So, there was a lot of interest in the details of my DI setup post in my build thread. Problem is that the info was getting buried pretty fast, so I had decided to go ahead and re-post it here in its very own thread.
We may end up repeating ourselves a little here and I apologize to all the people who posted in the build thread that may have not got a response. I will tend this thread with closer attention for sure, so please don't hesitate to post or let me know if you have any questions at all.
Wanted to take a minute and highlight my top off and DI Set up, as it's a little different than a typical set up, or at least anything I have used in the past. I’ve always ripped through DI resin pretty fast and just dealt with it because of the complications of trying to have separate system to "de-gas" then pump back into reservoirs and such just wouldn't have been possible in the old space. But now, thanks to design of the Spectrapure UHE and a dash of ingenuity on my part, I was able to repurpose my reservoir as a "de-gassing" chamber to eliminate any excess co2 in the water, and function as a recirculating DI unit as well.
Water is fed from the membrane up to the 55 gallon reservoir in the attic space above the shop. This reservoir gravity feeds my main, backup, QT and display systems. The RO unit fills the tank up every day, from about 1:00-3:00 by way of a mechanical timer and float switch shutoffs. An air stone aerates the tank 24 hours a day. About an hour after the RO shuts down, a litermeter peristaltic runs for 6 hours, turning the tank over about twice, passing through the Maxcap Dual DI. This has proven to be extremely beneficial in that my DI cartridges last longer, which was the primary goal.
The only disadvantages I have found is that there is a short window, immediately after the unit shuts down and before the peristaltic kicks on, where any evaporation will be replaced with water that is not 100% pure. The TDS of the water out of the membranes is about 9 and when mixed with existing water in the reservoir drops a little. I honestly don't think this small amount of potential TDS is cause for concern though. As time goes by, and I really get an idea of how hard I can push the DI, I may shorten the amount of time between RO shut down, and DI on, so this margin may get smaller.
The one other snag, is that when it comes time to fill my 375 gallon saltwater reservoir, I have to fill the FW tank, run the DI for a bit, then empty it into the SW reservoir, rather than just let the unit run and fill it as I did before when the DI was on the unit itself.
Either way, this has proven to be an effective and efficient way to solve my fast exhausting DI problems that have plagued me for many years.
If anyone is interested in any other specifics, please don't hesitate to ask.
If you're wondering what the trough is for, that is my "save the shop" flood prevention mechanism, in the event of a failure of the actual reservoir tank, or any part of the system that's supposed to shut it down. There's a drain that goes right to my sink, so if I ever come upstairs and see water coming out of that tube, I know I've got a problem.
We may end up repeating ourselves a little here and I apologize to all the people who posted in the build thread that may have not got a response. I will tend this thread with closer attention for sure, so please don't hesitate to post or let me know if you have any questions at all.
Wanted to take a minute and highlight my top off and DI Set up, as it's a little different than a typical set up, or at least anything I have used in the past. I’ve always ripped through DI resin pretty fast and just dealt with it because of the complications of trying to have separate system to "de-gas" then pump back into reservoirs and such just wouldn't have been possible in the old space. But now, thanks to design of the Spectrapure UHE and a dash of ingenuity on my part, I was able to repurpose my reservoir as a "de-gassing" chamber to eliminate any excess co2 in the water, and function as a recirculating DI unit as well.
Water is fed from the membrane up to the 55 gallon reservoir in the attic space above the shop. This reservoir gravity feeds my main, backup, QT and display systems. The RO unit fills the tank up every day, from about 1:00-3:00 by way of a mechanical timer and float switch shutoffs. An air stone aerates the tank 24 hours a day. About an hour after the RO shuts down, a litermeter peristaltic runs for 6 hours, turning the tank over about twice, passing through the Maxcap Dual DI. This has proven to be extremely beneficial in that my DI cartridges last longer, which was the primary goal.
The only disadvantages I have found is that there is a short window, immediately after the unit shuts down and before the peristaltic kicks on, where any evaporation will be replaced with water that is not 100% pure. The TDS of the water out of the membranes is about 9 and when mixed with existing water in the reservoir drops a little. I honestly don't think this small amount of potential TDS is cause for concern though. As time goes by, and I really get an idea of how hard I can push the DI, I may shorten the amount of time between RO shut down, and DI on, so this margin may get smaller.
The one other snag, is that when it comes time to fill my 375 gallon saltwater reservoir, I have to fill the FW tank, run the DI for a bit, then empty it into the SW reservoir, rather than just let the unit run and fill it as I did before when the DI was on the unit itself.
Either way, this has proven to be an effective and efficient way to solve my fast exhausting DI problems that have plagued me for many years.
If anyone is interested in any other specifics, please don't hesitate to ask.
If you're wondering what the trough is for, that is my "save the shop" flood prevention mechanism, in the event of a failure of the actual reservoir tank, or any part of the system that's supposed to shut it down. There's a drain that goes right to my sink, so if I ever come upstairs and see water coming out of that tube, I know I've got a problem.
