I only have a ball valve off a tee from the ro before it gets to the di stage. The container is really a 45g tall tank but being 3 feet above the basement I thought it could have been slowly draining back down. No floats, both the ro split and di are just 1/4" tubes I put in buckets or water jugs. By release I mean Water leaking out of the tubes on the washer and overflowed on to the floor into the floor drain. I'm guessing 3-5 gallons? It soaked an entire towel to capacity and that was sitting in a pool of water. I suppose I'm being ignorant ( and don't want to think this happened) but from my water experience it appears either something is wrong with my system or in fact the 3 ft of pressure caused a syphoned or back up into my system and was just slowly leaking all night.
Let's assume that's the case, what can I use to disinfect the ro membranes, filter casing, tubes and everything else? I did flush the lines for several hours (watering my entire yard with the waste) then made 20 gallons of rodi and then 5 gallons of just ro. It taste fine but I dont trust the 45g tank it was in, it has been sitting back there for years and could have anything in it.
And what's a wet fitting?
Thank you so much for any advice!!
To find a wet fitting, I usually zip tie toilet paper around each fitting I suspect and then check them out in a few hours. Toilet paper not only looks wet at the slightest dampness but also disfigures.
Where is the waste water line connecting to the 45g container? Top or bottom? If top, its unlikely that any water is being pushed back into the system. If bottom, its more likely, and a check valve would fix this simply and cheaply. Do you have well water with a pump and holding vessel? Large pressure fluctuations can cause weird things to happen inside the system.
Is your RODI system constantly fed from your house water or do you shut the tap water off to it when not in use?
As for disinfecting the system, the housings and tubes can be disinfected with a 50/50 vinegar/water mix or bleach water mix. Remove the o-rings first. To disinfect the o-rings, I use vinegar are bleach tears them up. I don't know of any way to disinfect the filters other than replacing them, which is best if you think the system back flowed.
Before dismantling, I'd suggest finding the cause of the leak first. I would:
1. Use whatever method you'd like to verify all fittings are not leaking.
2. Install a check valve on the waste line. This should be done regardless, as any pipe or tube that exits the house has the possibility to bring in dirty water at some point.
3. Check or replace the 1/4 ball valve off the tee. It could be leaking by.
Can you take some pictures of your setup for a better understanding?
