DIY CO2 Degassing Chamber for RO/DI

Bringing this back to life...how are people doing these degassers with an auto shutoff. Since the degasser is not pressurized won’t the RO auto shutoff never kick in?
I was thinking about this also.. but I think you could use an RODI Flood Guardian!
 
I was thinking about this also.. but I think you could use an RODI Flood Guardian!

I tried the flood guardian, but the problem with that is that every time it trips, it needs to be power cycled to open the solenoid. I went with the route of using the Apex water level sensor and a solenoid.
 
I tried the flood guardian, but the problem with that is that every time it trips, it needs to be power cycled to open the solenoid. I went with the route of using the Apex water level sensor and a solenoid.
What do you mean by power cycling? My apex is on the other side of the house... so i don't think I could use that.
 
What do you mean by power cycling? My apex is on the other side of the house... so i don't think I could use that.
So once the high level switch is triggered on it, it will close the solenoid, which is what causes the backpressure for the RODI to turn off. Let's say your degassing container is empty and you need the RODI to kick back in. The way to open the solenoid again is either to push the button on the device to open it or unplug and plug it back in. It doesn't automatically open up again when the level sensor is dry.
 
So once the high level switch is triggered on it, it will close the solenoid, which is what causes the backpressure for the RODI to turn off. Let's say your degassing container is empty and you need the RODI to kick back in. The way to open the solenoid again is either to push the button on the device to open it or unplug and plug it back in. It doesn't automatically open up again when the level sensor is dry.
AHHHH! dang. What a pain in the butt.
 
I built a simular unit dropped my CO2. I am having trouble with air in the di resin canisters then over flowing my chamber. Thinking about adding tees at the canisters and running that up to the top of the chamber to let air out. Has anybody else tried that?

Current Setup
IMG_2485.JPG
 
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Has anyone felt like they’ve fully resolved the risk of overflow from this backing up.

I think there will always be a risk. My next step is to add a float switch to my de-gassing tank that would shut off the RO system if that tank was over filled.
 
Has anyone used a booster pump to draw from the chamber instead of gravity feeding? That probably means the booster pump must be sized to pull more water than is entering the chamber and so it would run semi-dry. Perhaps that’s a big no-no?

edit: to be clear I know many use a full second reservoir to degas in and boost out of but I have limited room
 
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Has anyone used a booster pump to draw from the chamber instead of gravity feeding? That probably means the booster pump must be sized to pull more water than is entering the chamber and so it would run semi-dry. Perhaps that’s a big no-no?

edit: to be clear I know many use a full second reservoir to degas in and boost out of but I have limited room

i use an aquatec delivery/demand pump and not gravity. Works great.
 
Has anyone used a booster pump to draw from the chamber instead of gravity feeding? That probably means the booster pump must be sized to pull more water than is entering the chamber and so it would run semi-dry. Perhaps that’s a big no-no?

edit: to be clear I know many use a full second reservoir to degas in and boost out of but I have limited room

I gravity feed into a 5 gallon container then use a tunze ato pump to push thru the DI resin. I controll the pump with a high low tank controller from Amazon.
 
i use an aquatec delivery/demand pump and not gravity. Works great.
Can you link that for us to show just what you mean by delivery demand if you’re making a distinction between their booster pumps? Is it okay for it to run partially dry?
 
I did some research on Aquatec demand/delivery pumps and they appear to be able to handle running dry. They come in dozens of models with varying rates of flow but they’re made to pump from atmospheric levels to pressurized and are great for this purpose. I’ll just plan to measure my RO production rate by filling a bucket and stopwatching it and then match a model to that flow rate plus a slight bit of buffer towards drawing faster to prevent flooding. Thanks! Looks like a great solution.
 
Well, I learned the hard way that the water coming out of my well has a high CO2 content. I burned through a pound of DI resin and only got 40 gallons out of it.... To keep this from happening again, I could either buy lots of RO/DI water or remove the CO2 from the RO water before I pass it through the DI resin. (This design is based off of the Spectrapure design.)

Parts List:
3" PVC (36")
3" PVC Cap
3" Knock-out Cap
3" to 1.5" PVC Tee
1.5" PVC Street 90 Elbow
1.5" to 3/4" Reducing Bushing
3/4" PVC (12")
3/4" PVC Threaded Coupling (Female)
3/4" Male Thread to 1/4" Quick Connect Adaptor
Air Pump
Air Stone
PVC primer and cement
Teflon tape

IMG_1253.jpg

Assembly:
The parts are shown in the image above in the order you would connect them.
  1. Cut the 3" PVC pipe about 6" down
  2. Attach the 3" PVC cap to the bottom of the longer section from step 1
  3. Attach the tee between the two pieces.
  4. Attach the street elbow to the tee and the reducing bushing to the street elbow
  5. Attach the piece of 3/4" PVC pipe to the reducing bushing (you can shorten the pipe if you'd prefer)
  6. Attach the threaded coupling to the 3/4" PVC pipe
  7. Apply teflon tape to the thread-to-quick connect adaptor and thread it onto the coupling from step 6
  8. Drill 3 3/8" holes into the knock out cap
  9. Thread the airline tubing through the bottom of the knock out cap, be sure the air stones are on the bottom!
  10. Insert the knockout cap into the top of the short section of 3" PVC
  11. Attach the air line(s) to your air pump
  12. (OPTIONAL) Secure your air pump to the 3" PVC
  13. Insert the output of your RO filter into the remaining hole of the knock out cap (only insert it a few inches)
  14. Attach your DI chamber to the 1/4" quick connect fitting
  15. That's it!
IMG_1255.jpg IMG_1256.jpg

Use:
To use the degassing chamber, simply run your RO water into the chamber with the air pump running. As the water enters the chamber, it will be oxygenated and the CO2 level will be reduced. When the water level is high enough, it will trickle out of the tee and through your DI resin. Put the output of your DI resin into a bucket or holding tank and it is ready for use.
Hi
I saw your DIY degassing chamber.
Can you include a diagram showing the set up and what is the chamber fastened to the long pipe??
fishkat
 
I'm starting to think that might be the issue. I've shortend the return side of the degasser and extended the gas side of it and even changed the hose size from 1/4 to 3/8 and it will flow great for about 5 gallons and then back up and blow out the top of the degasser. I ordered a diaphragm pump to move the water from the degasser to through the DI chamber /shrug
Please clarify how does the pumped in air escape from the degasser?
fishkat
 

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