RO/DI 7-Stage -- Need Help/Verification

[esther]

So, we just installed our 7-Stage RO/DI system from @Bulk Reef Supply. My question to everyone is, what should the "lines" be showing? Line 1 starts at about 300 and drops slowly over time and Line 2 and 3 are steady at 0. Is that how it should be reading?

 

[ReefChef19]

So, we just installed our 7-Stage RO/DI system from @Bulk Reef Supply. My question to everyone is, what should the "lines" be showing? Line 1 starts at about 300 and drops slowly over time and Line 2 and 3 are steady at 0. Is that how it should be reading?

Yes, it sounds correct. It sounds like your city water coming in is 300 tds, and 0 when going out. The second number is important because that means your sediment and carbon blocks are working very well before it gets to your resin. The last nuermb should always be 0 tds, because thats the water your actually going to be using.

 

[esther]

Yes, it sounds correct. It sounds like your city water coming in is 300 tds, and 0 when going out. The second number is important because that means your sediment and carbon blocks are working very well before it gets to your resin. The last nuermb should always be 0 tds, because thats the water your actually going to be using.

What are your thoughts on water pressure? We currently have it at 70 using the booster pump. Would we benefit from increasing it up to 90? (we adjusted the booster pump down, just in case 90 was too high).

 

[ReefChef19]

70 is plenty, I wouldn't go over 85. I believe the high limit is 90, I run a 6 stage brs with a pump at about 85, and it works great. Im actually about to add another sediment filter, I wish I had got the 7 stage to begin with but we have pretty good water. Mine is usually only about 6 tds coming in.

 

[Saltyreef]

Usually above 50 and youre fine.
Sounds like you have two inline TDS meters?
As mentioned above with a little clarification, the left hand TDS meter is your inlet water before hitting the RO membrane. "In" shows your pre membrane TDS and the "out" shows your post membrane TDS.
Then the right hand side meter should show your pre DI and post DI numbers.
300 sounds fine, i let mine run through the DI bypass for about 2-3 minutes and then close the valve to negate TDS creep into my resins.

Sorry, i just reread that its a BRS unit and those have a single TDS meter but the numbers should roughly mirror that. Looks good to me.

 

[esther]

Thanks for your help, @ReefChef19!

 

[esther]

Usually above 50 and youre fine.
Sounds like you have two inline TDS meters?
As mentioned above with a little clarification, the left hand TDS meter is your inlet water before hitting the RO membrane. "In" shows your pre membrane TDS and the "out" shows your post membrane TDS.
Then the right hand side meter should show your pre DI and post DI numbers.
300 sounds fine, i let mine run through the DI bypass for about 2-3 minutes and then close the valve to negate TDS creep into my resins.

We have the one TDS meter that came with the system. It has a lever that allows you to switch from Line 1, Line 2 & Line 3.

 

[esther]

UPDATE : So, we've been running the RO/DI system for 17 hours now. we can't get it to pump out more than 1.5 to 1.75g an hour. Pressure is at 85psi and our 2nd DI resin is starting to change colors and is now showing TDS of 1. Line 3 is still showing 0 TDS. Why is the production of water so slow? What are we missing?

 

[lapin]

This is what the site says about the meter.
HM Digital Inline Triple TDS Meter - Instantly know the purity of your water, before it enters the deionization system, after the single bed resins, and then your final product water after the Pro Mixed Bed resin stage. The inline probes come pre-installed and with the simple push of a button, your waters TDS is displayed on the LDC monitor.

First is your tap water.
Second is after the 2 different types of resin ( this will tell you if you need to replace those 2 resins)
Third is after the final mixed bed (this is a final catch all when the first 2 resins start to be used up)

The Pro unit is lacking a meter after the RO unit. This can be important to let you know the rejection rate of the RO membrane. Most membrane get about a 98% rejection rate. When it is no longer doing its job it is time to replace the RO membrane.

What gpd unit did you get?
As fars as how much water per day . I normally do not see the 100 gpd out of a 100 gpd system. The number is best case with perfect conditions. If you want more water replace The RO membrane with a higher GPD one when it needs replacing. You will also need to change out the flush valve / restrictor to one that works with the higher flow rate membrane

Reverse Osmosis Membrane Flush Valve

The Membrane Flush/Flow restrictor valve is an all in one flow restrictor equipped with a flush valve for easy worry free use. Keeping the flush and flow restrictor in a single package keeps fitting count down which means less chance for possible leaks or failures down the line. 550 mL/min for...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Did you flush the membrane for a while before use ?
It can have residue on it which is passed on to the resin. This can use up the resin a little prematurely.

Note: When you see the pressure drop it means your carbon and /or sediment filters are clogging up and need to be replaced. When clogged, water production will be less.

I run my 4 stage unit which I have added 4 more stages at 80psi

 

[esther]

This is what the site says about the meter.
HM Digital Inline Triple TDS Meter - Instantly know the purity of your water, before it enters the deionization system, after the single bed resins, and then your final product water after the Pro Mixed Bed resin stage. The inline probes come pre-installed and with the simple push of a button, your waters TDS is displayed on the LDC monitor.

First is your tap water.
Second is after the 2 different types of resin ( this will tell you if you need to replace those 2 resins)
Third is after the final mixed bed (this is a final catch all when the first 2 resins start to be used up)

The Pro unit is lacking a meter after the RO unit. This can be important to let you know the rejection rate of the RO membrane. Most membrane get about a 98% rejection rate. When it is no longer doing its job it is time to replace the RO membrane.

