RO unit finally working

Cougra · 01-13-2004, 09:12 PM

WOO HOO! I did it! lol I actually finally finished hooking up my RO DI unit! It only took me a week since getting it to have everything working!

It's been a long journey getting this unit hooked up with a lot of hessitation and fustration. It only took me one flood, two trips to the local Home Depot and a couple international phonecalls! (Well perhaps add a bit of un-lady like language to the list as well!)WOO HOO!

I have to say I did learn a couple things these past couple days! First off, never trust the equipment that is sent to you with the RO unit.

However I do have to admit that this blind trust in equipment instructed me on the water pressure available in my area! I also learned that there is enough pressure going to the unit to send out a coherient 1/4 inch stream of water straight out 6 feet before arching to hit the floor!

Next I found out that saddle valves really aren't that difficult to install when you have the correct peices of hardware! (Just don't tell my landlord that I've pounched a hole in his pipe!)

I would also like to give a special thank you to Troy (Pro_Builder) for his help, and to Mike, Curt, Patrick, Mebigloser, Nikki, Brian and Johnny for thier support and patience with me these past couple days!

Here is the unit installed and leak free!

Something Fishy · 01-13-2004, 09:20 PM

Where do you have your running to? The sink? I am looking at purchasing one also. I was thinking of hooking it up to the sink then using a storage drum to mix salt water in.

What do you guys use to store pre-mixed water in? Do you have a heater and power head?

Thanks,
Rusty

NaH2O · 01-13-2004, 09:21 PM

YEAH!!!!

Congrats!!! You probably know more about plumbing than you ever thought you would!!! Horay!!!!

wooddood · 01-14-2004, 07:24 AM

good job.aint plumbing a real pain.nothing ever goes right with plumbing.good job were proud of you.

Montanareefer · 01-14-2004, 07:29 AM

Way to go Michelle! Sure do remember how is was in chat for you when you were in the process of hooking it up!

Karma to ya for a great job!

BoomerD · 01-14-2004, 08:48 AM

Hey Michelle, Great job!

Wanna come to California and do mine next?

First you gotta convince my wife to give up all that undercounter space!

Cougra · 01-14-2004, 10:31 AM

I'm impressed with the speed this unit makes the water so far! It took about 1.5 hours to get 5 gallons of water which works out to veing about to create around 80Gal a day! That's more then I'll need for a long time! lol

Something Fishy:

I have the RO water (without DI) running into a 3.2Gal tank (Seen at back of photo) that will provide a faucet that was provided (I don't have that mounted very prettily in the sink but it's still functional) I also have a tap from the RO unit that runs to the DI unit and through a final carbon filter (Which will be changed to just before the faucet) and to a simple tap soI can use the DI water solely for the Tanks usage.

I am storing my water in 5Gal water jugs that I was using when I had to haul water from the water store.

I'll make most of my water a day ahead of time so I don't have to worry about the water having time to contaminate should I not seal the water jugs properly or some such thing, However I'm going to have 15Gal of RO/DI water on hand at all times in case of emergency requirements.

When I mix up my saltwater, I have a 15Gal food grade container. I use a powerhead mix it up and heater to get it the same temp as the tank. I mix my water a day ahead of time to ensure the salt is mixed and has a bit of time to stablize outside the tank. (I'm not sure if it's neccessary, but it's my personal preferance.)

Nikki: I know more about plumbing then I ever WANTED to know! lol

Wooddood: Plumping is the one place I drew a line at for any sort of DIY projects, lol I envisioned flooding and I got it! At least it's done now andI have a sence of personal satisfaction. Now that it's done I can look back and say that I worried about it more then I needed to.

Johnny: (this goes to Patrick and Ron as well!)

You certainly didn't make my efforts any easier, thats for sure! I just hope you had a good laugh at my expense and will expect the exact same type of ... encouragement ... you've shown in return someday!

However I do have to say you inspired me to continue working at it just to be able to say this:

HA! I DID IT!

Boomer: Thanks for the invite, but NO THANKS!! I've had more then enough plumbing to last me a few years!

Curtswearing · 01-14-2004, 10:36 AM

Y E A H ! ! !

