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12 hours ago, tatter said:

So I have a question is can DE-IONIZED water (e.g. as used for car batteries) be used on Cps or must it be Pure distilled water or R.O water

De-Ionised water is not guaranteed pure but probably is nine times out of ten providing a clean setup is used in manufacture.

I have used De-Ionised water (2.5L Carplan make, sold in supermarkets) in the past for my indoor CP setups before i got my RO unit. It's important to understand it's probably fine but you cannot guarantee it's constituents without at least a TDS meter. (I have a TDS meter and if I remember correctly, I think it did read pure at 0ppm.)

RO water can be purchased from aquatic stores or if you need very large quantites, ask around where local window cleaners get their supply from (as they use RO water heavily).

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I bought this unit comes tomorrow so will be playing and getting it working to fill up my 750 ltrs in this heat

i am using 30 ltrs a day think in the coming years it's going to get dryer and dryer 

https://www.eastmidlandswater.com/Details.asp?ProductID=1469

 

Edited by Deltatango301
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On ‎6‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 9:49 AM, Stu said:

De-Ionised water is not guaranteed pure but probably is nine times out of ten providing a clean setup is used in manufacture.

I have used De-Ionised water (2.5L Carplan make, sold in supermarkets) in the past for my indoor CP setups before i got my RO unit. It's important to understand it's probably fine but you cannot guarantee it's constituents without at least a TDS meter. (I have a TDS meter and if I remember correctly, I think it did read pure at 0ppm.)

RO water can be purchased from aquatic stores or if you need very large quantites, ask around where local window cleaners get their supply from (as they use RO water heavily).

Yep I am aware of RO  water from aquatic stores but my nearest one that stocks it is 10 miles away that's why I was asking about  de-ironized/distilled water . Cheers

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On ‎6‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 2:21 PM, Stu said:

The membrane (once first used) should never be allowed to dry out. This is most easily achieved by adding ball valves close to the unit on the input and output pipes, so you can easily shut off the unit, trapping water within when it is not in use.

I have managed to get through 2000 litres since the last rain, I thought I was covered with that amount of storage, but apparently not  

I have heard that RO membranes clog if not used for a period of time. In other words, that a unit cannot simply be mothballed  - once you start using it you have to keep it going (or replace the membrane before you can bring it back into use)

Does that sound correct - I don't mind investing in a unit, but having to replace the membrane at the end of using it for a few weeks a year makes it quite a high cost of use solution.

Dave

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1 hour ago, osmosis said:

I have heard that RO membranes clog if not used for a period of time. In other words, that a unit cannot simply be mothballed  - once you start using it you have to keep it going (or replace the membrane before you can bring it back into use)

Does that sound correct - I don't mind investing in a unit, but having to replace the membrane at the end of using it for a few weeks a year makes it quite a high cost of use solution.

I'm guessing the people that report clogs and poor performance are those that do not follow advice such as what I posted about proper (wet) storage, periodic flushing and good practice.

As an example, I stopped using mine late autumn last year, finally disconnected and stored indoors over winter, and re-commissioned into use around April/May this year. Therefore, it had been unused for about 5-6 months and I hadn't bothered flushing during that time (my bad!).

When I first hooked it up, I tested the output and it was at 80ppm. Oh dear, I thought I may have to get new filters as it didnt change after flushes for a few minutes. However, as a last effort I left it flushing for about an hour and low and behold I was back down to under 10ppm.

This is the importance of a flush kit and why I advise everyone installs one. Without it, I would probably never have resurrected the RO membrane and had to replace.

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1 hour ago, osmosis said:

Does that sound correct - I don't mind investing in a unit, but having to replace the membrane at the end of using it for a few weeks a year makes it quite a high cost of use solution.

Forgot to say; if not already obvious, those on a water meter want to avoid letting the waste output run down the drain. There will be a large amount of waste water (4x good output or more) and as sewerage rates are higher anyway,  this is where costs can soar. 

Just run the pipe onto a garden and/or a soakaway instead, then you only pay the rate of drawn water from the mains. 

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I had to rig up my ro unit for a day just before I came away for a week in the sun. I have to say I didn't follow any of the advice, I simply stuck it in one outside storage cupboard sometime last year then got it out last week.  It was measuring less than 10ppm straight off. I will consider myself lucky and take better care of it now I've read the correct procedures ( thanks stu).  

