RO/DI setup from scratch

[Sacrifice]

Evening all, just joined R2R today and so far I'm really impressed with the amount of activity on this forum.

Here's my question. I've always drove my happy butt to a LFS and purchased RO and SW for my water changes and topoffs, but so far I only have a 10g nano tank. I'm looking to finally set up a 45g cube that I purchased years ago. I just moved into my first house and I have a wide open basement that I can play with. The ceiling is not finished and all the plumbing is pex so I have easy access to everything.

I'd like to build a RO/DI station for storage and mixing, but I've never owned one before and would love some opinions on equipment that I'll need. I currently do not have any of the equipment needed such at brute trash cans or an RO/DI system yet.

Below are a few things that I have questions on:

1.) Which RO/DI system should I purchase? I'm only going to need topoff and water change water for a 10g and 45g tank.

2.) I do not have any sinks or floor drains in the basement for the wastewater. The main sewer drain to the city leaving my house is 3-4' up the foundation. I figure that I'll need to tap into the 4" pvc pipe that's exiting the house, or one of the many pipes leading to it. Is the waster water line pressurized or gravity fed?

3.) What typically feeds an RO/DI unit? I don't have a sink or spigot down there. My thought was to install a spigot 4-5' feed up on the wall due to the drain issue.

I hope to keep this thread going while I build it, so I'm sure that I'll have more questions later. Thanks in advance everyone.

-Sacrifice

 

[Montiman]

Sounds like you have a lot of decisions to make. The first two things I would decide is where you want your RO system and what system you want. I prefer having my system mounted on a wall so I can access it while standing and I don't need to crouch down. This usually means the system will go in a garage or utility room. You can also go in the basement if you have water lines accessible there but it is quite possible to have the RO System upstairs below a sink and then run the clean water line down to a mixing station in the basement.

As far as picking a system there are many good systems to choose. My go to in my area has been the spectrapure maxcap 90 gallon per day systems. These are very efficient and have saved me money in the long run on replacement cartridges. In your case I would likely choose an aquaticlife twistin RO system. These are excellent affordable options for low volume users like yourself. If you are intimidated by an RO system there could be nothing simpler than one of these.

Once you have your system and location picked out you can start answering the other questions. Waste water normally goes to a sink or utility drain and does not need to be pressurized. Supply water can come from almost anywhere you have a cold water line. Product water will go to your container. I would find the closest drain and cold water line in the basement and then work on finding a way to connect to these lines. If you have a sink anywhere in the basement this is the obvious place for the RO System.

 

[Sacrifice]

I've heard a few people mention having their mixing station in a garage. I know it depends on climate, but how hot is too hot for a mixing station. I live in Missouri and I'm a little concerned that it will get too hot during the summer and I'll have water up in the 90-100's.

 

[Obsessed Reefer]

While I can‘t speak for a mixing station, I just setup an RO Buddie system, which does 50GPD, however I have a 10G tank so it’s fine for that. I have it mounted on the wall in my washroom. I split the cold water line going to the washer, and that’s where the feed comes from, and I have the waste tube going down the same drain as the washers drain.

Home Depot has 10g Brute trash cans which would probably work for mixing your saltwater for water changes, just not sure about storing it.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Although you have the most space in the basement, your RO unit doesn't have to be down there. If there's a first floor bathroom and you can sacrifice some under sink space, you can set up the RO unit there where a fresh water supply and drain are accessible. You'd just need to drill a single hole and run a line down to the basement to deliver the purified water.

Alternatively, you can drill two holes from a first floor bathroom or kitchen to the basement, one for source water and one for brine (waste water). Then, you can keep the RO in the basement and only have two tiny water lines going up into your living space.

Almost any popular RO unit for the hobby will work fine. If you know your TDS is higher or you have chloramines, you can tweak your system to meet your specific needs, but in most cases any old RO system will do just fine.

 

[Sacrifice]

Although you have the most space in the basement, your RO unit doesn't have to be down there. If there's a first floor bathroom and you can sacrifice some under sink space, you can set up the RO unit there where a fresh water supply and drain are accessible. You'd just need to drill a single hole and run a line down to the basement to deliver the purified water.

Alternatively, you can drill two holes from a first floor bathroom or kitchen to the basement, one for source water and one for brine (waste water). Then, you can keep the RO in the basement and only have two tiny water lines going up into your living space.

Almost any popular RO unit for the hobby will work fine. If you know your TDS is higher or you have chloramines, you can tweak your system to meet your specific needs, but in most cases any old RO system will do just fine.

You mention chloramines, do I need to call my local city water and ask them or do you think there's a report that I can look at? I tried looking at their website but couldn't find much that mentioned chlorine or chloramines.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

You mention chloramines, do I need to call my local city water and ask them or do you think there's a report that I can look at? I tried looking at their website but couldn't find much that mentioned chlorine or chloramines.

You might be able to find it in a report somewhere, but I'd just test it with test strips. The water authority in your area could at any time change from chlorine to cloramines and not update their literature, or their reports could just be wrong or out of date. BRS has these that will tell you if you have chlorine or chloramines.

 

[LeftyReefer]

If you have a basement, then I'm guessing there is in fact a drain.... somewhere. Most basements will at least have a sump pit/crock/hole cut out in one of the corners, preferably the lowest one.... for draining away any water that may find its way in. A basement without a drain would not pass a modern day sale/inspection. Some sump pits/crocks have covers, so maybe your sump is just covered, but there should be one somewhere..... I've never heard of a basement without one.

My house's water connection is located right above the sump crock. There is a hose bib also installed on the main water line coming into the house, also above the sump crock. This makes a perfect spot for a RO/DI system since you have a garden hose hookup and and floor drain for the resulting waste water.

All you need is a storage container and a float switch to turn the RO/DI sytem off when your storage container is full. Or go without a float, and just turn it on and off manually.

 

[Sacrifice]

If you have a basement, then I'm guessing there is in fact a drain.... somewhere. Most basements will at least have a sump pit/crock/hole cut out in one of the corners, preferably the lowest one.... for draining away any water that may find its way in. A basement without a drain would not pass a modern day sale/inspection. Some sump pits/crocks have covers, so maybe your sump is just covered, but there should be one somewhere..... I've never heard of a basement without one.

My house's water connection is located right above the sump crock. There is a hose bib also installed on the main water line coming into the house, also above the sump crock. This makes a perfect spot for a RO/DI system since you have a garden hose hookup and and floor drain for the resulting waste water.

All you need is a storage container and a float switch to turn the RO/DI sytem off when your storage container is full. Or go without a float, and just turn it on and off manually.

We purchased this home last year and performed a complete remodel, there is not a sump pit in my basement. The main drain leaving my house going to the city sewer is 4' up on the wall. Just to add a bit more evidence, my AC/Furnace drain line is ran to a pump sitting on the floor that pumps the water up 4' to the drain leaving the house. The pump does not have a pit, but rather it's all self contained. It's fairly rare but I've heard of other homes in my area that have the same setup. Some suggest digging a sump pump pit at some point, but as of right now my house does not have one. It was also built in 1980.

I mentioned all of this because I'm curious if the waste water line will have enough pressure to pump itself up a few feet to the drain depending on where I place it. I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't 100% gravity operated.