I'm glad to hear it's working for you now. This hobby is supposed to be relaxing instead of stressful isn't it?

Pro_builder · 01-14-2004, 10:38 AM

Michelle,
I am glad that I could help you out.
Congrats on the no leak end of it!!

Have a cold on on me.

Now that you have concured this DIY what is next?

jks1 · 01-14-2004, 03:54 PM

Michelle,
Really happy to hear it is all worked out- Knew you could do it! Congrats..

mwrager · 01-14-2004, 03:58 PM

Congrats

addict · 01-14-2004, 04:23 PM

Great job.
I also had to take the trip to Home Depot before I could install my RO/DI... and it was supposed to come with all the parts for installation.

Funny thing is it looks like we both have the same unit (an ebay special

).
I don't want to burst your bubble, but there's a couple of things I want to mention.

First is the valve on the top of the reservoir tank... I've attached a picture at the bottom of this post illustrating what I'll try to describe. Anyway, on my unit, the valve seats almost where it meets the surface of the tank. Yours has a little gap between the bottom of the valve and the top of the tank... I just kept turning mine lightly with some pliers until it wouldn't go any farther. Yours may be just fine, but I thought I'd point it out as a potential leak in the future.

Also, was the storage tank empty when you timed your 5 gallons of water? I find that the first couple gallons goes pretty fast, then I get about 2 gallons per hour after that (roughly a gallon every 35 minutes)... it's like watching grass grow.

Otherwise it looks great... I remember how proud I was once I had mine hooked up and working.

BigReepher · 01-15-2004, 06:56 AM

I also have this RO/DI unit. Glad to hear you got it going Cougra.

Cougra · 01-15-2004, 09:41 AM

Reefer addict:

Thanks for the tip on the storage tank. I'll try tightening it some more whenI get home tonight.

As for the time to fill the 5 Gallon jug, I was letting the unit run off on it's own for a while. I had made 10 Gallons of water that night and used the time it took for the last 5 gallons as an indictor or how long fast it produces.

I tested again last night with another 10Gallons of water and it took a little longer for the last 5Gallons at 1h45min. I'll test it out better this weekend and see how long it takes to make 30Gallons ofwater before I pass final judgment on an average processing speeds.

big t · 01-15-2004, 10:29 PM

Looks like you did a great job! Nice one

01-13-2004, 09:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
Cougra Dragon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 2,216 View Gallery Karma Komment	RO unit finally working WOO HOO! I did it! lol I actually finally finished hooking up my RO DI unit! It only took me a week since getting it to have everything working! It's been a long journey getting this unit hooked up with a lot of hessitation and fustration. It only took me one flood, two trips to the local Home Depot and a couple international phonecalls! (Well perhaps add a bit of un-lady like language to the list as well!)WOO HOO! I have to say I did learn a couple things these past couple days! First off, never trust the equipment that is sent to you with the RO unit. However I do have to admit that this blind trust in equipment instructed me on the water pressure available in my area! I also learned that there is enough pressure going to the unit to send out a coherient 1/4 inch stream of water straight out 6 feet before arching to hit the floor! Next I found out that saddle valves really aren't that difficult to install when you have the correct peices of hardware! (Just don't tell my landlord that I've pounched a hole in his pipe!) I would also like to give a special thank you to Troy (Pro_Builder) for his help, and to Mike, Curt, Patrick, Mebigloser, Nikki, Brian and Johnny for thier support and patience with me these past couple days! Here is the unit installed and leak free! __________________ Michelle Just because something CAN be done, it doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done!

01-13-2004, 09:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
NaH2O Contributing Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 1,928 View Gallery Karma Komment	YEAH!!!! Congrats!!! You probably know more about plumbing than you ever thought you would!!! Horay!!!! __________________ ~Nikki~

01-14-2004, 07:24 AM	#4 (permalink)
wooddood the wood dude Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CARMEL. INDIANA Posts: 3,450 View Gallery Karma Komment	good job.aint plumbing a real pain.nothing ever goes right with plumbing.good job were proud of you. __________________ 120 gal/in wall tank/starboard substraight/2 250 watt 10k xm metal halides/ 4 55watt 03 actinics/150lbs lr/scwd on return/scwd on a closed loop/aquaclear aquatics 200 pro wetdry w/skimmer. ask all the questions you have if we cant answer it we'll make up some thing. remember patience is the key to a kick ass reef. dave.