I'm sure I raised the topic of the waste ro water before as I was unsure if it would be safe to use on pot plants such as bamboo and acers. I think when I did a tds of the waste it was about double from that of the tap. I'm still not sure if potted plants have any tolerances?, any thoughts welcomed. Also I think it was agreed that sewage water wasn't measured, it was just a calculation / percentage made from what was drawn from the tap. I only have a meter measuring what comes into the house so as far as I'm aware if my neighbour ran his hose down my drain my bill wouldn't change. 

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I have just rigged mine up today I have a leak on the carbon filter elbow? 

I have run the water for about 1 1/2 hours getting about 360 ltrs a day flow

my tds is 90 so a bit concerned will it clean up better with time.

btw tds out of the tap is 350 can I still use the water at 90 tds

Edited by Deltatango301
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Anyone with suggestions for a low price, simple RO unit that can easily be attached to a hose? I am using about 2-3 litres of water a day  (I only have 6 seed tray size water baths) so only need a low quantity, so price and simplicity is key. Went to "borrow" some distilled water from work and some bugger had broken the chamber of the distiller and not told anyone, so that isn't working now.

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1 hour ago, Deltatango301 said:

I have just rigged mine up today I have a leak on the carbon filter elbow? 

I have run the water for about 1 1/2 hours getting about 360 ltrs a day flow

my tds is 90 so a bit concerned will it clean up better with time.

btw tds out of the tap is 350 can I still use the water at 90 tds

As far as I recall under 100ppm is considered safe Delta but it sounds like your unit is in need of repair or servicing, a good unit will easily put out under a tds under 10ppm. 

http://www.collinswaterproductsltd.co.uk/ourshop/prod_5999262-4-stage-100gpd-aquarium-system.html

This is the unit I have chimera and it serves me well when there's a drought. There's a similar cheaper one about £8 less that only provides half what this one can ( 50gpd) but if that's man enough then great. Very easy to connect and use. 

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Thanks Stu for your advice.

Chimaera, I use an Ecowater distiller in the flat. It runs off one US gallon in about 4 hours. Distillers can be more expensive than deionisers but they are not wasteful with water. They are a bit power hungry though. I have had mine running all week and have a 25 litre container of water to take around to my wife's.

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20 hours ago, Blocky71 said:

I'm sure I raised the topic of the waste ro water before as I was unsure if it would be safe to use on pot plants such as bamboo and acers. I think when I did a tds of the waste it was about double from that of the tap. I'm still not sure if potted plants have any tolerances?, any thoughts welcomed. Also I think it was agreed that sewage water wasn't measured, it was just a calculation / percentage made from what was drawn from the tap. I only have a meter measuring what comes into the house so as far as I'm aware if my neighbour ran his hose down my drain my bill wouldn't change. 

Actually yes that is correct! I just looked into it and sewerage is charged at % of water used (as read from the meter)... 92.5% for my Water supplier. You can apply for a rebate if you can prove you are not using that much, i.e. in my case of drawing a lot for RO but not using the sewer to return it. Might look into that and what evidence they would need.

Otherwise, I may as well just run the waste down the drain.

 

Deltango; definitely fix that leak as RO systems need to work under pressure and a pressure loss will affect your output production volume.

 

Chimaera; any RO unit can be attached easily to a hosepipe via a standard 3/4" female bsp to 1/4" push fit quick connector, which are very often supplied with RO units (as is the case with the one Chris recommended.)

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I run it most of the day today the leak is not problem with volume out its the TDS it's now 75

but I don't understand why as it's a brand new 4 stage unit. I have emailed the suppliers 

but they have not come back to me they won't accept phone calls you have to wait for them....

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I would agree with Stu mate, any leak in the system must mean it's output is reduced and or its not filtering to its best capacity. My ro output pipe literally drips out whereas the 'waste' outlet has a constant stream, I also have a ' flush' outlet for cleaning the system but haven't used that as yet. The fact you aren't seeing a difference in output even with a leak would concern me that the unit isn't working as it should, it appears to be allowing water through too freely if you get what I mean...

