Setting up ro water

[Jag75]

For those of you who have these systems or knowledge I have some questions.

Do all ro water systems have 5 stages ?
Do they all have to have a waste water line?
If they do can you use that water for coffee pots ect... or is it not good water.
Is there one that you can just hook up to a hose and fill your water jugs or is it something that has to be installed connected to your water line ?

Thinking of getting a set up . Thanks in advance !

 

[mongoose33]

Not all have five stages. I think mine has 4.

All will have a wastewater line.

I use mine for brewing....and for a Keurig coffee maker I have in my office. I fill gallon water jugs that held distilled water (never milk jugs, they can't be cleaned properly), and schlep those to the office, or if I need a double-batch brew day and need extra water. There's something like 15 gallons there:



The RO filters aren't fast, at least, my 50 gpd filter does between 1 and 2 gallons per hour. You can get faster and slower filters, rated in gallons-per-day. Mine is 50 gpd. If I did it again, I'd probably opt for a 75 or 100 gpd system. BTW, they work better with softened water, and the warmer the water, the better they work. Really cold water is SLOW.

Here are some pics showing how mine's set up.

Originally, I put a garden hose adapter on the sink to feed the in line to the filter; I hung it on the wall because it's the garage and if it ever got too cold it'd freeze, so I could move it into the house if necessary. Never have, as it turns out.

Here's the sink faucet adapter setup:

Then I installed the filter below the sink to free up more room, and I put the waste line into a trap beneath sink.

Then I drilled a hole, added a rubber grommet, and passed the output line outside the sink.

Then I had a separate hose bib installed so I could run the RO filter and retain the ability to use the sink:

I then doubled down on that supply by using a splitter, one to the RO filter, the other to serve the Steam Slayer I use:

The current setup with not only the output line from the RO filter feeding the Aquatainer I use, but also the feed line for the Steam Slayer and the return effluent line:

Here's the approach used under the sink; I had a separate stand pipe added connected to the trap, and both the waste line from the RO system as well as the effluent line from the Steam Slayer drain into it. The yellow line is the RO waste line.

But I was still concerned about manhandling a 56+ pound container of water given my two back surgeries; I can do it, but I decided over time it wasn't smart. So I added a self-priming pump so I can pump that water from the Aquatainer up to the boil kettle, or feed gallon jugs of RO water to take to my office or double-up a batch for a day:

***********

Now, I'm not saying you should do anything like I have done it--my setup and equipment and such is likely unique, and the solutions I've crafted are ones that fit my own situation.

Use the above to understand it better, and to maybe plan out what would work the best for your situation.

FYI, I bought my RO stuff from Buckeye Hydro. Russ, who posts here from time to time, set me up. I said what I wanted (filter, connection to faucet, etc.) and he set me up with it. I also bought a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter which runs about, IIRC, roughly 28 bucks, which is needed to see when the filter isn't working as well.

I've had mine for, geez, almost 3 years and haven't replaced anything yet. I'm still getting 5 ppm RO water out of it. I've probably produced...oh, maybe 700 gallons of RO water out of it.

 

[Jag75]

Mongoose thanks for the detailed response and photos . Will help me make my decision.

 

[brewstergalVT]

I purchased a countertop RO system from APEC. It's a 4 stage system, hooks into my kitchen sink (you have to have a standard type faucet, not a pull-out or designer faucet) and hook it up when I need to collect water for brewing, then I just disconnect from the faucet once I've collected my water. Nothing permanent, no holding tank, very easy to use. It's a 90 GPD system and less waste water I think than some other systems (2:1 for waste:RO I think is what my system gives). I went with this company based on recommendations by others in my homebrew club as I'm new to RO and got the countertop model as I didn't want a permanent RO system and this fit the bill. Hope that helps.

 

[mabrungard]

No, all RO systems do not have 5 stages. Depending on the water source, the number of stages needed for brewing may vary from 2 to 4. If you're on a municipal water source, the minimum number of stages is 3. The system pictured in a post above, has 3 stages (sediment, carbon, and membrane).

Depending on your raw water quality, the wastewater from your system might be usable for other uses, but it might also be awful. Using the wastewater in a coffee machine is almost certain to be problematic. Use the RO water for coffee.

 

[Jag75]

Thanks guys . I'm gonna go with the under the sink set up . 3 or 4 stage. 75 or 100 GPD .

 

[couchsending]

Use RO for coffee too! Then start building water profiles for your coffee....

 

[Jag75]

What makes the waste water in a RO system not very good quality . Isnt it just part 9f the water that doesnt go through the last filter which should be way better then tap ?

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

Do all ro water systems have 5 stages ?
Do they all have to have a waste water line?
If they do can you use that water for coffee pots ect... or is it not good water.
Is there one that you can just hook up to a hose and fill your water jugs or is it something that has to be installed connected to your water line ?

@Jag75 in my garage I ran heavy wall PVC food and beverage hose to a sink. I mounted an 3-stage RO filter to the side of the sink and tapped the PVC line to feed it source water, the filter's waste water drains into the sink.

