Mixing Station Plumbing and Salt 'creep'

[SteveJacobs]

Hi all, very new to the hobby, and would appreciate some help.
I'm just wondering what the purpose of having the pipe in the left hand picture enter into the top of the saltwater container?
Is it because people like that it kind of circulates from bottom to top or something else?
Is the picture on the right where it enters in the bottom OK?
Is a three way 'L port' valve like in the second picture OK? I probably won't get an actuator but you can get manual ones.
I read through lots of posts that people point out that certain designs will 'creep' salt through the valves which will then add salt to the RODI container. Is this a real thing?
If it's real, how is it prevented?
I'll be using the RODI to fill my ATO water. Will this cause any issues?
Or are the amounts of salt so small, that it is negligible?

 

[lapin]

Im a top to bottom mixer. Most pumps have the exit on the top and intake on the front. I fill my containers with an rodi with a 3 way valve. No salt creep. My containers are not connected.

 

[Peace River]

Hi all, very new to the hobby, and would appreciate some help.
I'm just wondering what the purpose of having the pipe in the left hand picture enter into the top of the saltwater container?
Is it because people like that it kind of circulates from bottom to top or something else?
Is the picture on the right where it enters in the bottom OK?
Is a three way 'L port' valve like in the second picture OK? I probably won't get an actuator but you can get manual ones.
I read through lots of posts that people point out that certain designs will 'creep' salt through the valves which will then add salt to the RODI container. Is this a real thing?
If it's real, how is it prevented?
I'll be using the RODI to fill my ATO water. Will this cause any issues?
Or are the amounts of salt so small, that it is negligible?

#WelcometoR2R!!! That looks like a picture of @dbl's mixing station so let's see what he has to say in response to your questions.

 

[homer1475]

I'm also a top to bottom mixer. Not for any real reason other then thats where the pipes fit best in a container, and my mixing pump is the type that needs the water to be pushed to it, rather then it sucks the water out of the barrel. So my pump sits under my barrels.

I have mine setup like your pictures with just gate valves. I have 0 problem with salt water leeching back into my RO/DI. Been doing it this way for several years, through several different containers, and many, many batches mixed.

 

[dbl]

Hi all, very new to the hobby, and would appreciate some help.
I'm just wondering what the purpose of having the pipe in the left hand picture enter into the top of the saltwater container?
Is it because people like that it kind of circulates from bottom to top or something else?
Is the picture on the right where it enters in the bottom OK?
Is a three way 'L port' valve like in the second picture OK? I probably won't get an actuator but you can get manual ones.
I read through lots of posts that people point out that certain designs will 'creep' salt through the valves which will then add salt to the RODI container. Is this a real thing?
If it's real, how is it prevented?
I'll be using the RODI to fill my ATO water. Will this cause any issues?
Or are the amounts of salt so small, that it is negligible?

Well, I answered this in the mixing station thread this morning, but I'll copy and past my reply here as well for prosperity sake.

...To answer your question though, the pipe going in to the top of the saltwater container is in fact used for mixing. In that picture, if you open valves #1 and #3, it will circulate the water internally in the saltwater container. It pulls water from the bottom of the container and exits out the top.

I put salt in the container, open those two valves, turn pump on and it mixes my new saltwater. I also have a power head at the bottom of that container I turn on as well, but it's probably not necessary given the agitation of the main pump.

There is some residual saltwater in the hose after pumping saltwater to the tank. When it comes time to pumping clean RODI water to my reservoir, I simply run the pump for a minute or two (into the adjacent laundry sink) to flush out the hose. May not be necessary as there isn't that much residual saltwater in the hose, but I do it anyway.

As far as saltwater contaminating/creeping in to the RODI container, I've never had the issue with one exception. There was a time I neglected to close the RODI value (#4) while pumping saltwater and was in fact contaminated. That however was a user error, not design. You can test my RODI water container and get a zero TDS reading even after sitting for a long time between uses.

I'm not familiar with the "L Port" valve you pictured so I can't really comment on that.

Hopefully this helps at least a little.

 

[SteveJacobs]

Sorry for the double post, I thought I messed up the other one, but turns out your first posts get checked by mods before posting, sorry.

 

[dbl]

Sorry for the double post, I thought I messed up the other one, but turns out your first posts get checked by mods before posting, sorry.

No worries what-so-ever. Just glad we were able to get you some help. Welcome to the family.

 

[SteveJacobs]

Thanks. Is it probably fair to say that even if a few drops or an ounce or two did get into say a 50 gallon rodi container, that this would perhaps not impact things to badly?
Heck even a gallon? Not that I'm going to do that on purpose I'm just nervous.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Welcome

you had the biggest names in the business helping.

The only thing I would mention would be if you are just starting out, maybe hold of on a mixing station. That’s just my opinion but you will have so much going on with the tank, that just adds.

Just wondering also what size is the tank.