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3 hours ago, Stu said:

Actually yes that is correct! I just looked into it and sewerage is charged at % of water used (as read from the meter)... 92.5% for my Water supplier. You can apply for a rebate if you can prove you are not using that much, i.e. in my case of drawing a lot for RO but not using the sewer to return it. Might look into that and what evidence they would need.

Otherwise, I may as well just run the waste down the drain.

 

Deltango; definitely fix that leak as RO systems need to work under pressure and a pressure loss will affect your output production volume.

 

Chimaera; any RO unit can be attached easily to a hosepipe via a standard 3/4" female bsp to 1/4" push fit quick connector, which are very often supplied with RO units (as is the case with the one Chris recommended.)

That's a good call Stu, especially if you are producing large amounts, I'm sure there was something mentioned also about the collection of rainwater as opposed to that going down the drain being a reason for a rebate too.  

I used my last batch of ro waste on my potted plants just before I came away for a week. Home tomorrow so I'll see if there's been any side effects! .  

Keep us posted if you do get in touch with your water providers.  I for one would be interested in their reply. 

Cheers chris

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On 6/28/2018 at 12:12 PM, tatter said:

Yep I am aware of RO  water from aquatic stores but my nearest one that stocks it is 10 miles away that's why I was asking about  de-ironized/distilled water . Cheers

Deionised water is perfect. Don't know where anyone has read anything otherwise.

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My rain water comes in around the 60/70 mark if I remember correctly Delta. 

I've always gone by under 100 tds reading was OK to use but at the higher end of what's ' safe'.  

Recent reading seems that under 50 is the desired reading now.... 

I'll have to re check the next lot of rain I get, soon hopefully too!  

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I've got a cheap RO unit to hook up this weekend. The forecast is still no rain for the foreseeable future. I'll see how it goes, though I'm wondering how best to use the huge volume of waste water I am going to get. I am imagining a run of loose guttering pieces on the floor stretching along the garden to various flowerbeds!

 

The wet-membrane thing......... as this water is not for human consumption, would there be any problem in just storing the membrane in a jar of water, while the unit is not in use? We don't care about bacterial growth for our plants..... or do we?

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On 6/29/2018 at 11:18 AM, David Ahrens said:

Thanks Stu for your advice.

Chimaera, I use an Ecowater distiller in the flat. It runs off one US gallon in about 4 hours. Distillers can be more expensive than deionisers but they are not wasteful with water. They are a bit power hungry though. I have had mine running all week and have a 25 litre container of water to take around to my wife's.

Thanks a lot, I'm looking into options. 

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I am wondering if this new unit I have has been in stock along time and the filters

are shot been running now for 8 hours today and the TDS is still only 76

the help line that I have emailed have not come back to me yet

BtW this unit Is a USA manufacturer 

https://www.eastmidlandswater.com/Details.asp?ProductID=1469

 

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In april I had 100l, now im down to about 25l and 10l of deionised left, its ridiculous. Wish there was a cheap portable ro unit for sale somewhere or universally connect to a tap like those garden hose adapters, or hose connector or gravity fed.

If anyone could give me a link to everything i need from ebay it'd be really handy. I'm just going around in circles trying to find adapters and then adapters for adapters to the tap

Edited by Zerbirus
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5 hours ago, Zerbirus said:

Wish there was a cheap portable ro unit for sale somewhere or universally connect to a tap like those garden hose adapters, or hose connector or gravity fed.

If anyone could give me a link to everything i need from ebay it'd be really handy. I'm just going around in circles trying to find adapters and then adapters for adapters to the tap

The one Chris has and posted is very good value and comes with everything you need. I doubt you'll find ones much cheaper than that, and if you do I'd be dubious of their quality.

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On 6/29/2018 at 6:16 PM, Blocky71 said:

That's a good call Stu, especially if you are producing large amounts, I'm sure there was something mentioned also about the collection of rainwater as opposed to that going down the drain being a reason for a rebate too. 

Yes you can get a rebate if you can prove that none of your surface water drainage (i.e rain guttering enters the sewer).

I don't think simply saying you use water butts would cut it though, even if you had one on every downpipe, as the way the diverters work is by letting a fraction of the rain into the butt so you're still having some go down.

With this current heatwave and water shortages looming, with some districts already being asked to "kindly restrict use of non essential sprinklers and hoses", if I did try for a rebate, they'd probably come back telling me to stop using so much water... just for plants! 

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