BRS is out of RO/DI and I need one so what do I get?

[Mikeltee]

I, too, try and support AirWaterIce. Good folks, good quality, excellent service, reasonable prices. I bought my first RO/DI from them back in the 90's. I'll likely keep buying from them as long as they keep selling.



No compressor required Pressure tanks come pre-pressurized. They need no maintenance, though they do eventually wear out and need to be replaced. If you live on a well, you should be familiar with them. My well system has a 20g pressure tank on it, kept full and pressurized by the well pump. That pressure tank is over a decade old, and still works just fine.

My RO filter feeds a 5g pressure tank under the sink, just as shown. It's feeding a drinking water faucet, and two refrigerators for ice and water in the door. Been using it that way for several years now, no troubles at all. Excellent drinking water, and nice clear ice. We do have a booster pump and a permeate pump to boost outgoing pressure... most refrigerators want 60psi these days. The permeate pump keeps the little pressure tank at whatever I set the booster pump to. Flow is good, we can refill my Keurig or a spaghetti pot, no problem.

Maybe I will try a pressure pump. For the permeate pump I would have to downgrade my membrane to 100gpd from 150 and then buy the matching flow restrictor. It would be about the same for the pressure pump when all is said and done. One thing that surprises me is that the RO water still tastes like butt even with the taste filter. Do you have any recommendations on that aspect? I have city water.

 

[shred5]

Spectrapure

Yea buy spectrapure..

Long term you will be more happy.

I have a BRS and was happy early on but I am not anymore.

 

[Cherub]

Maybe I will try a pressure pump. For the permeate pump I would have to downgrade my membrane to 100gpd from 150 and then buy the matching flow restrictor. It would be about the same for the pressure pump when all is said and done. One thing that surprises me is that the RO water still tastes like butt even with the taste filter. Do you have any recommendations on that aspect? I have city water.

Use the better carbon blocks that actually remove chlormines to fix the flavor. Many cities switched to chloramine and its harder to remove from water. I had a vast difference in flavor using the better block. I also use spectrapure resin, though I don't think that actually changed flavor for me. Using this block was the noticeable difference for me.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-universal-carbon-block-filter-1-micron.html

 

[Mikeltee]

Use the better carbon blocks that actually remove chlormines to fix the flavor. Many cities switched to chloramine and its harder to remove from water. I had a vast difference in flavor using the better block. I also use spectrapure resin, though I don't think that actually changed flavor for me. Using this block was the noticeable difference for me.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-universal-carbon-block-filter-1-micron.html

Should I add that inline or just replace the one I have? Thanks for the tip though bro!

 

[Greybeard]

Maybe I will try a pressure pump. For the permeate pump I would have to downgrade my membrane to 100gpd from 150 and then buy the matching flow restrictor. It would be about the same for the pressure pump when all is said and done. One thing that surprises me is that the RO water still tastes like butt even with the taste filter. Do you have any recommendations on that aspect? I have city water.

Pressure pumps increase pressure feeding the membrane. Pressure on the 'good' water side will be dramatically lower... how much depends on several factors, mostly the pressure your ASOV takes to activate. (you know, you don't need one of those with a Permate pump...) I'm not saying your plan won't work... but put a pressure gage on the clean water line, you might be surprised how low it is. I was. With the permate pump, pressures are all equal. Whatever my household pressure or booster pump is pushing, that's what my drinking tank holds.

Low pressure at a drinking water faucet is something you have to put up with many times a day. Not something I was willing to put up with.

As for taste... My pressure tank runs through an inline carbon filter on it's way to the sink and fridges. I change it out quarterly. Other than the need to flush a new filter well enough to not get black carbon colored ice... we love the taste of our RO water. That was part of the plan... quit buying bottled water. You're saying that your RO water tastes worse than your city water? Hm. Most folks like what they're used to best... maybe you've been drinking chloramine long enough to be used to it

 

[Cherub]

Should I add that inline or just replace the one I have? Thanks for the tip though bro!

Mine is a 5 stage and three on them are those canisters at the bottom, I replaced the last canister in the line with this.

 

[Mikeltee]

Pressure pumps increase pressure feeding the membrane. Pressure on the 'good' water side will be dramatically lower... how much depends on several factors, mostly the pressure your ASOV takes to activate. (you know, you don't need one of those with a Permate pump...) I'm not saying your plan won't work... but put a pressure gage on the clean water line, you might be surprised how low it is. I was. With the permate pump, pressures are all equal. Whatever my household pressure or booster pump is pushing, that's what my drinking tank holds.

My pressure is 60psi going in and 32psi coming out. If I got a booster only would it be the same ratio as in say 90psi in and 45psi out? With a permeate pump does your explanation stating pressures are equal mean that 60psi at the tap would equal 60psi clean? If so I may benefit more from a permeate pump than the booster.

Low pressure at a drinking water faucet is something you have to put up with many times a day. Not something I was willing to put up with.

Is this statement based on the size of the holding tank? I got a 3.2 but only plan to use it for dog water and drinking water. Once the 3.2g is gone, does it slow to a trickle until the pressure tank has a chance to refill 100%?

 

[Greybeard]

...does your explanation stating pressures are equal mean that 60psi at the tap would equal 60psi clean?

Yup. That's what they do. Equalize incoming and outgoing pressure. The kind of system we're discussing is the only place they really help, when you're filling a pressure tank. They also replace your ASOV, the one component that I've had fail on me repeatedly.

Is this statement based on the size of the holding tank? I got a 3.2 but only plan to use it for dog water and drinking water. Once the 3.2g is gone, does it slow to a trickle until the pressure tank has a chance to refill 100%?

Pressure tanks work from an inflated air bladder inside the tank. As your water pressure fills the tank, it compresses the air inside the bladder (note: Water doesn't compress!) until the air pressure equals the incoming water pressure. When you open the tap, the air expands, pushing the water out at the same pressure. Pressure drops as the air expands. It'll slow dramatically over the volume of the tank... My 5 gallon 60 psi pressure tank will fill a glass of water in a second or two. A gallon tea pitcher? No big deal. Wanna fill a 5 gallon bucket? You're gonna be here a while. I'd say you get 'acceptable' pressure for the first half of the tank volume. After that, it's slowing noticeably. By the end, it's a trickle. As it fills, the inverse happens... the more the air in the tank is compressed, the faster water will flow.

Well systems work the same way. When you turn on the tap, you're getting water from a pressure tank. When the pressure tank gets low enough, it trips a pressure switch, turning the well pump on to refill the pressure tank. The difference is that a modern well jet pump can pump some water... my well pump is rated at 21 gallons a minute from 125 feet down. It refills the 40g pressure tank fast enough you never notice that it was low.

 

[bluedevils6653]

spectrapure