RO unit automatization without first few minutes of nasty water

[PaulPL]

Hello guys,
I`m in need of an advice. I`m building Ro unit and would like to install bypass to get rid of first few liters of hight TDS water. I`m thinking to set it up with apex and 3 x SV-1 solenoid valves. It could look like this (attached pic). Can anyone tell me what extention module do I need? Is Link 1 will do? How can I plug OS-1 optical sensor to apex.

 

[KStatefan]

I do not have an apex but have my system similar using a high low tank controller and a delay relay. If you used 24 volt solenoids could you hook them up to the apex 24 volt outputs?

 

[SuncrestReef]

The Neptune SV-1 Solenoid uses a 2-pin Molex connector which can be plugged into a 1Link module (2 available ports), FMM module (1 available port), or the EB832 (2 available ports). It can also be plugged into a 24v power adapter which can be plugged into any controllable outlet. Since you need 3 solenoids, the most economical setup would be an EnergyBar with 3 power adapters.

For the OS-1 Optical sensors, you need the FMM module. Alternatively, you could use float switches attached to a breakout box. I would recommend a low water sensor and a high water sensor.

See my Apex Hardware Overview article for details on each of these modules:

Apex Hardware Overview

Here's a quick overview of the Apex hardware family: Apex controller (sometimes referred to as the "base module" or "brain") The Apex controller is the primary device that controls and monitors the entire Apex setup. There are two current...

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Here's the programming I would use. I use a virtual output to act as the flush timer for 2 minutes. Adjust this timer to your preference. I'm using the solenoid labels A, B, and C from your drawing, and the water sensor names Res_Lo and Res_Hi.

[Solenoid_A]
Fallback OFF
If Res_Lo OPEN Then ON
If Res_Hi CLOSED Then OFF
When ON > 360:00 Then OFF
(Adjust this timer to be the maximum number of minutes you want the RO/DI to be on. This is a failsafe to prevent flooding in case the upper sensor fails, so it should be a little longer than it normally takes to refill the reservoir.)

[Solenoid_B]
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Output Solenoid_A = ON Then ON
If Output Flush_Timer = ON Then OFF

[Solenoid_C]
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Output Flush_Timer = ON Then ON

[Flush_Timer] -- virtual output
Set OFF
If Output Solenoid_A = ON Then ON
Defer 002:00 Then ON
(adjust this timer for the number of minutes you want to flush when the RO/DI first starts up)

[EmailAlm]
Set OFF
If Error Solenoid_A Then ON
(this sends you an alarm notification if the system stayed on too long)

Be sure each of these output sliders are set to AUTO on your dashboard.

If you're not familiar with virtual outputs, see my tutorial here:

Neptune Apex Programming Tutorials, Part 5: Virtual Outputs

Part 5 of our Apex Programming Tutorials. This one is on Virtual Outputs.

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