Rodi from well

[AZDesertRat]

I'm not convinced you have a CO2 issue at this point but more data will help. Your RO membrane could be more efficient at removing the TDS too.
If your TDS going in is 420-470 and the RO only TDS is 14-26 that means your RO membrane rejection rate is between 94% and 96%. A little low but not unusual. Each full size vertical DI cartridge holds 20 oz of resin when properly packed. One pound or 16 oz of factory fresh, nuclear grade or semiconductor grade resin will treat between 3000 and 6000 total TDS under perfect conditions and if the resin has been stored properly and is not past its shelf life.
So pass a TDS of 14-26 through the first cartridge and it will exhaust the resin in between 144 and 535 gallons due to TDS alone with no CO2 present, add CO2 and it goes down further. It could be a combination of both. Once the first DI is exhausted it not only pass the incoming RO TDS to the second DI but it also starts releasing weakly ionized substances on to the second DI since the cation and anion electrical properties of the resin are weak at this point and can't hold on to what has been stuck to the resin.

The additional information will help a lot.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Add to that list of questions, what resin are you using, how old is it, was it vacuum sealed on delivery and have you stored it sealed and in the back of the refrigerator so it stays moist and usable. Resin has a shelf life of about 6 months under ideal conditions which means vacuum sealed moist in mylar foil bags and in a cool dark place. Once opened it starts to degrade quickly unless you use a seal a meal type sealer and store it in the fridge. I don't buy more than I can use in a 3 month or so period and when possible divide it up in individually sealed 20 oz portions so it is not exposed everty time it is opened. Bulk resins aren't always the best choice as they can go bad before you use it all.

 

[tcarter1936]

Ok, sorry for the delay but we just had a new baby boy. I went ahead and installed two pressure guages,one before the sediment and one before membrane.i am surprised that my supply psi is low at 43,and my psi before membrane is 41.so I now know that I have low pressure. Also incoming temp is 72° and my incoming tds is high from well at 536. My out coming tds from membrane is 19 to 15 after flushing tds creed from lines. I haven't yet had time to measure waste water ratio.but I did purchase a booster pump but am trying to figure out how to install it properly. I'm curious about my results after that stage

 

[tcarter1936]

Also using brs color changing resin that is in sealed bags with excess air squeezed out,resin is only 3 months old

 

[TheEngineer]

Congrats on the baby!

That's right around 97% rejection by the RO membrane. That's pretty good.

 

[tcarter1936]

Thanks and my main issue is my di resin exhausts to quickly,so I'm probably getting excess co2 no?. After making up 55 gallons this last time with two new di 10 " canisters full of fresh resin my 1st stage di is 2/3rd color changed already. Also my next testy will be on free clorine level since I'm on a chlorine injection system with dechlorinaton carbon filet for whole house

 

[Bunnee911]

Congratulations

 

[TheEngineer]

I suggest you try aerating 5 g of RO water for 24 hours and then run it through your DI and see. Seems like CO2 to me. You could also buy a CO2 test kit from Spectrapure.

 

[tcarter1936]

I suggest you try aerating 5 g of RO water for 24 hours and then run it through your DI and see. Seems like CO2 to me. You could also buy a CO2 test kit from Spectrapure.

Thanks I didn't know they made one

 

[TheEngineer]

Yup

http://spectrapure.com/Carbon-Dioxide-Test-Kit

 

[Xtc_link]

I have the same problem

I tested my ro product water. PH of 5.8. Found out 10min ago it takes 1min 50 secs to bubble 250ml and get the ph to 7.1

What is your ph, and alk of your ro water?

 

[AZDesertRat]

Install the booster pump between the sediment filter/carbon block and the RO membrane. You should be able to disconnect the 1/4" line leading from the carbon up to the RO membrane, lengthen it to reach the pump intake then attach another piece from the booster back to the membrane. This protects the pump from and debris or particulates.

http://spectrapure.com/huds/NEW-MO-BPK.pdf

or

http://spectrapure.com/huds/NEW-BPK-PS-DI-DWK.pdf

depending on how elaborate your RO/DI is and if you have a pressure switch or not.

