Multiple RO/DI Questions

[Anthrax15]

I purchased a BRS 5 Stage Premium plus RODI system w/ aquatec booster pump used and was hoping some of you guys would be able to help me out.

First and foremost, I needed to know the direction of how water flows on this unit:

Next would be what this plastic piece is next to the Booster Pump:

What this part is:

This tubing was damaged going into the Pressure Valve. Should just be a simple swapping of the tubing? :

And finally what this piece is for behind the unit:

 

[Vette67]

First and foremost, I needed to know the direction of how water flows on this unit:

The direction of flow is from the pump, in through the 3 prefilters, to the RO membrane, then out to the DI cartridge. Generally in your picture from left to right.

Next would be what this plastic piece is next to the Booster Pump:

That is a prefilter for your pressure pump. Consider this the starting point of your input tap water. It is meant to keep dirt and debris out of the pump head, to extend the pump life.

What this part is:

This is the flow restrictor, the part that says 550 on it. The valve next to it is a flush valve. You should open this valve occasionally when the system starts up to flush the RO membrane, for like 15 to 20 seconds. This flushes deposits from the membrane and extends the life of the RO membrane.

Hopefully that gets you started....

 

[Fishko]

Thats weird they are usually coded with colored ro tubing, red for input blue for output and waste for black

 

[Anthrax15]

The direction of flow is from the pump, in through the 3 prefilters, to the RO membrane, then out to the DI cartridge. Generally in your picture from left to right.


That is a prefilter for your pressure pump. Consider this the starting point of your input tap water. It is meant to keep dirt and debris out of the pump head, to extend the pump life.

This is the flow restrictor, the part that says 550 on it. The valve next to it is a flush valve. You should open this valve occasionally when the system starts up to flush the RO membrane, for like 15 to 20 seconds. This flushes deposits from the membrane and extends the life of the RO membrane.

Hopefully that gets you started....

Thank you very much for all that info! Definitely a good start! Do you know what the valve behind the DI unit is? Seems to be some sort of switch valve.

 

[stacksoner]

BRS has the best rodi instructional videos that will answer every question

How to Install an RO/DI System

Today on BRSTV we are going to show how quick and easy it is to install a RO/DI system for use with your reef aquarium. It is super easy and basically anyone who can start a saltwater tank can set one of these up as well. Disclaimer

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Fishko]

Thank you very much for all that info! Definitely a good start! Do you know what the valve behind the DI unit is? Seems to be some sort of switch valve.

its an auto shut off valve. Its if you want to add a float valve to your storage tank. Once it fills up the pressure will shut the unit off

 

[Opus]

There are conflicting views on where the pump should be placed. I went with the pump after the pre-filters/before the RO membrane. Seemed more logical to me that you would want the most pressure on the water entering the RO membrane.

Flushing the membrane does nothing from what I've gathered, at least not in our little consumer units. The water pressure is just not there to do anything. There is no proof either way, no studies done that I've ever found. Your membrane should last 5+ years so going to all that trouble for an extra month is just not worth it in my opinion.

Now, flushing is sometimes is used to mean by-passing the di filter upon start up of the RO unit. When your RO unit sits for days without being used, tds builds up on the ro membrane from the RO water trying to reach a more normal state. When you turn it on the tds will be extremely high compared to normal output, this is called tds creep. You basically have a switch that allows you to send the RO water into the waste water drain for the first few minutes and then you switch it over to the DI filter.

 

[Anthrax15]

Fantastic, thanks for all the input everyone. Is tubing size universal or do different units have different sizes? Can the tubing be sourced and Lowes/Home Depot?

 

[TriggerFinger]

My BRS unit came with 1/4” tubing. You can take some tubing or the broken elbow fitting with you to match up the new tube and find a new elbow. My Home Depot and Lowe’s both carry it in the plumbing section.

 

[Anthrax15]

This is the flow restrictor, the part that says 550 on it. The valve next to it is a flush valve. You should open this valve occasionally when the system starts up to flush the RO membrane, for like 15 to 20 seconds. This flushes deposits from the membrane and extends the life of the RO membrane.

I finally hooked up the RO/DI unit and started to make water. Water was pouring out of the flow restrictor/flush valve line regardless of whether or not the valve was closed or opened. Do I need to cap this line and only uncap it when I need to flush the line?

 

[homer1475]

Thats waste water, when your making water, or flushing, water should always be coming out the line after the restrictor.

All the opening/closing does is put back pressure on the RO membrane, or no pressure to "flush" the membrane.

 

[Vette67]

Yes. You should always have waste water steadily coming out of that line. It should come out with more force if you open the valve. Are you getting filtered water coming out of the DI section? Typically these are set up with about a 3:1 ratio. Meaning you should get about 3 times the amount of waste water as filtered water. Your 550 ml/ min flow restrictor would be correct for a 75 gallon per day RO membrane. Show us a picture of how it is set up now so we can see if the lines are running correctly.

 

[Anthrax15]

I believe I have it hooked up correctly. This is a crude idea of how the water flows:

I was getting 0 TDS water coming out of my last stage though the canister was not completely filled up. Could just have needed to run longer. I didn't realize waste water is constantly coming out as I make water so I guess I will need to run that line back into the wash room drain.

 

[Anthrax15]

Red line to booster, to first stage, through all filtration to last stage and out to water reservoir.

 

[Vette67]

If you are getting zero TDS water, then you are golden. Yes, waste water is continually flushing the contaminants down the drain. Like I said, it should be roughly 3 times as much waste water as good water. There will always be air in your DI canister. This is normal. The water feeds through the bottom of that canister, through the resin, and out the top. So it sounds like you got things where you need them. Very cool.

 

[Anthrax15]

Awesome, I think I've got it all good to go then!

My next question is I have the Booster pump plugged in and it is definitely making water faster with it. I have a float valve connected to my RO/DI reservoir but when I manually close it, the booster pump continues to make water but no water comes out of the float valve. I have a high pressure solenoid that is near the DI stage. When the pressure builds up and the float valve is closed, will the booster pump cut off and stop producing water?

 

[Vette67]

It was my understanding that is how it is supposed to work. I also have a booster pump, but my RO system works on a relay, so I open my solenoid and energize the booster pump with the same relay. So I don’t even have the cutoff switch installed on mine. If it is wired between the transformer and the pump, I believe it is supposed to cut power to the pump once pressure is over 40 PSI. At least mine says something like cutoff at 40 PSI on it. BRS has some videos on properly installing the booster pump. Might be worth checking out.

So yes, there is supposed to be an electric cutoff switch, if yours didn’t come with one. I do see the cutoff switch in your first picture.