RODI Buddy Help-Filter or Membrane

[UncommonSense]

The basic ro buddie calls for 50 - 90 psi. The water in my house runs 40 inside and 70 outside. I'm far from a plumber but I did graduate 3rd grade. The reason I mentioned it was because several people have had trouble trying to hook them up inside do to excessively low pressure. Now that she says she's living in an apartment her pressure could definitely be to low from time to time for numerous reasons.

So it sounds like your house water pressure is regulated down to 40psi!

 

[UMALUM]

So it sounds like your house water pressure is regulated down to 40psi!

So what exactly did I say that was simply not true?

 

[UncommonSense]

So what exactly did I say that was simply not true?

“the membrane needs much more pressure than a typical interior faucet can provide especially after it gets broken in.”

It is not common to have a pressure regulator isolating interior and exterior plumbing! in fact, this is an extremely unusual install, at least in my part of the world!

(Pressure regulators are typically on the whole property city water supply line, regulating whole property water pressure…)

— it could be worth looking at, at least to make showers more pleasant!

 

[SeaHorseQueen]

The pressure gauge would indicate if there was severe low water pressure (<40PSI), which in your case, is possible during high water demand hours!



That is indeed interesting!

Old pipes can and will release scale/crud when messed with; given the amount of plumbing failures and repairs you’re describing, this is also a likely culprit of high TDS!

I’m so sorry, I meant “what” instead of why on the gauge. I should have double checked the auto correct…

 

[Dragen Fiend]

I have the same system that I'm still using until I switch over to my canister one.

Your Resin is topped off so its not that. Your sediment looks okay. Carbon should be fine as well. Mine has lasted for 7 months. I do about 20G a week with it.

Does your resin have any color change at all? Maybe a bad batch of resin? I can run mine with low pressure and still get like 4tds.

And I used to use the bathroom sink. Now i have it in the drain sink next to washer/dryer.

 

[UMALUM]

Well in my part of the world prv's are not only very common they just happen to be code.

 

[SeaHorseQueen]

I have the same system that I'm still using until I switch over to my canister one.

Your Resin is topped off so its not that. Your sediment looks okay. Carbon should be fine as well. Mine has lasted for 7 months. I do about 20G a week with it.

Does your resin have any color change at all? Maybe a bad batch of resin? I can run mine with low pressure and still get like 4tds.

And I used to use the bathroom sink. Now i have it in the drain sink next to washer/dryer.

It used to be like an all blue so the resin has changed a bit but not enough to change it yet from what I'm understanding. Hopefully, it won't need to be changed until after Christmas. I have pictures of what it looks like now if you haven't seen it. It didn't have the orange color from before. You can't see it unless you open the top and look in the filter.

 

[Freenow54]

A booster pump would absolutely overcome lower tap water pressure!

It is nearly the same price as the RO unit, with added complexity… so it’s an option I’m putting a pin in until more diagnostic info is known!

— a pressure gauge reading, possibly at several times during the day, will tell us wether or not home water pressure could be part of this high TDS issue!

@SeaHorseQueen , if your RODI system doesn’t have a pressure gauge, there are several ways to test… best-bet would likely be an in-line pressure gauge on the RODI, given that a garden hose spigot gauge isn’t applicable in this situation!

So Then I know they are available since I used them quite a bit in my work solving high pressure situations. They make tattletale gauges that pin at high pressure don't know if the opposite is available

 

[Freenow54]

Well in my part of the world prv's are not only very common they just happen to be code. Told ya I finished 3rd grade.

Sorry I do not understand your point on that

 

[UMALUM]

Sorry I do not understand your point on that

Response to @UncommonSense
No biggie

 

[Freenow54]

I don’t have any gauges. I’m not sure how to attach them or where to attach them to the system. Why do I look for in a gage? It’s very possible that it was busy because it’s an entire building on the same water lines. I think it was after 7pm but the water pipes have been busting some occasionally all year throughout the property. Last week they had a break close by. So they’ve had a lot of maintenance this year alone. My brother and I had a discussion at lunch time about maybe there was build up in the pipes that may have dislodged. Whether it could have done that is interesting enough.

