ro/di water temp

[saltydog51]

Hello everyone,Happy Holidays! i got a barracuda 200gpd ro/di unit for christmas,and since i live buffalo,ny the water temps get pretty cold this time of year,i was wondering if i use warmer water by adjusting the water temp via the faucet and with a thremoneter then run it through the unit.I know you can't run hot water because it melt the membrane,also i was told by a fellow reefer on this forum using cold water can shorten the life of the filters.I was thinking having the water around 70-75 degrees almost aqurium water temp.I,m not sure what the unit is rated for as far as water temp goes.aqurium water is cold to the touch so i'm thinking it would be ok.i thinking of calling aquafx and asking i just thought someone might know before i called them.









Thank You
eric faatz

 

[ziggy]

Hello everyone,Happy Holidays! i got a barracuda 200gpd ro/di unit for christmas,and since i live buffalo,ny the water temps get pretty cold this time of year,i was wondering if i use warmer water by adjusting the water temp via the faucet and with a thremoneter then run it through the unit.I know you can't run hot water because it melt the membrane,also i was told by a fellow reefer on this forum using cold water can shorten the life of the filters.I was thinking having the water around 70-75 degrees almost aqurium water temp.I,m not sure what the unit is rated for as far as water temp goes.aqurium water is cold to the touch so i'm thinking it would be ok.i thinking of calling aquafx and asking i just thought someone might know before i called them.









Thank You
eric faatz

Greetings Eric

You are correct in that cold water will give you a smaller quantity of clean water then the 200 GPD.
You should check the manual or on-line if Barracuda 200 GPD is their clean water rating or their Total water rating.. Meaning clean + Waste = 200 GPD

Also the 200GPD depends on water pressure from the source, just as much as water temp affects it.

We typicaly tell folks to allow for 2 days to make your clean water.


Another point to consider Eric.. if the water flow is slow going through your RODI, the hot water line may be cold by the time the hot water gets into the unit.
Just something you'll have to keep your eye on.
I would tend to doubt you being able to adjust the water temp so warm water enters the RODI... but give it a shot

Hope it works out for you

 

[saltydog51]

i was using a "y" connector on the faucet so i can switch back and forth from the unit to the faucet.this way i can regulate the water temp better.

 

[StirCrayzy]

Good quest. I seem to recall being advised against running warm water through yrs ago, but I can't remember why...

 

[ziggy]

i was using a "y" connector on the faucet so i can switch back and forth from the unit to the faucet.this way i can regulate the water temp better.

Yeah the point I was trying to make is if the hot water source (boiler) is far away the water may cool off by the time it gets to the faucet "Y" if the flow into the RODI is slow

 

[ziggy]

Good quest. I seem to recall being advised against running warm water through yrs ago, but I can't remember why...

Might be that hot water lines, if they are copper, will have slight traces of dissolved copper in the water due to the heat.

Not Good!

 

[Mike Johnson]

After studying water quality in great depth in college, 20 years ago, I still keep my mouth shut in the shower.

Some plumbers who think somehow they are water experts will hook up refrigerator lines to the hot water. Their thinking is that hot water freezes faster, which is true. And, they think that the water will be purer because as it flows through the hot water heater the particles in the water will settle. This thought cannot be further from the truth. I have changed many of them over to the cold water. Just did one last week.

Have you ever used ice cubes that smell? Probably run from the hot water. There are several reasons why drinking water from hot water heaters is not safe. First, water heaters usually don't heat the water above 140 degrees; so, it is a great incubator for bacteria. As the water travels through a hot water heater it will also pick up parasites, which love hot water heaters, and metal particles. Another reason is that there is a thing inside a hot water heater called an anode which is made of magnesium metal. The magnesium anode converts sulfate into hydrogen sulfide (the stinky ice cubes).

Yes, the filters in our RO units work best at room temperature, but they will certainly lose their effectiveness quicker because they are filtering out more.

Water flows through our RO units relatively slowly and you can heat up the water a little by using a longer line going into the unit. Over 20' of 1/4' tubing and you will lose pressure. Depending on your available water pressure you can experiment with a longer length or get a booster pump.

I implore you not to use water from hot water heaters for drinking, unless you boil it first.

 

[Stephane Cote]

After studying water quality in great depth in college, 20 years ago, I still keep my mouth shut in the shower.

Some plumbers who think somehow they are water experts will hook up refrigerator lines to the hot water. Their thinking is that hot water freezes faster, which is true. And, they think that the water will be purer because as it flows through the hot water heater the particles in the water will settle. This thought cannot be further from the truth. I have changed many of them over to the cold water. Just did one last week.

Have you ever used ice cubes that smell? Probably run from the hot water. There are several reasons why drinking water from hot water heaters is not safe. First, water heaters usually don't heat the water above 140 degrees; so, it is a great incubator for bacteria. As the water travels through a hot water heater it will also pick up parasites, which love hot water heaters, and metal particles. Another reason is that there is a thing inside a hot water heater called an anode which is made of magnesium metal. The magnesium anode converts sulfate into hydrogen sulfide (the stinky ice cubes).

Yes, the filters in our RO units work best at room temperature, but they will certainly lose their effectiveness quicker because they are filtering out more.

Water flows through our RO units relatively slowly and you can heat up the water a little by using a longer line going into the unit. Over 20' of 1/4' tubing and you will lose pressure. Depending on your available water pressure you can experiment with a longer length or get a booster pump.

I implore you not to use water from hot water heaters for drinking, unless you boil it first.

wow very informative thank you! what you said is very logical, but never thought of it!

steph

 

[Choff]

I have seen people run their input lines through 5g buckets rigged up with heaters to take the chill out of their water to improve efficiency. My Rodi is next to my hot water heater so I wrapped many coils around one of the warm pipes to preheat my water. This greatly improved my ratio. I have well water and comes out ice cold year round, but particularly bad in the winter.

...stupid auto correct

 

[Mike Johnson]

Here's a little more information for you all. http://www.buckeyehydro.com/calculator/

The colder the ingoing water is the better your TDS will be and the longer your membranes will last.

Although at room temperature you will get less waste water.

There is only one hard and fast rule - no ingoing water greater than 113 degress, which will destroy the membrane.

 

[rleahaines]

Since the water coming out of your RO/DI unit comes out very slowly into whatever container you put it in, the water temp will end up being basically room temperature.

Obviously you could stick in an aquarium heater of some sort if you wanted to bring the temp up to tank temperature before using it.

I am assuming that water from the RO/DI doesn't go directly into your tank, but into some kind of container.

 

[Fishdad1]

I have to disagree with the above. My RO water, using no hot water comes out at around 60 degrees. My ambient room temp in my house is usually 70-72 degrees. It takes my heater about 12 hours to bring 35 gallons at 60 degrees, about 12 hours up to 80 degrees. I wish it came out at room temp, and after reading this thread I'm tempted to run some hot water with it to avoid the strain on the electric bill. I wonder which filter would be affected by using some hot water? If its just the pre filter or carbon then that's no big deal, but if it decrease the life of the RO or DI then I will probably stick with what I'm doing.