RO sysytem help

[Part Timer]

He is in his twilight years I am been gentle and accommodating for a chap in his 70's  , if I offered you an 8 pack you would be on it like car bonnet even if you sank 12 cans you would go home sober or drink more and phone your son ??

But I'd be no help even before the beer ?

 

[ched999uk]

Doing lots of research and think our water pressure is quite low so might need a booster pump for reasonable efficiency of RO.

One question are you allowed to attach a booster pump to the water main? 

Long story but once had a 'pumped' shower (3rd floor) and all was fine until that shower was in use then no other shower in building (5 others - holiday apartments) worked as the pumped shower sucked the water out of the mains. The pumped shower was supposed to be fed from loft tank!!! I very quickly fitted a loft tank!

So do you need a loft tank to supply the booster pump or can you just use mains water to feed it?

Cheers.

 

[Iron Giant]

But I'd be no help even before the beer ?

Yeah but it would be a good laugh with a few beers ? this would be me and @Dave B Genreal Levy- Incredible- Live

 

[Part Timer]

 I just plug it in to the outside tap, can still get water from other taps in the house.

 

[spruce]

Bruce, thank you!!, In years gone by I would have no issue in producing 300ltrs of pure in 6 hours in Summer without a booster pump and not too much longer even in cold weather maybe 8-9 hours, it's now taking the same time with a booster pump it's like there is a blockage or issue with my R/O but absolutely nothing is visibly wrong.

If you want to call over over for a cup of tea and a slice of cake one day to inspect my system you are always more than welcome, I can send you off with some veg and rhubarb from the allotment 

To identify the problem calls for a process of elimination. We have to ask several questions. Is the reduced water production rate a sudden thing or has is it happened over a period of time? If it was sudden, what changed?  So the ideal start is at the beginning of the supply line. Is there enough water getting through to the r/o? It means disconnecting the supply line at various points. If the booster pump is next, is it delivering a good stream of water when switched on?

Then reconnect and then disconnect the line after the prefilters. Is there a good supply of water through the prefilters. If not then check the flow through each, the sediment and the carbon block.

If there is no blockage then the last thing is the membranes. Over time they can become blocked with calcium deposits. I think the only way of knowing is to replace them; they aren't that expensive.

Many years back at the beginings of WFP a fellow windie came to me with the problem of his r/o only producing water very slowly. I asked the first question if this decline was gradual and he said it was. I asked if he had replaced prefilters and he said he had recently. We checked the water to his r/o by disconnecting the pipe to it and there was an ample water supply. But when I disconnected the pipe at the membrane housings inlet only a drip of water came out.

Even although he had changed prefilters recently the sediment filter was totally blocked. Replacing that solved his problem. But we learned how awful our water supply was back then. I changed a prefilter set one day and a couple of days later the sediment filter was clogged again. I even started looking for a washable sediment filter. I also tried to pressure clean the blocked filter with a jet of water from the inside but that didn't work satisfactorily.

 

[Iron Giant]

To identify the problem calls for a process of elimination. We have to ask several questions. Is the reduced water production rate a sudden thing or has is it happened over a period of time? If it was sudden, what changed?  So the ideal start is at the beginning of the supply line. Is there enough water getting through to the r/o? It means disconnecting the supply line at various points. If the booster pump is next, is it delivering a good stream of water when switched on?

Then reconnect and then disconnect the line after the prefilters. Is there a good supply of water through the prefilters. If not then check the flow through each, the sediment and the carbon block.

If there is no blockage then the last thing is the membranes. Over time they can become blocked with calcium deposits. I think the only way of knowing is to replace them; they aren't that expensive.

Many years back at the beginings of WFP a fellow windie came to me with the problem of his r/o only producing water very slowly. I asked the first question if this decline was gradual and he said it was. I asked if he had replaced prefilters and he said he had recently. We checked the water to his r/o by disconnecting the pipe to it and there was an ample water supply. But when I disconnected the pipe at the membrane housings inlet only a drip of water came out.

Even although he had changed prefilters recently the sediment filter was totally blocked. Replacing that solved his problem. But we learned how awful our water supply was back then. I changed a prefilter set one day and a couple of days later the sediment filter was clogged again. I even started looking for a washable sediment filter. I also tried to pressure clean the blocked filter with a jet of water from the inside but that didn't work satisfactorily.

I take it you're not coming over ?????

 

[ShropsWindowCleaner]

No. Its time to get shot of the r/o. Sorry to be blunt. Not only does it have a high water consumption but its poor efficiency means you will spend more on resin than you have to. Eventually a new r/o will pay for itself on resin saving alone. At one time the r/o put 5 liters of water to waste to produce 1 liter of pure. This means the single Fiberdyne sediment/carbon block filter had a shorter service life which in turn effected the membranes (you have to replace 2 membranes).

Those Merlin r/o are very inefficient as they were never designed to filter water for window cleaning. The best a fellow window cleaner has ever got with his is 90% efficiency and that was when the unit was brand new.

An equivalent is a 4021 but a 4040 is the most popular.

Thanks @spruce for the advice mate ?? Really appreciate it. It’s my first system and i’m learning a lot. I’ve moved over from trolley to van system. Can you recommend a good RO system? Thanks mate. 

 

[Iron Giant]

Thanks @spruce for the advice mate ?? Really appreciate it. It’s my first system and i’m learning a lot. I’ve moved over from trolley to van system. Can you recommend a good RO system? Thanks mate. 

https://daqua.co.uk/ro_systems.htm give Doug a ring and talk through your requirements in terms of amount of water needed you may get away with a standard 450gpd R/O or have to cough up for a 40/40 you won't get a more decent supplier he will happily chat and only sell you what you need and not give you sales patter 

 

[spruce]

https://daqua.co.uk/ro_systems.htm give Doug a ring and talk through your requirements in terms of amount of water needed you may get away with a standard 450gpd R/O or have to cough up for a 40/40 you won't get a more decent supplier he will happily chat and only sell you what you need and not give you sales patter 

Agree ^^^^

@ShropsWindowCleaner. If you are going for an r/o to fit in the van with the rest of the tank then you need something that will give you a quick fill.

If you process water into a 1000 IBC tank in your garage/shed then you can go with a slower r/o such as a 450gpd as your IBC will act as a 'buffer'. I found my original 450gpd filled an IBC tank in around 28 to 36 hours. Once full that will give you ample water daily as a single operator. If I'm honest I started to panic when I saw how slowly that IBC tank filled but with planning I was able to supply myself and my son's van with water.

When son in law joined us in a third van it was time to invest in a 4040.