01-14-2004, 10:31 AM	#7 (permalink)
Cougra Dragon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 2,216 View Gallery Karma Komment	I'm impressed with the speed this unit makes the water so far! It took about 1.5 hours to get 5 gallons of water which works out to veing about to create around 80Gal a day! That's more then I'll need for a long time! lol Something Fishy: I have the RO water (without DI) running into a 3.2Gal tank (Seen at back of photo) that will provide a faucet that was provided (I don't have that mounted very prettily in the sink but it's still functional) I also have a tap from the RO unit that runs to the DI unit and through a final carbon filter (Which will be changed to just before the faucet) and to a simple tap soI can use the DI water solely for the Tanks usage. I am storing my water in 5Gal water jugs that I was using when I had to haul water from the water store. I'll make most of my water a day ahead of time so I don't have to worry about the water having time to contaminate should I not seal the water jugs properly or some such thing, However I'm going to have 15Gal of RO/DI water on hand at all times in case of emergency requirements. When I mix up my saltwater, I have a 15Gal food grade container. I use a powerhead mix it up and heater to get it the same temp as the tank. I mix my water a day ahead of time to ensure the salt is mixed and has a bit of time to stablize outside the tank. (I'm not sure if it's neccessary, but it's my personal preferance.) Nikki: I know more about plumbing then I ever WANTED to know! lol Wooddood: Plumping is the one place I drew a line at for any sort of DIY projects, lol I envisioned flooding and I got it! At least it's done now andI have a sence of personal satisfaction. Now that it's done I can look back and say that I worried about it more then I needed to. Johnny: (this goes to Patrick and Ron as well!) You certainly didn't make my efforts any easier, thats for sure! I just hope you had a good laugh at my expense and will expect the exact same type of ... encouragement ... you've shown in return someday! However I do have to say you inspired me to continue working at it just to be able to say this: HA! I DID IT! Boomer: Thanks for the invite, but NO THANKS!! I've had more then enough plumbing to last me a few years! __________________ Michelle Just because something CAN be done, it doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done!

01-14-2004, 10:36 AM	#8 (permalink)
Curtswearing Golden Moray Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 2,596 View Gallery Karma Komment	Y E A H ! ! ! I'm glad to hear it's working for you now. This hobby is supposed to be relaxing instead of stressful isn't it? __________________ In memory of Fluffy, please pause before hitting enter---being nice is free. Click for ReefKeeping FAQ'S Click for Product Reviews Click for Photo ID Gallery http://curtcpapfs.com/downloads/1Curt.jpg

01-13-2004, 09:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
Something Fishy Limpet Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Springfield, Mo Posts: 125 View Gallery Karma Komment	Where do you have your running to? The sink? I am looking at purchasing one also. I was thinking of hooking it up to the sink then using a storage drum to mix salt water in. What do you guys use to store pre-mixed water in? Do you have a heater and power head? Thanks, Rusty

01-14-2004, 07:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
Montanareefer Has been struck by the ban stick Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 2,334 View Gallery Karma Komment	Way to go Michelle! Sure do remember how is was in chat for you when you were in the process of hooking it up! Karma to ya for a great job!

01-14-2004, 08:48 AM	#6 (permalink)
BoomerD Reef Shark Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 5,637 View Gallery Karma Komment	Hey Michelle, Great job! Wanna come to California and do mine next? First you gotta convince my wife to give up all that undercounter space!