I use the RO filter mostly for brewing beer and making coffee. It is also great for mixing up a batch of StarSan as the sanitizer solution stays crystal clear as opposed to turning cloudy when using unfiltered tap water. About once a week or as needed I filter batches of RO water and store it in food grade containers for daily use.

 

[mabrungard]

Isnt it just part 9f the water that doesnt go through the last filter which should be way better then tap ?

No. The waste water is also referred to as 'concentrate'. It has a higher concentration of all the ions from the raw tap water. The first filters remove almost nothing (just chlorine compounds if one of the filters is a carbon unit). Those first filters only serve to protect the membrane. They do not improve water quality.

 

[Jag75]

No. The waste water is also referred to as 'concentrate'. It has a higher concentration of all the ions from the raw tap water. The first filters remove almost nothing (just chlorine compounds if one of the filters is a carbon unit). Those first filters only serve to protect the membrane. They do not improve water quality.

Ok , that makes sense . Thank you for clearing that up .

 

[cmac62]

I too am contemplating getting an RO filter, but I'm not sure SWMBO would agree to an under the sink model and the countertop sounds like a possibility. The question I have, does the filter/membrane need to stay wet, or can it sit unconnected for a week or more between brews? Thanks

 

[Jag75]

I think the counter top does go under the sink. It has a faucet that is on the countertop or corner of sink. At least that's what popped up when I I Googled it

 

[mongoose33]

I too am contemplating getting an RO filter, but I'm not sure SWMBO would agree to an under the sink model and the countertop sounds like a possibility. The question I have, does the filter/membrane need to stay wet, or can it sit unconnected for a week or more between brews? Thanks

I do believe it should stay wet. If you used it once a week, or even once every couple of weeks, based on my experience that would be fine.

Russ from Buckeye Hydro said that I needed to run mine at least once every two weeks otherwise something bad would happen. Well, I'm sure he was being conservative on that. I've usually used it once every couple weeks or more often, but a couple times I went 3 weeks or even longer, and the world didn't stop turning. Same water quality coming out of it. in fact, it's been 3+ weeks since i last used it, so I should run it for a bit.

He also told me that if there would be an extended period of non-use I should remove the filter and put it in a solution of...I can't remember. So I just make sure I keep using it, and keep testing the water.

BTW, I think having a TDS meter is essential to this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go run mine. First I'll do the flush thing, run it, then flush at the end as well. Seems to work.

 

[day_trippr]

I imagine the best extended storage practice would be full immersion in RO water.
Definitely don't want any chlorine, and the less mineral content the better wrt forming deposits in the membrane...

Cheers!

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

He also told me that if there would be an extended period of non-use I should remove the filter and put it in a solution of...I can't remember. So I just make sure I keep using it, and keep testing the water.

I opted to get an RO filter with a built-in auto flush feature, but I leave mine always connected to the tap water supply.

 

[day_trippr]

I have an autoflush valve on my RO system, but it is only operational when actually making product water, when it flushes for 18 seconds every hour. When the system is not making RO water this particular autoflush valve is static.

fwiw, I programmed an Arduino to control a solenoid valve and make one quart of product water and dump it every evening at 10 pm. This does not affect my pressure tank - there's a strategically placed check valve that preserves the tank volume. When I draw RO product for a brew day it's already at the system's lowest TDS so no conditioning required...

Cheers!

 

[CodeSection]

Thanks guys . I'm gonna go with the under the sink set up . 3 or 4 stage. 75 or 100 GPD .

I have two 5 stage RO systems in my house...one in the kitchen and one in the brewery/game room. The membrane in the brewery/game room is 150 GPD. It recovers very fast...literately in about 15 minutes. I have five, one gallon Arizona Tea jugs that are very thick. Since my water requirement is around 18 gallons, I start filling the BK the night before brew day (I'm an late night person so it is very late) so that in the morning I only need to add five gallons to meet the needed amount.

WARNING: Buy a water leak sensor with an alarm that will shut off the water to your RO system! About sixteen years ago I was gone from a house I owned for just a little over 24 hours and when I returned, there was 2-3" of water throughout the house due to a leak in the RO system. The leak was not from the tubing or the connections, but rather it came from a defect in one the thick plastic lid to a filter chamber. The leak caused roughly $37,000 - $38,000 in damage. Insurance made me whole (actually more than whole), however, it took awhile to repair. Luckily, I had bought another house so I wasn't left without any housing. Ever since that event, I install leak sensors with alarms.

 

[Buckeye_Hydro]

WARNING: Buy a water leak sensor with an alarm that will shut off the water to your RO system! About sixteen years ago I was gone from a house I owned for just a little over 24 hours and when I returned, there was 2-3" of water throughout the house due to a leak in the RO system. The leak was not from the tubing or the connections, but rather it came from a defect in one the thick plastic lid to a filter chamber. The leak caused roughly $37,000 - $38,000 in damage. Insurance made me whole (actually more than whole), however, it took awhile to repair. Luckily, I had bought another house so I wasn't left without any housing. Ever since that event, I install leak sensors with alarms.

That's good advice!
https://www.buckeyehydro.com/leakblock-sensor/