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herrera 
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 Topic: RO unit problem..
Posted: February 28 2011 at 3:23pm |
just recieved and hooked up my RO unit. it came with no instructions, so i have been using youtube videos to answer most my questions.
only problem i'm having is im only able to get about 1 gallon of water every few hours.
i thought maybe i just need to wait for it to fully pressurize the tank, so haven't touched it since last night, and was still only able to get maybe just 1 gallon worth of water.
any ideas?
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125g Aggressive tank
SWC-Xtreme cone prtein skimmer
40g Sump
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16g Innovative Marine Reef
AI led 75W
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FlooringGuy
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Posted: February 28 2011 at 3:36pm |
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How many psi is your water pressure entering your tank? What size is your holding tank? What is the psi on your system when your tank is full?
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WhiteReef
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Posted: February 28 2011 at 3:37pm |
There are a few things to look at. If it is brand new then the filters should be okay. The next thing to check is the line pressure going into to the unit to make sure there is proper pressure. Next based on the gpd (gallons per day) of the RO membrane you may need to adjust the flow restrictor that is on the waste water line to the proper length.
If you can give us some more details on the unit you have it probably will help us to better answer your question. What model, the gpd, was it new/used, etc.
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Richard
Former 47G Column Reef, Magna
20" x 18" x 31"H
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bfessler
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Posted: February 28 2011 at 3:45pm |
I assume your RO unit has a storage tank which is filling with one gallon of water then production of RO water stops. You need to check a couple things. 1 what is the water pressure going into the unit or in other words what is the water pressure in the house pipes. If it is below 60 pounds you may need a pressure assist pump to supply water with enough pressure to the unit. 2 what is the pressure inside the storage tank bladder. If you have a pressurized storage tank you need to make sure the pressure is set correctly so that as water enters the tank it compresses the bladder allowing the tank to fill. If the pressure is to high in the tank production of RO water will stop before the tank is filled. The maximum these tanks hold is 2 to 3 gallons anyway.
What I would suggest is that you get a large storage container (I use a 35Gallon Rubbermaid Trash can) and tee of the line between the storage tank and the RO unit. Then get a float valve and attach it to the inside of the container at the height you want the water to stop. Now run a piece of tubing from the Tee to the float valve.
This will allow the storage container to fill with water before the pressure in the tank stops flow. When the water reaches the float valve it will close the valve and when pressure is high enough the Auto Shut Off valve on the RO unit will stop production of RO Water. Now you will always have 1 gallon you can take from your storage tank as well as all the water available in your storage container.
This is probably clear as mud but I hope it helps. Maybe this pic will help. You can see where my line is Tee'd off and runs to the trash container in the picture. Good luck and feel free to give me a call if you have any other questions.
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Burt
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herrera
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Posted: February 28 2011 at 11:40pm |
house pressure is about 90-100psi
when i first got tank, i filled it with 7psi of air. it reaches about 20psi when full. is 20psi to low? what do i want the tank pressure at?
waste water line has no valve to adjust restriction.
when working correctly, will RO units give a steady stream all day? or will it just give you the 2-3 gallon tank capacity of water, until it re-pressurizes?
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FlooringGuy
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Posted: March 01 2011 at 2:37am |
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Instructions for mine said that house pressure over 80 needs to be restricted.
I was having leaks at the plastic fittings. I replaced them with brass and now have no leaks.
Once my tank is full it stays @ about 90 psi on my RO unit.
I will get a steady stream all day long. Once the tank is empty it goes into a very small stream but is still a stream.
Hope that helps.
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jdinchak
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Posted: March 01 2011 at 9:00am |
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When reading the instructions for ours it mentioned if the water is really cold it will slow production down too.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: March 01 2011 at 9:10am |
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What is the TDS of that few gallons of water? If you can't test it, most LFS can. I can also test it for you.
How much waste water is being produced for these few gallons of pure water?
To measure that, place the waste line in a container and drip the pure water into a cup. Stop at some point and measure the amounts in both containers. The ratio should be about 1:4 or 1:5. This is like one cup of pure water for every 4 or 5 cups of waste.
Come back here to report the results and we'll take it to the next step.
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bfessler
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Posted: March 01 2011 at 3:16pm |
 herrera wrote:
house pressure is about 90-100psi
when i first got tank, i filled it with 7psi of air. it reaches about 20psi when full. is 20psi to low? what do i want the tank pressure at?
waste water line has no valve to adjust restriction.
when working correctly, will RO units give a steady stream all day? or will it just give you the 2-3 gallon tank capacity of water, until it re-pressurizes? |
7 Lbs of air should be fine but you can back it off to about 5 if you want. The reason it stops producing at 20psi is that there is an auto shutoff connected between the intake tubing and the output. When pressure builds in the output line it shuts off the input so that leaks don't occur. This is a nice feature especially when using a storage container like a trash can for RO water. When the float valve shuts water flow stops before pressure is high enough to cause a problem.
There shouldn't be any valve on the waste water line. This should just go directly to a floor drain or to your sinks drain via a saddle connector.
If you remove the tubing from your storage tank the RO unit should make water continuously. When connected to the storage tank the unit will make water until the tanks capacity is reached then it will stop. This isn't usually enough water for our needs. That's why I suggest putting a Tee in the line just before the storage tank and running a line to another storage container. You can get a float valve from a LFS or Marine Depot that uses a 1/4" push connect fitting and a 1/4" Tee fitting form Home Depot or Lowes also with push connect fittings. When your container is full the float valve will close and pressure will build in the storage tank and line shutting off production of RO Water until needed.
They also have an instructional video which should answer any questions about setup.
Edited by bfessler - March 01 2011 at 3:20pm
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Burt
An equal opportunity reefer,
I support all hobbyists and organizations involved in Marine Aquarium Keeping.
[email protected]
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herrera
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Posted: March 01 2011 at 4:03pm |
ok great, i will tee it off into another container when i get home, thanks for that info! 
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