01-14-2004, 10:38 AM	#9 (permalink)
Pro_builder DIY Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Oxford, Iowa Posts: 1,746 View Gallery Karma Komment	Michelle, I am glad that I could help you out. Congrats on the no leak end of it!! Have a cold on on me. Now that you have concured this DIY what is next? __________________ -Troy 180 gallon Reef, 3- 250 XM 15K MH Electronic ballast, 380 watts VHO Actinics, 2- 5 watt LED Moon lights, 100 gal rubbermaid sump, 75 gallon Fuge, ETSS 600 Skimmer, 4700-5400 gph pump for return, Octopus 3000 controller, Iwaki 40 RL skimmer pump, 2- 65w PC 10K fuge lights, 2 55 gallon barrels, Custom light oak stand and hood, misc pumps, extra 600 gallon rated tank size protein skimmer. Purple tang, yellow tang, pacific blue tang, 2 green chromis, 1 Sand sifting star, snails, hermit crabs, 2 mated perculas, pulsing Xenia, Anenome, mushrooms, ricordia, zoanthids, kenya tree 1 1/2" tall, misc other hitchhiker stuff. DIY is my dream... ...well OK the only way I can afford this Addiction!! Just as the light goes on in my head... ... I break the bulb!!

01-14-2004, 03:54 PM	#10 (permalink)
jks1 Achilles Tang Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 876 View Gallery Karma Komment	Michelle, Really happy to hear it is all worked out- Knew you could do it! Congrats.. __________________ John Tank: 29g glass Pumps: Mag5.0 return - (3) rio 100 PHs Lighting: (1) 150w XM 10K/(2) 30W actinics Equipment: Aqua C Urchin skimmer- CPR Fuge, Titanium Heater -Red Sea wavemaster Pro Tank: 210g 1/2" Acrylic, dual overflows, 75g glass sump w/ 20g fuge. Pumps: Mag24 return - (2) MAG24s running 2 closed loop systems. Lighting: (3) 400w XM 10K/(2) Custom Sealife 96w PC - 25w dimmable incandescent Moonlight Equipment: Aqua C EV180 skimmer - CR500 calc reactor - Titanium Heater - AquaLogic single Stage Temp Controller - Aquanetics 1/5Hp Chiller - Neptune sys aquacontroller

01-14-2004, 03:58 PM	#11 (permalink)
mwrager Elegance coral Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gilbert AZ Posts: 1,068 View Gallery Karma Komment	Congrats __________________ Mark Some days I realy feel old! http://www.reefsanctuary.com/Banners/RS_banner3.gif

01-14-2004, 04:23 PM	#12 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	Great job. I also had to take the trip to Home Depot before I could install my RO/DI... and it was supposed to come with all the parts for installation. Funny thing is it looks like we both have the same unit (an ebay special ). I don't want to burst your bubble, but there's a couple of things I want to mention. First is the valve on the top of the reservoir tank... I've attached a picture at the bottom of this post illustrating what I'll try to describe. Anyway, on my unit, the valve seats almost where it meets the surface of the tank. Yours has a little gap between the bottom of the valve and the top of the tank... I just kept turning mine lightly with some pliers until it wouldn't go any farther. Yours may be just fine, but I thought I'd point it out as a potential leak in the future. Also, was the storage tank empty when you timed your 5 gallons of water? I find that the first couple gallons goes pretty fast, then I get about 2 gallons per hour after that (roughly a gallon every 35 minutes)... it's like watching grass grow. Otherwise it looks great... I remember how proud I was once I had mine hooked up and working. __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon!

01-15-2004, 06:56 AM	#13 (permalink)
BigReepher Scopas Tang Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 474 View Gallery Karma Komment	I also have this RO/DI unit. Glad to hear you got it going Cougra. __________________ I'm not a doctor but I'll take a look.

01-15-2004, 09:41 AM	#14 (permalink)
Cougra Dragon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 2,216 View Gallery Karma Komment	Reefer addict: Thanks for the tip on the storage tank. I'll try tightening it some more whenI get home tonight. As for the time to fill the 5 Gallon jug, I was letting the unit run off on it's own for a while. I had made 10 Gallons of water that night and used the time it took for the last 5 gallons as an indictor or how long fast it produces. I tested again last night with another 10Gallons of water and it took a little longer for the last 5Gallons at 1h45min. I'll test it out better this weekend and see how long it takes to make 30Gallons ofwater before I pass final judgment on an average processing speeds. __________________ Michelle Just because something CAN be done, it doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done!

01-15-2004, 10:29 PM	#15 (permalink)
big t Fire Coral Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lakewood WA Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Looks like you did a great job! Nice one __________________ Tom

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