Mixing bin has become a nitrate factory.

[truckTech95]

Good day to all and happy holidays!
I recently have been encountering an interesting issue, ever since I turned the furnace in my apartment on this season, My mixing bin has become a nitrate factory.
I use a 6 stage BRS rodi system with the 150 gpd uprate and a booster pump I keep pressures around 70 psi.
Went to do a water change few weeks ago salt water had been in it for about a week before that and I tested it and it tested around 45 ppm nitrate. I dumped the water and cleaned the bin with H202 mixed up a fresh batch and all was good for a few more weeks around 3 I went to go do my weekly water change today the water was in the bin for 2 weeks and it was off the Hanna checkers range. 75ppm and flashing. Obviously I didn’t use that water dumped it and cleaned the bin again but this is becoming a by weekly problem.
Any advice is appreciated

 

[FUNGI]

change bin........

 

[truckTech95]

change bin........

Good call I’ll get right on that

 

[FUNGI]

thats assuming your rodi filters etc are all good.....

 

[truckTech95]

thats assuming your rodi filters etc are all good.....

Na the water coming out of the RO system is clean, first thing I checked guess I should have mentioned that. My city water sucks and I know it sucks filters get changed regularly.

 

[redfishbluefish]

What kind of "bin" do you use and what is it made of?

 

[truckTech95]

What kind of "bin" do you use and what is it made of?

Brute 30 gallon trash can- new one that’s never had trash in it. Made of plastic

 

[truckTech95]

Idk I just nuked the bin with city water and bleach gonna flush it a few times with RO water, and I guess not store water for longer than a week anymore.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I do not understand how a brute can generates nitrate. Where would the N come from?

I suspect test error or maybe a little nitrite reads as a lot of nitrate.

 

[twentyleagues]

This is strange. Do you keep it covered?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Brute 30 gallon trash can- new one that’s never had trash in it. Made of plastic

Wow! That's surprising. Unless they've changed them, it's either high density polyethylene HDPE (Recycle code 2) or low density polyethylene LDPE (Recycle code 4). Either one of those shouldn't be putting out nitrates. That's a real head scratcher. The one thing you mentioned was that you didn't notice this until you turned on your heat....just wondering if that has anything to do with this.

 

[redfishbluefish]

By chance, is you heat forced hot air? I'm thinking dirty air ducts.

 

[twentyleagues]

I do not understand how a brute can generates nitrate. Where would the N come from?

I suspect test error or maybe a little nitrite reads as a lot of nitrate.

Randy is it possible the city uses chloramines and the filter is handling the chlorine but not the ammonia and its being processed by bacteria in the bin? I dont think this is possible but I dont know. Just a thought.

 

[truckTech95]

I do not understand how a brute can generates nitrate. Where would the N come from?

I suspect test error or maybe a little nitrite reads as a lot of nitrate.

Well I’m pretty confused about the whole thing myself. Only thing I can think of is maybe some kind of bacteria hitchhiked in off an old pump I used. But that pumps been in there for 6 months and was cleaned before and after. I ran the test three times with reagents from two different batch numbers both times I got the same reading 75 flashing.

 

[truckTech95]

Randy is it possible the city uses chloramines and the filter is handling the chlorine but not the ammonia and its being processed by bacteria in the bin? I dont think this is possible but I dont know. Just a thought.

Tiffin city does use chloramines. I read my cities report when I was specking out my RO unit.

 

[twentyleagues]

Wow! That's surprising. Unless they've changed them, it's either high density polyethylene HDPE (Recycle code 2) or low density polyethylene LDPE (Recycle code 4). Either one of those shouldn't be putting out nitrates. That's a real head scratcher. The one thing you mentioned was that you didn't notice this until you turned on your heat....just wondering if that has anything to do with this.

I have 2 newer 55g brutes I use with no issue. Maybe 2 years old at most.

 

[Dan_P]

I do not understand how a brute can generates nitrate. Where would the N come from?

I suspect test error or maybe a little nitrite reads as a lot of nitrate.

Good idea. Many salts are contaminated with ammonia. Nitrifying bacteria take time to grow in the clean water. Nitrite is likely the end product for these young populations, The nitrite can interfere with nitrate tests. But why don’t we see this happening more often

 

[twentyleagues]

Tiffin city does use chloramines. I read my cities report when I was specking out my RO unit.

Have you tested the tank with that since discovering this issue? Just as a cross check on the tester/reagent.

 

[truckTech95]

Have you tested the tank with that since discovering this issue? Just as a cross check on the tester/reagent.

Wow! That's surprising. Unless they've changed them, it's either high density polyethylene HDPE (Recycle code 2) or low density polyethylene LDPE (Recycle code 4). Either one of those shouldn't be putting out nitrates. That's a real head scratcher. The one thing you mentioned was that you didn't notice this until you turned on your heat....just wondering if that has anything to do with this.

I do have forced air yes, couple that with it’s an apartment that I can bet ya have never been cleaned that’s really where my thoughts were going.

 

[twentyleagues]

Good idea. Many salts are contaminated with ammonia. Nitrifying bacteria take time to grow in the clean water. Nitrite is likely the end product for these young populations, The nitrite can interfere with nitrate tests. But why don’t we see this happening more often

So maybe op should test for ammonia in a new batch? Seems like it may be quite a bit if so yeah?