um, well, i thought it was "idiot proof"...

shalori · 08-27-2002, 01:35 AM

well, i tried to use the new rodi unit today. i plugged the hose in to the faucet attatchment, put the output and the waste hoses in the sink (since it said it'd need to run 15 min or so before it was good water), and waited. and waited. and... it's a 100gpd, so i expected to see at least something, but i watched the first 3 chambers fill pretty quickly, and then nothing. i couldn't figure out, if water was going in, how was it disappearing? (thought i was watching david copperfield for a minute

) after hubby went in there and fiddled with the water pressure (turned the faucet up higher), i saw the last chamber begin to show sign of moisture, painfully slowly. then i noticed dripping from one of the grey plastic peices on the top. there was dripping from there and dripping from the yellow waste tube, but that's it. i waited for awhile, and still nothing came out the other side, so i don't know... i can have problems with anything, i swear

Rick O · 08-27-2002, 05:24 AM

Hi Shalori.

Do you know what your water pressure is. RO works best with a water pressure of 65 psi. There is a point below this where there wouldn't be enough pressure to push water through the RO membrane.

Many houses have an adjustable water pressure reducing valve that's put there to protect plumbing fixtures from being damaged by high water pressure. I would look towards a pressure problem first. You can pick up a pressure guage from a hardware store to check your water pressure.

cyberchef · 08-27-2002, 08:36 AM

Does your RO/DI unit have any "shut off" valves and did you make sure they were in the open position? Sometimes it's the simple things that get overlooked.

shalori · 08-27-2002, 11:18 AM

thanks guys

well, i don't see any shutoff or adjustments...

so if i go into home depot or whatever and ask for a pressure guage, they'll know what that is, and be able to hook me up?

thanks again

Rick O · 08-27-2002, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shalori
so if i go into home depot or whatever and ask for a pressure guage, they'll know what that is, and be able to hook me up?

Yep.

If you have one of those friendly neighborhood hardware stores they may loan you one.

gumhead · 08-27-2002, 12:37 PM

Well during the summer time we have hardly no water pressure at all here. My RO/DI unit has a gauge built in. I was only getting 20-30 PSI. The only water coming out was wastewater! Your going to have to find out what your water pressure is. Also on the waste side (outlet) is there a restrictor valve in it? A restrictor valve is a little piece of plastic or hose inside the waste hose (up toward the unit). It is what provides pressure to your RO filter. If it is not there all your water will go out the waste tube.

I had to go buy a RO booster pump. Now I am making water like a champ! I run it at 80 PSI (100 GPD RO is rated a 90 PSI) and it takes 1 hour to make 5 gallons of RO/DI water (120 GPD).

If you call Aquatic Reef Systems they will help you out. These guy are great at figuring out RO/DI problems and they’re a sponsor here!

gumhead · 08-27-2002, 12:41 PM

Oh ya…
And you will have to find out what the pressure is at the RO unit (not your house pressure). I don’t think HD gona give you the right thing. Call Aquatic Reef and ask them.