Dirty new SW

[prsnlty]

Hi Randy, I have a question to bounce off you.

I have had an issue for some time and tried everything I know to fix it. When I made RODI in my 32g can and mixed salt into it it was fine and came clear. Up until about 6 months ago. I changed out my membrane and all other ro media, I even added 2 more canisters to the unit, 2 sleeve, 2 carbon and 2 di even though my tds end results say 0 TDS going in was 205 max after our water softener unit... It's a 100gpd unit. I also changed my can to a brute 32g and tried different mixing pumps just in case something was up with one of them. I then changed salt. I still have the issue with a slightly tan cloudy water the instant the salt hits it. Originally I put a bag of carbon in a filter sock and ran the water through it while still in the can. It cleared. But then I was thinking... maybe it's a solid of sorts. So I did this again without the carbon. Same results. The water cleared being filtered through the sock. So here is my question, can there be something in the presumably clean rodi that when the salt is mixed in then becomes a solid?

 

[prsnlty]

Hopefully you can see this. It's after 5 minutes, no carbon

 

[prsnlty]

After an hour...

Randy_Holmes-Farley AZDesertRat

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What salt mix?

Some, like Reef Crystals, have brown stuff in them. In the case of Reef Crystals, it may be vitamins or their breakdown products.

 

[prsnlty]

Both reef crystals and seachem reef salt. I always used RC but then when the water started this and I changed out all the ro unit and can and pump the only thing left to change was salt. But this salt does the same.

 

[prsnlty]

Could there be something that could pass through the rodi and not see it until a reaction between it and the salt occurs? This is definitely a solid to collect in the filter bag and the water then becomes clear. I never had this happen until about 6 months ago.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Could there be something that could pass through the rodi and not see it until a reaction between it and the salt occurs? This is definitely a solid to collect in the filter bag and the water then becomes clear. I never had this happen until about 6 months ago.

Sure. Was the TDS 0 ppm?

 

[prsnlty]

Yes it was. I don't use rodi even if only at 1tds. Only at 0

 

[scardall]

I would use a food grade container

This is strange I agree. I would not use a trash can for a RODI Period. Food Grade Container or Nothing. Would you drink water that smells like rubber?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I use 12 grey brute trash cans with no apparent issues. I think anything brown in a salt mix with 0 ppm TDS water came from the salt.

 

[prsnlty]

I use 12 grey brute trash cans with no apparent issues. I think anything brown in a salt mix with 0 ppm TDS water came from the salt.

I agree. The water was clear before adding salt. The cans are used by thousands and thousands of people and are also food grade. As I am adding the salt you can see it change much like you see triation solution change pink to blue.. I think it is something bypassing or not treated by the rodi and it's reacting to something in the salt. And whatever it is - is a solid or i wouldn't have this residue on the filter sock .

 

[prsnlty]

Does rodi remove high iron/rust or sulfer? That is the reason I have a whole house water softener system. My rodi unit is hooke in after and not before. I have to. When i first got the ro unit i hooked it up to the slop sink in the garage. It blew out the media in about 200 gallons. Silly me, i wasn't thinking the slop sink wasn't on the softener system... but it wasn't. Nowadays my master bath looks like a science project

 

[JOKER]

I was also having problems with IO since changing to red sea no problems. I read a post where IO recommended heating the water before adding salt. I tried it and it was better but I was worried about the brown gunk so I changed salt. I too use brute.

 

[prsnlty]

I did try some regular red sea once and it did the same. My water is already 77 degrees most of the time but as i said, this only started about 6 months ago. I didn't have this before then. I'm currently using seachem reef salt.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Iron and sulfur should be adequately removed by an RO/DI that is producing 0 ppm TDS water.

 

[prsnlty]

Iron and sulfur should be adequately removed by an RO/DI that is producing 0 ppm TDS water.

I thought so, just being sure. Can bacteria do it? Maybe I'm grasping at straws but if rodi is removing all else, isn't that pretty much what's left?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Bacteria won't pass through an RO/DI, but may grow on the downstream side of the RO membrane.

 

[scardall]

In the beginning I used a brown one and had negative issues. Now this was 8 years ago. I might be Little untrusting of a container that is not officially food grade. This is on me. all cool. Wow 12 cans, How big a system do you have?

 

[prsnlty]

The 32g gray brute cans are #4 or LOPE which is polypropylene and food safe. Look for the triangle on the bottom of the can. #s 1,2,4,5,7 LOPE. PETE, PP. But #2 or HDPE is the very best long term food storage. But for our use any of the above will do scardall