Which RO membrane?

[Hornes]

Hi all,

I've been following this forum for a while (and grateful for all the advice I've found) but this is my first post.

Ive been using resin only so far but am now looking at setting up an RO system.  I already have the prefilters so simply need the RO bits on to.  I looking at this membrane and wondering if it's any good.  My water is approx 70ppm out of the tap at the moment.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/L9-400gpd-JMC-Reverse-Osmosis-RO-Membrane-Housing-TFC-Filter-RO-Unit-Kit/162078362454?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=461040697839&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Im pretty much expecting to be told that this is cheap Chinese rubbish but at the moment I'm not really dialled in as to which brands are good and which are not.

I'm also not sure exactly what GPD figure I should really be going for.  I have a 1000l IBC and will fill a 500l tank in the van.  At the moment we rarely use more than 300l a day but am looking to get a system that will produce at least 500l a day.  I don't know what water pressure I get but I would say it's pretty good although not exceptional.

 

[spruce]

Hi all,

I've been following this forum for a while (and grateful for all the advice I've found) but this is my first post.

Ive been using resin only so far but am now looking at setting up an RO system.  I already have the prefilters so simply need the RO bits on to.  I looking at this membrane and wondering if it's any good.  My water is approx 70ppm out of the tap at the moment.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/L9-400gpd-JMC-Reverse-Osmosis-RO-Membrane-Housing-TFC-Filter-RO-Unit-Kit/162078362454?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=461040697839&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Im pretty much expecting to be told that this is cheap Chinese rubbish but at the moment I'm not really dialled in as to which brands are good and which are not.

I'm also not sure exactly what GPD figure I should really be going for.  I have a 1000l IBC and will fill a 500l tank in the van.  At the moment we rarely use more than 300l a day but am looking to get a system that will produce at least 500l a day.  I don't know what water pressure I get but I would say it's pretty good although not exceptional.

If you look at the third photo of the membrane you will see Haina Membrane Tech. If you Google that you will see where the membrane comes from.

That Ebay supplier is linked in with Colins Water in Sheffield. They only have recently decided that they can add window cleaners to their list of product users. They sell Chinese manufactured membranes.

Personally, I would go to the dedicated R/O suppliers as you know they are supplying quality products.

Gardiners,

Daqua,

GAPS water.

There are a few others but these are the ones I would deal with as I know the product is good and sourced from the right place.

Many years ago in my early wfp days I was told that American manufactured membranes are the best to buy and that info has served me well over the years. 'Manufactured using American membrane technology' doesn't actually mean that its a good product.

I would imagine you would be OK with a membrane producing 400gpd but you may need to add a booster pump if you water pressure is a little on the low side.

Personally I would be looking at this

http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/pure-water-systems/water-treatment/reverse-osmosis-membranes/axeon-hf5-3012-12-ro-membrane-500gpd.html

and this

http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/pure-water-systems/water-treatment/ro-housings-membranes-parts/3012-500-reverse-osmosis-membrane-housing.html

These will be the main components but you will need some small connectors, brackets and piping.

1x 3012 Housing

1x 3012 Membrane

1x Twin 10" Pre-Filter Housing Assembly

1x 10" Sediment Filter

1x 10" Fibredyne Filter

1x RO Waste Valve

You will need to know what size ports your prefilters have. If they are 1/4" they will not work. If they are 3/8" thats good, if they are 1/2" then you will have to reduce one of them to 3/8"

A 500GPD membrane will be working for a good portion of the day and evening to make 500 liters of water, but as you have a 1000 liter IBC tank, that's fine - its a big dam to fill. (We found that our 450gpd r/o took about 36 hours to fill a 1000 liter IBC tank completely in winter - cold water slows production.)

The membrane specs are like new car fuel consumption figures; they are done under ideal conditions, water pressure and water temperature; conditions we will never see at our back tap. The figure is also a 24 hour day, not 12 and US gallons = 4 liters. GAPS water suggest that the membrane will produce 33 liters of water per hour with water at 10 degrees C and average water pressure.

http://www.gapswater.co.uk/acatalog/500-GPD-reverse-osmosis-kit-6420.html#SID=643

Going into r/o means saving on resin, but it will also mean increased water bills if you are on a water meter.

.

 

[Hornes]

Thanks very much for the detailed response.

In your shopping list you don't mention a flow restrictor, is this not necessary?

im fortunoute enough to live close to Daqua (who I've already bought stuff from) which also means I'm lucky enough not to have metered water so RO seems to be the way to go for me.

Thanks again.

 

[spruce]

Thanks very much for the detailed response.

In your shopping list you don't mention a flow restrictor, is this not necessary?

im fortunoute enough to live close to Daqua (who I've already bought stuff from) which also means I'm lucky enough not to have metered water so RO seems to be the way to go for me.

Thanks again.

No I didn't, but I did mention a waste valve. That's a tap that can be adjusted as a 'variable' waste restrictor. A waste restrictor is usually preset. Mine was 3 waste to 1 pure. With a low input tds, that's just a waste of water. In Scotland you will be able to run your r/o at 50/50 waste pure. You might even be able to reduce waste a bit more to say 45/55. Its a case of experimenting with output tds of the pure to find the r/o's sweet spot.

@doug atkinson will help you get the best system for your needs.

 

[Hornes]

Got it.  Just use the valve version as a variable restrictor. 

Very much appreciate your help.