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

[Buckeye Hydro Verified Sponsor]

You do realize water temp plays a big role in production also?

@Buckeye Hydro posted a calculator in another thread where you input your incoming TDS, water temp, and membrane size, and it will spit out what you should be making in GPD. Wish I had saved the link though.

Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System | RODI Systems | Home Water Filtration System - Buckeye Hydro

www.buckeyehydro.com

 

[esther]

Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System | RODI Systems | Home Water Filtration System - Buckeye Hydro

www.buckeyehydro.com

Since there's no option for a 150, I did 75. Water temp is 70º, PSI is at 85. Calculator says I should be producing 119 GPD with a 75GPD system. I'm getting half that on a 150GPD system. Am I missing something?

 

[homer1475]

No one better to help you trouble shoot then Russ @Buckeye Hydro!

 

[JoshH]

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?

I do think the issue with most of them no one even thinks of is pressure. I run a dual 90 GPD membrane setup and while I have 85-90 PSI going into the first membrane, my second membrane only receives 40-45 PSI which is borderline for performance. This usually leads to an underperforming second membrane which obviously will greatly impact your production overall.

But I feel something else is afoot here as it's not even performing up to spec for a single membrane setup.

 

[Buckeye Hydro Verified Sponsor]

We'd never sell a system configured with two residential membranes plumbed in series unless we first were familiar with the feedwater chemistry.

 

[esther]

I do think the issue with most of them no one even thinks of is pressure. I run a dual 90 GPD membrane setup and while I have 85-90 PSI going into the first membrane, my second membrane only receives 40-45 PSI which is borderline for performance. This usually leads to an underperforming second membrane which obviously will greatly impact your production overall.

But I feel something else is afoot here as it's not even performing up to spec for a single membrane setup.

Do people ever run two boosters? Would that even make sense?

 

[JoshH]

Do people ever run two boosters? Would that even make sense?

That I'm not sure, I've toyed around with the idea myself but wasn't/am not sure if it pulling from the first membrane would somehow mess up the first membrane. Plus it would be a rather expensive endeavor..

 

[esther]

That I'm not sure, I've toyed around with the idea myself but wasn't/am not sure if it pulling from the first membrane would somehow mess up the first membrane. Plus it would be a rather expensive endeavor..

At this point it would be cheaper for me to buy another booster instead of all this beer I'm about to drink because of this RODI system. lol

 

[JoshH]

At this point it would be cheaper for me to buy another booster instead of all this beer I'm about to drink because of this RODI system. lol

For now, I would suggest maybe try running with only one membrane just to see where your numbers are at with one running on it's own.

 

[esther]

For now, I would suggest maybe try running with only one membrane just to see where your numbers are at with one running on it's own.

 

[Buckeye Hydro Verified Sponsor]

Do people ever run two boosters? Would that even make sense?

No - you'd just use a single correctly sized booster pump

 

[JoshH]

No - you'd just use a single correctly sized booster pump

Could you run two though? One before each membrane to keep the pressure up on the second one? Or would the second booster pump pull water through the first membrane causing issues? As I mentioned above I have rather high PSI going into the first (With no booster pump) but very low through the second. Just a hypothetical I've been pondering about....

 

[Buckeye Hydro Verified Sponsor]

That's just not a configuration I've ever thought about. And unless you have soft water I'd never run your two membranes in series like that anyway.

 

[Buckeye Hydro Verified Sponsor]

There is something else going on with your pressure differential. Have you tested the TDS coming out of the first membrane?

 

[esther]

UPDATE : Had to ship back the unit to @Bulk Reef Supply. Fingers crossed that we can get this resolved. Apparently, we're all baffled as to why it's not working.