RO Water Use Procedures

[Mugwump]

Lol.....it only took a dozen posts.   

..I know..

[BillT]

Liz is correct:

TDS measures all dissolved solids.  Conductivity is a measurement of minerals that conduct electricity.

However if you are getting your TDS measurement from a meter it is being determined by the conductivity reading of the meter being converted into a TDS reading by using some assumed standard conductivity to TDS conversion factor.
Ideally you would evaporate all the water in a known volume and weight what is left. Not that quick and easy. There may be test kits for this, but they are not convenient.
Besides a conductivity meter, I use a density refractometer. Put a drop on it, look at a light, see a line on a scale, wipe it off.
This has two scales.
One is the density of the water. Normally water's density is one gram per ml (or cubic centimeter), by definition (of the metric system of measurements). When salts or any other materials (ionized or unionized) are dissolved in the water (and these molecules are more dense than those of the water molecules it displaces), then the density of the water goes up (more grams per ml). I think seawater is something like 1.028-1.035 grams/ml.
The as the density of water changes one of its optical properties, its refractive index changes. This is the read out of one scale.
The other scale is one of % seawater. I am guessing that this one assumes that the dissolved materials are the result of diluted seawater or seawater mix. Not that relevant to a lot of freshwater uses.

[LizStreithorst]

Easier IMO to just mess around with the RO mix until you figure out what works for you and stick with it.

[PaulineMi]

RO unit arrived yesterday. Easy to use...ran it from right out of the box. Flushed it last night and have it running now. Am filling a 5 gallon jug to work on determining appropriate mix.

Nothing to it....Lol.   

[Mugwump]

What king of R/O unit did you get?....brand, gph, etc....

[PaulineMi]

It's from/by Bulk Reef Supply,  portable, 75 gpd., RO/DI with a flush attachment, pressure gauge and TDS meter.

Hubby was interested in seeing what he got me for my upcoming birthday when the UPS delivery arrived. Lol.

[Mugwump]

It's from/by Bulk Reef Central,  portable, 75 gpd., RO/DI with a flush attachment, pressure gauge and TDS meter.

Hubby was interested in seeing what he got me for my upcoming birthday when the UPS delivery arrived. Lol.

It's ready to hook up???....I may be looking another one, for grins...   was it pricey?

[PaulineMi]

I did an edit to put the correct name of where I got it in my previous post..."Bulk Reef Supply".  Here's a link: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-plus-ro-di-system-75gpd.html

They have a daily special. The day I looked up a unit that was recommended by a friend the one I got was the special at $152.00. My friend has the unit that is $129.  She's been using it for year and is very happy with it.

You can hang these on the wall or stand them on a counter. Note that they have videos on the website.  It's actually reefers' store but they have a couple of things we can use for freshwater. 

[Mugwump]

Thanx, looks interesting.....I didn't see the good/waste water ratio tho.....is yours a 1:2 unit??

[LizStreithorst]

Product to waste ratio depends on the incoming water.  The higher the water pressure and the fewer minerals in the water the greater the output of product.  You get greater product in warm weather that in cold.  There is now way the company could give than information.  Looks like a nicely put together unit.

[Mugwump]

Product to waste ratio depends on the incoming water.  The higher the water pressure and the fewer minerals in the water the greater the output of product.  You get greater product in warm weather that in cold.  There is now way the company could give than information.  Looks like a nicely put together unit.

I've seen units give an estimate of expected waste.....but ok.....

[Mugwump]

Here's the GE Merlin....
...............
GE Infrastructure Water and Process Technologies has achieved a revolutionary breakthrough in the water treatment industry. Out-of-the-box thinking and years of research have produced a totally new point-of-use drinking water system. The New Merlin RO System features continuous-flow water production of 0.5+ gallons per minute, so a storage tank is no longer required. RO water on demand! The unit operates on line pressure (40 to 50 psi required), which eliminates the need for an electrical pump. The patented high-production, low-energy membrane purifies up to 720 gallons of water per day. This high capacity performance creates new opportunities for light duty commercial applications and great for the residential homeowner too! The system is NSF standard 58 approved, and has a compact design that can easily fit beneath the kitchen sink. Supplied with a designer air gap faucet and all interconnecting tubing, the Merlin installs quickly and easily. Covered by a 3-year limited warranty for residential applications, and a 1-year limited warranty in commercial application. Note: Reverse osmosis typically wastes 3 to 4 gallons of water for every gallon it produces.

[PaulineMi]

The literature that came with my unit shows a 4:1 ratio. 

[PaulineMi]

Found this to help with water heating costs.  Only cold water should be run through an RO unit. You can warm the water up by using 25 feet of blue RO water output line, coil it and place the coiled part in a bucket of warm water.  Voila....warm water that can be mixed with your heated tap water, especially helpful during winter months.

[Mugwump]

I remember that Lou, 'The wetfish', used a copper coil line, circulating through his hot water heater, to heat his holding tanks. The coiled R/O output line in a bucket sounds great....Hmmmmmm...