If your handy at all or know someone . add the gauge in the line from your tap to the ro system. If you send a picture can help you with that the lines are quarter inch outside diameter. You can buy push on fittings no tools needed. You can buy a T and add the gauge by having a quarter inch female pipe thread on one of the lines usually the T part and screw the gauge in or use adapters. You should be able to get help at your hardware or plumbing store to do that and just take it home and push in the ends of the lines you cut.

 

[exnisstech]

It is not common to have a pressure regulator isolating interior and exterior plumbing! in fact, this is an extremely unusual install, at least in my part of the world!

(Pressure regulators are typically on the whole property city water supply line, regulating whole property water pressure…)

— it could be worth looking at, at least to make showers more pleasant!

I have no idea about apartment buildings but in single family homes around here the regulator is installed inside the home just as the water enters the house so every faucet even the ones on the outside are regulated by that. I have no idea what the source pressure is from the road as there is no way for me to test it My pressure is around 40 psi even with a new regulator so I had to install a booster pump to get decent performance out of my system.
Just mentioning it because it seems things are done differently depending upon where you live.

 

[KStatefan]

You can add a gauge very easily

 

[SeaHorseQueen]

I went searching where the water softener is and they don't have a gauge reader on it or under the sink. In fact, you really have no room to work on it if you tried without pulling the whole system out. It'd probably be easier to buy one and attach it to the RO system.

 

[KStatefan]

I went searching where the water softener is and they don't have a gauge reader on it or under the sink. In fact, you really have no room to work on it if you tried without pulling the whole system out. It'd probably be easier to buy one and attach it to the RO system.

It can also help you diagnose problems with the RODI

 

[exnisstech]

It can also help you diagnose problems with the RODI

I agree. When mine gets too high I know my membrane is starting to plug. If I wait to long it will start bouncing but by then my output is so slow I've already notificed it. I don't know why but my membranes clog every 9 months to a year. Been like that for many years. I ran dual 75 gpd as well as single 100 gpd. I keep up on sediment and carbon filters but my membranes still clog. Dow filmtec as well as off brands.

 

[Freenow54]

I have no idea about apartment buildings but in single family homes around here the regulator is installed inside the home just as the water enters the house so every faucet even the ones on the outside are regulated by that. I have no idea what the source pressure is from the road as there is no way for me to test it My pressure is around 40 psi even with a new regulator so I had to install a booster pump to get decent performance out of my system.
Just mentioning it because it seems things are done differently depending upon where you live.

The only time I have ever seen a regulator installed in every home was when I did a job for the municipality and the subdivision was on a well so just like in a normal town the pressure was higher at the source and calculated to be normal about 65psig at the far end. I would complain if I was you. Cant you adjust it yourself?

 

[UMALUM]

The only time I have ever seen a regulator installed in every home was when I did a job for the municipality and the subdivision was on a well so just like in a normal town the pressure was higher at the source and calculated to be normal about 65psig at the far end. I would complain if I was you. Cant you adjust it yourself?

Why would someone complain about 40 psi? Isn't the whole idea " besides conservation in places like California" to protect your plumbing and appliances?

 

[Freenow54]

Why would someone complain about 40 psi? Isn't the whole idea " besides conservation in places like California" to protect your plumbing and applian

Why would someone complain about 40 psi? Isn't the whole idea " besides conservation in places like California" to protect your plumbing and appliances?

Please stop I cannot comprehend your thinking

 

[UncommonSense]

Why would someone complain about 40 psi? Isn't the whole idea " besides conservation in places like California" to protect your plumbing and appliances?

Typical home water pressure is 60-65PSI. Wether regulated or not, 40psi is extremely low for most plumbing fixtures…

Just 3/4” schedule 40 PVC pipe has a safe max operating pressure of 480PSI… let’s be conservative and say the fixtures are on the cheap end; so they can handle maybe 90-100PSI safe max operating pressure…