Reverse osmosis systems

[pmorrissette (Phil_M)]

@smkranz

With these RO systems, is doing the same thing I’m doing with my carbon filter (breaking them down to let them try out between uses) a good or practical thing to do?  Would it affect their useful life.  I would just be concerned about the possible growth of unwanted microbes if they sat full of water for an extended period of time between uses.

That concern is why I ended up mounting mine under the sink. My understanding was that it was good practice to make sure the system got used frequently, and it’s a lot easier to do that when it’s a permanent fixture instead of a temporary one.

[Philbrew]

@mabrungard

Good catch, Phil. My bad, I’m used to units like gpm in my day job. I’ve revised my post to read gpd, as intended.

With regard to Phil’s system. It’s virtually the same with the teeny filters. A system with the larger under-sink, 10" or 20" filters provides a longer residence time in the carbon and that significantly improves the reliability and completeness of chlorine-compound removal. Don’t skimp there or you will be replacing your membrane and the carbon filter way more often than you would normally have to. There is a nice write up about what to look for when buying a RO system on the Bru’n Water Facebook page.

Martin, would this be a good system?  https://jet.com/product/detail/6b3d404a553f4b5e812b395329dc48a1?jcmp=pla:ggl:brands_home_garden_a1:kitchen_dining_kitchen_appliances_water_filters_a1_other:na:na:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15&k_clickid=a8a6e3fb-a3e1-4f72-838a-62e84be3101a&gclid=CKPJ1KKHrMkCFUKXgQodM88NeQ  It seems like a good value.

I would be using well water through a water softener so clorine is not an issue but bacteria may be.  Would a UV source take care of that?  Any recommendations for that?

[jbadd99]

Greetings!

I was browsing the forum here in anticipation of beginning brewing myself when I ran across this thread.

I purchased a system around 6 years ago at:

http://www.purewaterclub.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=88

I’ve used it ever since for my saltwater aquarium.  I’ve changed the sediment filters twice and the RO filter and DI resin once.  I also run a TDS meter in and out.  Generally my TDS is around 40ppm going in and unless the filter is going bad it’s always 0ppm out.  It took me around 2.5 years and I don’t even know how many 100’s of gallons out for the TDS to start creeping up.  I eventually added a booster pump and an additional RO membrane to recirculate the waste water from the first filter (increasing my yield per gallon).  I’ve got about $325 total in my setup.

P.S. If you use one only semi-regularly (every few days or so) you’ll need to purge the output line to eliminate and TDS creep from the membrane - I added a purge valve that makes the process rather quick.

Happy brewing!

[Whiskers]

Whatever you go with, I highly recommend you go with 3/8th feed line rather than the standard 1/4, especially if you  have a run of more than a few feet.  Pressure from my well bladder tank runs between 40 and 50psi, and I have a booster pump.  The feed run to the pump is ~10’.  Was only able to get the RO pressure up to 80psi once I swapped in the 3/8’‘. Bear in mind mine is a 120gpd so the total throughput is a chunk higher than many other smaller systems, so the pressure drop is more significant with the greater flow.  If you’ve only a couple of feet, higher pressure, and a lower capacity system, 1/4’’ tube is likely fine.  Just putting this out there as it took me awhile to troubleshoot my issues and the 3/8th feed solved everything.

BTW Spectrapure is a fantastic place for RO/DI equipment and information.  It’s where I’ve bought everything over the years.