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New RO producing slowly
- Thread starter Adams0211
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craig at pure
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i feel your pain, ive just got a setup to make pure water, i ended up spending 1k, i need a booster pump at £350, i wasn't happy. but just think of the return.
If memory serves me it took over 28 hours to fill our IBC tank with a 450GPD around this time of the year. . We never emptied the IBC completely, so I'm guessing that there was probably 100 - 150 liters in the bottom already. In the height of summer it was around 24 hours. In the depths of winter when the water was coldest it took around 32 hours. Our water pressure was 40 psi in those days before the pipes were relined.
These r/os do produce water very slowly, so you have to be patient. Once you get the IBC and van full I'm sure you will manage. The days are drawing in so you won't be spending as much time working as you do in the summer. You will also have days of inclement weather where you can't work, so the r/o will catch up.
Weekends will also give you a breather. We always filled the vans over the weekend and tried to have a full IBC tank at least by Monday afternoon. (With planning the 450 GPD supplied 2 of us.)
I now always recommend buying a 4040 as water production is phenomenal compared to the 450GPD. Initially I agree that they are far more costly than a 450GPD but we don't worry about if we have enough water or not now.
These r/os do produce water very slowly, so you have to be patient. Once you get the IBC and van full I'm sure you will manage. The days are drawing in so you won't be spending as much time working as you do in the summer. You will also have days of inclement weather where you can't work, so the r/o will catch up.
Weekends will also give you a breather. We always filled the vans over the weekend and tried to have a full IBC tank at least by Monday afternoon. (With planning the 450 GPD supplied 2 of us.)
I now always recommend buying a 4040 as water production is phenomenal compared to the 450GPD. Initially I agree that they are far more costly than a 450GPD but we don't worry about if we have enough water or not now.
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I know I keep harping on at this @Adams0211 so please forgive me. What is your r/o's pure to waste ratio whilst its producing water?
I don't know how Collins regulates the waste on their r/o's but you need a ratio of around 2 waste to 1 pure. In certain circumstances you make be able to reduce that to around 1 to 1. In the 1 to 1 example you will be sending 1 liter of waste water down the drain and producing 1 liter of pure from the r/o at the same time.
Our 450GPD had an inline restrictor in the waste pipe which was preset at 3 waste to 1 pure. We could have reduced that waste had we replaced the restrictor with a tap. We never did.
When you flush your r/o you are opening the waste water tap fully open. 95% of the water goes through the membrane and to the drain. A small portion still finds its way through the membrane. As you close the waste tap the flow of pure water through the membrane increases as the pressure inside the housing increases.
Please never close the waste tap completely or else you will damage your membranes.
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I don't know how Collins regulates the waste on their r/o's but you need a ratio of around 2 waste to 1 pure. In certain circumstances you make be able to reduce that to around 1 to 1. In the 1 to 1 example you will be sending 1 liter of waste water down the drain and producing 1 liter of pure from the r/o at the same time.
Our 450GPD had an inline restrictor in the waste pipe which was preset at 3 waste to 1 pure. We could have reduced that waste had we replaced the restrictor with a tap. We never did.
When you flush your r/o you are opening the waste water tap fully open. 95% of the water goes through the membrane and to the drain. A small portion still finds its way through the membrane. As you close the waste tap the flow of pure water through the membrane increases as the pressure inside the housing increases.
Please never close the waste tap completely or else you will damage your membranes.
.
Thanks for the detailed reply @spruce.
I've just tested the pressure and its reading 35psi. I suspect that's my problem?
I'm currently producing one litre every three minutes and twenty seconds or so. The waste is coming out at one litre per minute.
The RO has been running for just over twenty hours and has so far produced around 300L.
Edited to add that opening and (almost fully) closing the tap affects the flow of waste water but doesn't speed up/slow down the flow of pure water.
I've just tested the pressure and its reading 35psi. I suspect that's my problem?
I'm currently producing one litre every three minutes and twenty seconds or so. The waste is coming out at one litre per minute.
The RO has been running for just over twenty hours and has so far produced around 300L.
Edited to add that opening and (almost fully) closing the tap affects the flow of waste water but doesn't speed up/slow down the flow of pure water.
I've just put a tap in the place of the bit that looks like it could be an inline restrictor and the only difference it made was to make the waste come out faster.
Even almost fully closed off it was still kicking out more waste than with the restrictor in place which doesn't really sound like it makes sense.
I just checked my water pressure with Neils pressure gauge
No wonder i have no issues making pure
View attachment 8844
No wonder i have no issues making pure
View attachment 8844
It makes sense if you have a flush valve kit.
We had one similar to this for our 450GPD r/o.
Flush kit 300 GPD Reverse osmosis systems
It worked the same way as this YouTube video
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What I meant was to remove the restrictor and just use the on/off tap. This way means that you could completely switch off any water going to waste (which you don't want to do.) By partially opening the tap you can regulate how much water you allow to waste.
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Excellent. Now by manually slowing down the waste you will force more water through the membranes, which, in theory, should give you more output.
If that doesn't work, then you will need to add a small booster pump similar to the ones Pure Freedom do.
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I decided to order a aquatec 8800 booster pump (£107 in vat) from window cleaning warehouse which arrived yesterday. I've just fitted it and the difference is night and day. I'm now producing a litre a minute rather than the three minutes plus that it was taking without the booster. Well happy.
have the same make ro as you and about the same w/p so had no choice but to get a booster pump, and that to is the same as you have bought. it dose make a difference, iv tweaked mine with spruces advice to find the sweet spot. i have the flush valve open about a third and get 1 to 1 in a little over 1 min:hehehe: at about 70 psi....
