Prime

[Krazykarl]

Ok so lately i been doing this and ive had no adverse affects on the tank ezcept the loss of my copperband due to the powerhead and my bangaii who became lunch foe my lta. What i been doing is draining my waste water feom my ro system into a 20 gallon blue jug and once its full im treating it with prime, running a maxijet in the jug to keep movement, and then adding salt. Im using this foe my water changes instead of trying to fill 20 gals of ro which woukd take dayyyyysssss!!!! Now lately my green palys are no longer opening up. Does anyone else use this method? Could the tap water be causing this? Im sure its not but some help woukd be cool

 

[Cal_stir]

the waste water is concentrated contaminants, you would probably be better off using tap water.
what i did is add a second restrictor to my waste water line and doubled my ro production and reduced my waste, ive been doing this for about 18 months, it shortens the life off my di resin by about 10 or 20% but saves tons of water.
i make 30 gals rodi in half a day

 

[xxmurrxx]

Use the waste water to wash your car, water plants, something lol
Don't see the purpose of getting an RO unit if you'd be using the wastewater for you tank.

 

[Blob-79]

..../blank stare

is there a smiley face for blank stare?

....ok...first off, is this a late april fools joke or something?? If the answer is yes, stop reading

I first want to point out that your copperband most likely did not die from your power head. What most likely happened is your copperband died...then got pulled into your power head. second, your banaii sounds like it was going to die regardless. Only sick fish are dumb enouph to get eaten by an anemone

kk now for the good stuf. Why do you have an ro unit...if your going to use waste water for your water changes? My RO system makes 20 gallons easily over night. Now...you should realize that waste water from a RO unit is in fact "WASTE" dont use it for anything other then watering plants lol. If you are too lazy to make RO water in advance..then you are better off using tap water...well actually better yet, take your ro membrane out and just carbon and sediment filter...or you could just siphon the water from your toilet..why not

what you need to do is get yourself a big tub, put a float valve in it, if your RO system isnt equipt with a auto shut off...get one. hook it all up and voila you will always have all the RO water you need.

 

[Krazykarl]

My ro unit does not have a di portion to it. Its used primarily in my house for drinking water and my daughters bottles. I also use the ro water for top up water. But the unit takes about 5 hours or more to fill a lousy 5 gallon jug! I cant let it drip all day cuz im at work and we use the watrr too. What should i do?

 

[Krazykarl]

Perhaps the unit i have isnt meant for aquaria! It is very slow at producing ro water. I simply cannot let it just drip. Its needed for other things in this house. And fyi... My copperband died before i started using the waste water. I did this for the first time two days ago... The bangaii died cuz it wont eat...

 

[Cal_stir]

you can get a decent 5 stage rodi unit for $150, or use conditioned tap water and let it stand for 24 hours to let the chlorine  flash off

 

[Krazykarl]

I was under the impression that the waste water was nothing more than tap water... I guess im wrong

 

[xxmurrxx]

Im not really sure how the filters work but the way it seems they pull out the "best" of the water and dump the "worst" parts.
Might be a higher concentration of bad elements in the water being outputted as the waste water.

 

[Blob-79]

My copperband died before i started using the waste water. I did this for the first time two days ago...

ya sorry bout that..I didnt mean to imply that using the waste water was actually the cause of these unfortunate deaths.

xxmurrxx is correct, basically alot of what is filtered out of the good water is flushed out of the RO filter by the waste water.

If you arent able to purchase a better Ro system, you could possibly improve on the one you have. Depending on what you have, chances are you just need a higher flow membrane and a matching flow restrictor.

 

[Krazykarl]

Ok so i put my brain to work, i rerouted my "good ro" water with a T union so that i can send clean ro into that 20 gal jug. The 1 gal resevoir has a shutoff valve so what i figured out is, when the 1 gall is full i will close the valve allowinf the unit to reroute the good water downstairs all the while keeping drinking water in the resevoir. When needed we will jist have to open the valve and then close again when done. Best i can do without forking out another 200 for a system that already does the same... Ugh... I hope this works


Next thoight.... If i drill a hole in the lid of the 20 gal and the line fits in air tight, along with the lid, would the water automatically stop filling the jug when it reaches the hose? Doea that make sense? The lack of air would cause the unitnto stop flowing i would think! Therefore creating an auto shutoff and avoiding a spillage all over my nice hardwood floor! Hmm

 

[phi delt reefer]

get a real RO/DI system  - no real substitute for that. You can put a T before the DI resin and use that for your kids bottle/ other household stuff. Waste water can be used to water your lawn/fill your washing machine (be careful - it can overflow )



I paid $150 for mine on ebay from MaxWater - located in Orillia i think or Oshawa :-\

75gpd - I realistically make 55 gallons a day. Mainly cause our cold water is so damn cold. I have noticed more water production since the weather has improved. You can up the rate by adding a booster pump but 55 gallons is more than i can use and store 40ish gallons.

Get a TDS meter at the bare minimum - $15 at Home depot or CDN TIRE

 

[phi delt reefer]

Ok so i put my brain to work, i rerouted my \"good ro\" water with a T union so that i can send clean ro into that 20 gal jug. The 1 gal resevoir has a shutoff valve so what i figured out is, when the 1 gall is full i will close the valve allowinf the unit to reroute the good water downstairs all the while keeping drinking water in the resevoir. When needed we will jist have to open the valve and then close again when done. Best i can do without forking out another 200 for a system that already does the same... Ugh... I hope this works


Next thoight.... If i drill a hole in the lid of the 20 gal and the line fits in air tight, along with the lid, would the water automatically stop filling the jug when it reaches the hose? Doea that make sense? The lack of air would cause the unitnto stop flowing i would think! Therefore creating an auto shutoff and avoiding a spillage all over my nice hardwood floor! Hmm

just get a float valve like i have pictured in mine - they are $20 - how much is the deductible on your house insurance?  ;D

you will get one free if you order a complete RO/DI system

 

[Blob-79]

no that would just set the stage for an impresive explosion. It would presurize the 20 gallon jug untill the auto shut off kicks in or untill the jug burst. your best bet would be to have it controled with a mechanical float valve. they cost about $10 when the valve closes it puts enouph back pressure in the line to engage the auto shut off, without pressurizing your jug.

 

[Seggsy]

Just an extra alternative - when I don't have enough RO water from home, I hit the corner store - they sell RO water for $2 for 5g.  I have tested, and their TDS is always below 5.

 

[Blob-79]

If you ever in the area, I have my old RO system I would let go for pretty cheap. it needs new filters, but its an option.

 

[Krazykarl]

Can someone give me a detailed idea of how you use rge float valve foe the ro system? I dont get it. My ro system is upstaits under the sink in the kitchen, and i ran a line through the floor into my laundry room where my 20 gal jug is...

 

[Blob-79]

rge?

your float should have 1 water input. plug the water line that you ran into it. when the water level reaches the point where it pushes up the float, it closes a plunger on the water line. which in turn activates your auto shut off with the back pressure it creates. You do have an auto shut off on your RO unit right? If not, you will need to get one.

Ill post some pictures tonight when I get home if you need.

 

[blaked]

The waste water is consider safe for flushing toilets , washing cars , and water the lawn, says the manufactures .
although i dont know how often u flush your systems membranes, id flush it good before using this water for anything other than washing or watering the lawn.....
but id guesse resaerch would be best.