Flooding with RO units - Lets be honest

[Snoopdog]

I use the rodi buddy the float is connected to the r/o di line. That water stops coming out, but the waste water keeps pushing through. Idk why it just does lol

Unless you have a retention container it should stop waste water production after you quit making water. I have around a 5 gallon storage container, one of the pressurized containers under my sink. So when that container is full the RO/DI shuts off completely. I would think if an RO keeps producing waste water after, there is a problem?

 

[workhz]

Set a count down timer on phone. Otherwise I’d be forgetting every other time.

 

[benbalter]

It's happened to many us and even myself - The Dreaded flooding using an RO unit because we walked away for a minute and promised ourselves to keep an eye on it.
Its avoidable yet it gets the best of us and if not . . . . sooner or later it does.

What is the worst disaster you endured with an RO unit and what did you have to do to clean it up?
Have you come up with a plan to avoid a repeat event with your unit ?

For me, At my previous house, it was walking away from laundry room and forgetting I was filling bottles. Bottles were on my washing machine and ran down machine into drain which thankfully my laundry had. I now use mixing station with a float which shuts off water flow.

I flooded the living room with my wife's new 30 gallon tank and an airhose. Ruined the floor but it worked out the insurance company gave me 7k and I refloored half the house. Hated the floor anyway. Now I have heavy duty shower liners boxes under all my sumps. No more floods!

 

[Bruttall]

Had a few issues, including water pressure pushing water through the fittings of the float vales after I installed them on my reservoirs. Bought a rodi system that had automatic shut off valve in it.

1/4" Automatic shut off valves are used with float valves or pressurized tanks to shut off an RO system. It utilizes the back pressure created by the float valve or pressurized tank to shut off the water supply to the membrane. Without an automatic shut off valve waste water would continue to run out after the float valve is activated or tank becomes full.

Then my DIY float valves shut off on both water change and ATO reservoirs trigger that shut off valve and no more leaks, or spills, and no more wasting water adding to my bill every month because it closes the supply to the rodi unit.

 

[56longroof]

I can't count the number of times I've over filled my holding barrels. Fortunately they are in the basement next to the sump pump. My wife isn't to impressed with ne when it happens. Especially when I soaked the box of her new air fryer with it in it.

 

[Rich Klein]

I have an electronic solenoid valve driven by an optical sensor on my RODI storage container and a float switch backup. I also have a water sensor surface alarm on the base.

 

[Derrick0580]

Never had an overflow yet *knock on wood, but I’ve always used an eshopps hang on float valve.

 

[Reefahholic]

I have floats on everything and I don’t keep mine pressurized because it makes me nervous. No floods in my house.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Set a count down timer on phone. Otherwise I’d be forgetting every other time.

Alexa timer for me. Ive done a few small overflows with a 3g/5g jugs but I usually place those in the sink. The 25g brute is filled on my patio so spills arent a big deal.

 

[vlangel]

My rodi is in the basement next to a floor drain, so no disasters or loss of property. Still, I usually set the timer on my phone so I remember to turn it off after several hours.

 

[j.falk]

I'm ashamed to say that I've flooded the floor (more than once)...which is why I now set a timer to remind myself to check it.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Timing for this thread couldn't be more spot on. I am waiting for some parts to come in, TODAY, in order to build my salt station. I went to change a nano tank last night and had serious evaporation in my temp salt station, so I turned on the RODI to get it back inline. Well, that was 8PM. I woke up at 5 and the water went from the garage via the floor through the laundry room to the hallway. Walking at 5 am to get my coffee had me walk through a puddle and I knew exactly what it was. It took 7 times for me to empty my 6 gallon shopvac...

 

[Daniel@R2R]

The worst disaster was a night several years ago where I fell asleep while I was topping off my ATO (which was in the end compartment of my sump). It was late, and I shouldn't have chosen to work on the tank while being that tired. I woke up several hours later to a wet floor and a tank with a specific gravity of 1.005. The fish survived, but every invert in the tank was dead.

 

[Gtinnel]

Many, many years ago I lived in an apartment and I had to hook my rodi up to my sink when needing water. Once I started water then forgot and left home. I realized while I was gone and called the landlord who lived on site to go into the apartment and turn it off. My carpet was soaked and there were some water spots on the ceiling of the apartment below mine but otherwise no significant damage. They weren’t happy about it.
Now that I own my own home my rodi is in my unfinished utility room so a little water spilling isn’t too big of a deal. I have never had more than a few gallons spill. I eventually, with the help of some family members, created this mess of solenoids and controller to hopefully not have a spill again…assuming I don’t have any float switches fail.

 

[Dbichler]

Flooded my laundry room too many times that the wife said one more and the tank goes so I installed float switch with automatic shut off and timer not losing the tank to my own forgetfulness. Luckily I have a floor drain so no real damage just a quite a bit of clean up.

 

[OctoReef12]

Knock on wood I've only had one spill, and it wasn't from overfilling. I put my wastewater tube down the washing machine disposal. Somehow it fell out of there and spilled wastewater all over the floor. I set timers, so luckily it wasn't too bad.

 

[To(meany)Tang]

Mannn I've flooded my house with my own bathwater. Top that lol.. on the contrary let's talk about the opposite side of the fence. Draining. Minor: left a siphon hose draining in a 5 gallon bucket and came back to about 10 gallons on my carpet. Major: I left a pump in my pond to drain water and came back to fish bouncing around like it was soul train haha.

 

[MnFish1]

It's happened to many us and even myself - The Dreaded flooding using an RO unit because we walked away for a minute and promised ourselves to keep an eye on it.
Its avoidable yet it gets the best of us and if not . . . . sooner or later it does.

What is the worst disaster you endured with an RO unit and what did you have to do to clean it up?
Have you come up with a plan to avoid a repeat event with your unit ?

For me, At my previous house, it was walking away from laundry room and forgetting I was filling bottles. Bottles were on my washing machine and ran down machine into drain which thankfully my laundry had. I now use mixing station with a float which shuts off water flow.

I used to top off my discus tank with a long tube that went through the floor into my sump. I would guess 10-20 times I let it overflow over the years. The floor underneath needs to be fixed etc (wood). My wife cut the tube at least a couple times so I couldn't use it

 

[EliMelly]

I flood the laundry room every dang day… timers on my phone only work to a certain extent as I always shut it off and mentally say one more minute. That never ends up well!

 

[AlexKintner]

I forget all the time. Overflow runs downhill out of the garage and down the driveway.

One of these days I'll get a float.