Aquatec says mount it between the sediment and carbon block filters but that takes more plumbing modifications since those two canisters are usually hooked together with a threaded nipple.

http://www.aquatec.com/sg_userfiles/IMI-102.PDF

Raising the incoming pressure from 41 psi to say 80 psi will make a big difference in your DI life as it will increase the rejection rate about 2 %. For every 2% you can improve the RO membrane performance you double your DI life. When I went from a RO only TDS of 13-15 (97% in my case) down to a TDS of 2-3 (99.4%) going into my DI the resin lasted about 8 times longer.

If you do have CO2 present your mileage will vary but you are on the right track.

If you can get your hands on one, use a seal a meal type vacuum device to reseal the DI bags and store them in the back of the refrigerator so it stays damp, dark and cool. It will last longer but resin only has a shelf life of about 6 months even when packed and stored properly before it starts losing its properties.

 

[tcarter1936]

I have a vacuum pump I may just build a vacuum canister for storage. My pump came with pressure switches so I'll be utilizing those

 

[Dlefty]

Congrats on the baby!! It sounds like AZDesertRat will get you up and running in no time. I have well water and have used an RODI for the past 21+ years. I have never used chlorinators & de chlorinators because I have had perfect results. I have kept it simple and used a Typhoon III from Air, Water & Ice. Are you using the filters in the correct micron order? Sediment 10M, Carbon block 5M, Carbon block 1M & then the DI cartridge? I also use the 150 gallon per day membrane which helps with speed. Good luck!!

 

[tcarter1936]

Mine are currently 5 sediment, 5 carbon and 5 carbon.on a 75 gpd membrane. I'm not worried about speed so much as quality, it's plumbed into a HDPE 55 gallon roto mold cylinder. I do 35 gallon water changes. So I always have a reserve after performing a mixture. My chlorinator and dechlorinator is for the house water I live next to a horse pasture and the water always test positive for coliform

 

[Dlefty]

Mine are currently 5 sediment, 5 carbon and 5 carbon.on a 75 gpd membrane. I'm not worried about speed so much as quality, it's plumbed into a HDPE 55 gallon roto mold cylinder. I do 35 gallon water changes. So I always have a reserve after performing a mixture. My chlorinator and dechlorinator is for the house water I live next to a horse pasture and the water always test positive for coliform

Okay, that's the reason for the chlorine. You might be interested in this: FILTER ARRAY RECOMMENDATION. Not that there is anything wrong with yours, but you might be causing an early blockage by having a 5-5-5 filter array. Next time around try using a 10-5-1 filter array. It might help....

 

[tcarter1936]

I'll read up on it thanks for the recommendation

 

[AZDesertRat]

I tried the 10-5-1 many years ago and it had issues. Think about it, you can see 10 microns with the unaided human eye so that is about as effective as a screen door. Everything short of sand passes through and fouls the pores in the carbon block rendering it useless.
I recommend no larger than a 1 micron sediment filter with a single matching carbon block but prefer 0.5 microns absolute or near absolute rated or even a 0.2 micron pleated filter which is used in my personal systems.
With a better sediment filter you protect the carbon so it will actually last and work as designed. It does not have to act as a sacrificial sediment filter so only one works better than two and provides lower headloss besides.
Spectrapure has some very good information on filters in their FAQ section and why protecting the carbon, membrane and DI actually saves you money. The 10-5-1 arrangement goes back 25-30 years when filter technology and construction was not what it is today. They have come a long way.

 

[Dlefty]

I tried the 10-5-1 many years ago and it had issues. Think about it, you can see 10 microns with the unaided human eye so that is about as effective as a screen door. Everything short of sand passes through and fouls the pores in the carbon block rendering it useless.

I respect your opinion but the 10-5-1 method with a good membrane has worked for me for a long while. Are there better ways of reaching 0 TDS? I am sure there are. There are many ways to skin a cat .

 

[AZDesertRat]

Do as I did and document your results over time. I have a logbook showing gallons, TDS, filter life, headloss and more and the data showed otherwise. I sold my Typhoon III after 18 months and never regretted it. I am a certified water treatment plant operator and supervisor by profession so was very thorough in my data collection and entry. It is an old outdated configuration and eneded up costing me much more per treated gallon than using better, lower micron filters. I have shared this data many times over the last 12-15 years on all the reef forums. If you feel it works for you then by all means stick with it but you would have better water quality at a lower cost of ownership if you tried a more modern technology which has proven results.