What gpd unit did you get?
As fars as how much water per day . I normally do not see the 100 gpd out of a 100 gpd system. The number is best case with perfect conditions. If you want more water replace The RO membrane with a higher GPD one when it needs replacing. You will also need to change out the flush valve / restrictor to one that works with the higher flow rate membrane

Reverse Osmosis Membrane Flush Valve

The Membrane Flush/Flow restrictor valve is an all in one flow restrictor equipped with a flush valve for easy worry free use. Keeping the flush and flow restrictor in a single package keeps fitting count down which means less chance for possible leaks or failures down the line. 550 mL/min for...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Did you flush the membrane for a while before use ?
It can have residue on it which is passed on to the resin. This can use up the resin a little prematurely.

Note: When you see the pressure drop it means your carbon and /or sediment filters are clogging up and need to be replaced. When clogged, water production will be less.

I run my 4 stage unit which I have added 4 more stages at 80psi

So, we have the 150GPD water saver. The pressure has remained consistent at 85. It just seems like we're not getting anywhere near the 150 GPD, so I feel like we're doing something wrong. We did flush the membrane for a while right when we got it. Probably for about an hour or so.

Question.. On the DI canisters.. What's the water level supposed to be like to the eye? They're not full like the first three RO canisters. Is that the way it's supposed to be?

 

[lapin]

Question.. On the DI canisters.. What's the water level supposed to be like to the eye? They're not full like the first three RO canisters. Is that the way it's supposed to be?

It is not that important. What you see is the water level outside the resin container before its pushed thru the resin. If it bothers you, you can loosen the clear housing a bit while the unit is running and let the trapped air escape. Tighten it before the water can come out the threads.

 

[lapin]

So, we have the 150GPD water saver. The pressure has remained consistent at 85. It just seems like we're not getting anywhere near the 150 GPD, so I feel like we're doing something wrong. We did flush the membrane for a while right when we got it. Probably for about an hour or so.

I also have the water saver on mine. I have 2ea 150 gpd membranes and a # 800 restrictor / flush valve. I get about 100 GPD.

A picture of your set up might help us spot a problem.
Im not an expert on figuring out problems remotely like @Buckeye Hydro is. By tagging Russ (like i just did) we might get some good advice here. I would contact BRS and see if they have any suggestions and / or call Buckeye.

 

[esther]

I also have the water saver on mine. I have 2ea 150 gpd membranes and a # 800 restrictor / flush valve. I get about 100 GPD

Thanks for the help. We're definitely not getting 100 GPD. And I can't for the life of me figure out what's wrong. I'll give @Bulk Reef Supply a call and see what they recommend.

 

[MTBake]

Russ @Buckeye Hydro is my go to for ro/di questions. He knows his stuff and helped me with my ro/di a few times over the years. He's super helpful over the phone.

I'm not too sure what the issue is with your system. I will say that I have a seven stage system with one single 75gpd membrane and it fills a 5 gallon bucket in an hour and 10 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes, depending on time of year and incoming water temp. That's at 70psi without a booster pump.

 

[esther]

Russ @Buckeye Hydro is my go to for ro/di questions. He knows his stuff and helped me with my ro/di a few times over the years. He's super helpful over the phone.

I'm not too sure what the issue is with your system. I will say that I have a seven stage system with one single 75gpd membrane and it fills a 5 gallon bucket in an hour and 10 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes, depending on time of year and incoming water temp. That's at 70psi without a booster pump.

Thanks for the help! This hobby is enough to make you nuts. lol

 

[MTBake]

I've seen this topic pop up more than few times over the past year with the water saver systems from brs. I never have seen one single fix for the problem though.

Can you share a pic of the install?

 

[ReefChef19]

Thanks for the help! This hobby is enough to make you nuts. lol

Yes it is enough to drive you crazy and like me you're only beginning!!!

This might sound stupid, but please don't take it the wrong way. Check your membrane flush valve the white thing over the top and make sure that the knob is in the closed position if not the water is running straight out your waste line double check that 1st.

 

[splitting_lanes]

By chance, did you plumb the output of the first RO to the input of the second?

or did you plumb the wastewater of the first RO to the input of the second?

 

[Jeeperz]

Call buckeye or spectrapure but something is not right. With a high rejection membrane, your di should last unless you have co2 in the water, like I do.

 

[esther]

Yes it is enough to drive you crazy and like me you're only beginning!!!

This might sound stupid, but please don't take it the wrong way. Check your membrane flush valve the white thing over the top and make sure that the knob is in the closed position if not the water is running straight out your waste line double check that 1st.

You guys aren't going to believe this. So, we did some troubleshooting by going through each individual connection on the system. i.e. Turn water on, see if water comes out of tube. Did this until we got to the waste line. Nothing was coming out. So, apparently, the waste line and the flow line (blue tube) were installed on the wrong ends before it shipped to us. We switched them and voila! Everything works now. Holy ****, what a pain in the butt.

I think all of this is over now. We have RO/DI water flowing freely! We can now make 5g in like 15 minutes. I guess my question now is... Are we making too much water and is something still wrong? TDS shows as zero coming out of line 3.