same as activated carbon. also i need to mention one of my filters on the bottom in one of the chambers on the bottom ar woven can these be changed for different ones like polypropylene sedimentary filter does it have to be wound one

 

[AK77]

the post membrane carbon filter is a sealed filter is it possible to get a housing that the filter can be replaced inside rather that replacing the whole thing all the time and what would i put inside obviously carbon is it the same as activated carbon. also i need to mention one of my filters on the bottom in one of the chambers on the bottom ar woven can these be changed for different ones like polypropylene sedimentary filter does it have to be wound one

The post membrane carbon filter are bought sealed like that, so you have to purchase them as is. You should be able to fit any combination of pre-sediment filter into the bottom two chambers, provided that they fit the mount and chamber. Just remember that when you replace them, to have the larger filter mesh first. EG 100 microns first, 10 microns 2nd.

 

[cooper1973]

i would assume the first chamber on the bottom is carbon? then the sediment filter.

 

[AK77]

i would assume the first chamber on the bottom is carbon? then the sediment filter.

If memory serves, I think most of the pre-filters contain carbon. Have look on the osmotics website. It should have information on systems similar to yours and so you will know what to replace yours with.

 

[cooper1973]

can the post carbon filter be remove as i thought these where only if you was going to use unit for drinking water