DIY Repair this RO system

[fdr_dippin]

So, I was handed down an RO system to which I will eventually add a DI. At this stage I want to get what I have hooked up. The last owner cut tubing to fit his application which will be different from mine. Can I repair or attach new tubing to this existing tubing or do I need to replace it all.

I don't think I received all connectors, so where will be a good place to get connectors also? Ace hardware maybe?
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[rdnelson]

Ace may have it but that might be hit and miss. Home Depot or Lowes should have everything you need. On any threaded fittings, make sure that you put some Teflon tape on the threads before you screw them in. Don't over tighten anything because plastic will strip the thread pretty easy. They wont have the colored tubing that is no big deal. The manufacturer uses the colored tubing just to make it easier for you to know which is which.

The tubing connects to the fittings just by pushing them in. If you need to take a piece of tubing out of a fitting, just depress the ring at the neck of the fitting and it will release the tubing. If needed, I can send a diagram on what order it all connects.

 

[brisco15]

Great advice just had to repair mine and home depot had everything i needed like he said though color will vary.

 

[jbdreefs]

HD only has the clear tubing from what I have seen. If you want to replace all tubing, you can color code it using electrical tape... it comes in an assortment of colors. Just put a wrap around the two ends of the tube.

 

[brisco15]

Great idea!

 

[rdnelson]

If you go to the electrical department they have a package of Green, Blue, Red and White "Phasing" tape. The rolls are much smaller than standard electrical tape and the would work good. Or, you could container of the colored Tie Wraps. They there are 4 different colors. Then, you can use the left overs down the road in a lot more places then you would ever use the phasing tape.

 

[fdr_dippin]

The idea:
1. Use the valve behind my fridge as feed water.
2. Send the feed water line through the wall to the adjacent garage.
3. Mount the RO system on the shared wall in the garage.
4. Water is filtered by the system. (so far i have stage 1&2 filters purchased but not installed. An old membrane which i was told is not very old is installed)

(At this point I want a choice)

option1: ~90% of the time I want to system to send clean water back to the fridge that I cut off in #1 above. I will save on fridge filter replacements.

Option2: ~10% of the time I want to route water to my storage tank for making saltwater.

Where I am now:
1. I've done steps 1-3 of my idea above.
2. I have not installed any filters as yet because since the system is used, I wanted to purge it really well first.
3. After turning on the feed water it goes through the unit and what I've observed is: twice as much water is coming out of the black (waste water) line than the orange (clean water) line and no water is coming from the blue line. The orange line is the one that usually goes to the storage tank if I were using it but I don't intend to.
4. I installed a gate on the Orange line thinking I could open it whenever I need to make saltwater, otherwise it would stay closed routing water to the fridge.
5. When the gate is closed, water still runs abundantly out of the wastewater line.

Questions:
1. How do I get more good water and less "bad" water? It's literally running about 1.5 gallons good to 3 gallons "bad" at the present.
2. What's the best way to achieve the 2 options I mention above?
3. Could it be doing this because it needs a new membrane?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[eagle9252]

sorry but I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

<p style="text-align:left"><p style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family: Calibri"><span style="font-size: 13px">Depending on how you have the fridge hooked up put a tee and a shut off valve and hook the rest up to that. We don&#8217;t filter our drinking water as much as the fish water. The waste water will run as long as it&#8217;s on.</span></span>

 

[rdnelson]

It is not unusual to get more waste water than clean water. In order for the waste line to stop flowing when you shut the valve on the clean water side, you have to have a 1 lb check valve in line. You can order it from ebay. I found one that shipped from Washington State for under $10 if I remember correctly. It came in less than 5 days. Here is a drawing that shows where it would go in the system.
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[bruce 1]

It is easy.
Buy this: RD106 AQUARIUM & DRINKING 2 OUTPUTS Reverse Osmosis RO + DI
http://filterdirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=30">http://filterdirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=30</a>

And this:
150 GPD Water Saving Upgrade Kit

[IMG]http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/reverse-osmosis-filters-and-systems/ro-di-accessories/150-gpd-water-saving-upgrade-kit.html">http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/reverse-osmosis-filters-and-systems/ro-di-accessories/150-gpd-water-saving-upgrade-kit.html</a>

And that will make it to where you get very little waste and make tons of water.

 

[fdr_dippin]

http://atlantareefclub.org/boards/data/uploads/attachments/756244=36418-RO system.pdf" target="_blank">RO system.pdf</a>

1. So instead of the 1lb valve, I decided to reconnect the GE storage tank, to give me the pressure regulation and furthermore hold water for drinking. That appears to be working though I may need to check its current pressure.

2. The system also came with a faucet. What I'm wondering is if I were to ditch the faucet but take its line and attach it to the water dispenser line on back of my fridge would it work to dispense water the same way as if the faucet itself were being turned on/off? Any pressure issues here at all?

3. How do you sanitize your systems, if you do?

 

[buckeye field supply]

Be careful when using a pressure tank with an RODI system. Water from that tank should never reach the DI.

Depending upon what your planning on doing, you may have issues feeding RO water back to the fridge - be happy to talk through this with you if you'd like.

We can email you directions to sanitize the system if you'll pm us your email address w/ a request.

Russ