whoo hoo new ro/di unit

[umakemekissu]

if the PWC unit leaks.. where is the leak mostly comes from and how easy is it to fix? is it really just simply tape the taflon tape on the leaking place? are there any other part i should get beside pressure gauge and flush kit? thanks!

[Gabriel]

WOW i didn't think my excitement over the perches of my ro/di unit would spark such a huge discussion, I'm impressed

[Fat Tony]

LOL...

I didn't realize they quit shipping the flush kit with the units... that kind sucks... anyway.. yes get one

As far as the leaks, yes it is as simple as replacing some of the tape on the threads of the fittings that may leak...

Like I stated in a previous thread... I got leaks from nearly every fitting on an Airwaterice "Cube" and 2 of the booster pumps... point is, any unit can have leaks initially, no matter how much you pay.

[RobbW]

Originally Posted by Mr.Peanut

Monte Python right?

Monty Python, exactly! I love it when people recognize obscure references! Now, would you have any clue if I were to say "Hikeeba!" or "Rowsdowzer"?

Hey, biowheel, did you get your RO/DI unit from PWC today? I did! My only question is are you as thoroughly confused as I am?

Let me say first that I am a gadget guy at heart and very mechanically inclined. However, I am at a loss for words with this unit from PWC. In fact, I am so confused that I have opted to sit in front of a PC asking questions on a board rather than tinkering around with a new toy that I just received! Does that give you any indication as to how confused I am?

Obviously, the person who wrote the instruction manual for this unit does not speak English as a primary language. So that did not help matters. Another thing that did not help is the instructions seem to skip entire sections about how to properly assemble and install the RO/DI unit. For example, at one point towards the beginning of the instructions it mentions that the RO membrane is shipped with a special preservative that must be flushed with water for 15-30 minutes. Later in the instructions it tells you to flush the membrane, but it doesn't tell you how to flush it.

Also, the schematics in the instruction manual appear to be exactly the opposite of how the unit arrived assembled. Furthermore, the actual unit I received seems to have a couple of superfluous connections for which I cannot make heads or tails. There are a couple of connections that came installed on the unit that are not mentioned in the instructions, and I'm afraid that if I just hooked this thing up it would spray water everywhere.

The way the unit came assembled, it appears that the water flows through the DI filter BEFORE it goes to the drinking water holding tank. I thought you were to split off the water to go to the drinking water tank before it went through the DI filter.

Another thing that I have noticed is that the unit I purchased from PWC was advertised on their website as a six-stage unit with the sixth stage being a second DI filter. Instead the second DI filter is some sort of filter that is supposed to add good taste back to the pure water before you drink it. However, the tubing that flows into this final filter before drinking the water comes directly from the DI filter. I thought the drinking water was supposed to be split off before the DI filter.

Anyway, I am thoroughly confused about how to properly assemble and install this RO/DI filter. I am not even going to attempt installing it until I get some feedback from the trustworthy TRT boards.

Thanks!

[OneDummHikk]

Robb, can you post pictures of what you got? It would make it easier to tell you how to assemble it. The one I got (Ebay special) had just as bad instructions so I ended up throwing them away and winging it until I got it running properly.

[Mr.Peanut]

I wish I could help you with your filter install, but I got one without the drinking water/tank/faucet. It was really simple. You flush the RO membrane by letting it run for a while before collecting water. I ran about 10g's through it before I started using the water.

I can answer that "hikeeba" question, but only with the help of google. "Jenglish" may be able to do it without looking, he's pretty good at that.

[RobbW]

Okay, here are a few photos of the 6-stage RO/DI filter I bought from PWC. The first shot shows everything that came with my order. The second shot is the schematic in the instructions that shows how it should be assembled. The third shot shows the three horizontal housings on top of the unit and how it actually came assembled. The last shot is the drinking water holding tank I ordered with the filter.

Now for my questions:

1. If the filter was assembled the way the schematic shows it should be, then you wouldn't get pure drinking water until AFTER it went through the DI resin. I thought you weren't supposed to drink water that has gone through the DI resin.

2. The way the unit actually came assembled, there are two outputs from the left side of the RO housing. One outlet is for the waste water and runs through a flow restrictor. I'm fine with that and understand how that's supposed to work. The second output runs through that square block in the middle (I assume that must be the auto shutoff valve, right?) and up to the right side of the clear DI resin housing with blue end caps.

There is a T connection on the right side of the housing with one end of the T going into the DI resin and the other going up to the top filter housing, which says it is for improving the taste and quality of the water. On the left side of the DI housing there is a tube with a spigot. I assume that is what I am going to use to fill my container for tank water (salt mixing and top-offs), right?

3. The tube going up to the top filter housing goes into another T connection. One end of the T connects into the input of the filter and the other end of the T appears to be open ended. What is that for? Won't water leak out of that if I turn this thing on?

4. The left end of the top filter housing currently is not connected to anything. There is another separate tube with a spigot that I assume connects to that end and then to my drinking water storage tank, right?

5. How is the tubing supposed to connect to the drinking water storage tank? There is only one connection on the top of the tank. Where does the water come out to run to the faucet that I will install in my kitchen sink?

Well, those are the questions I have for now. I'm sure I'll have more later. Thanks for any help you can provide!

[OneDummHikk]

From looking at the closeup picture of the unit (the third one), the T on the right side of the filter with "T33" on it (the very top one) is where the water tank gets hooked up. The shutoff valve that is in the left side of the picture and appears to be hooked to the left side of the DI chamber (the clear one) has to be moved to the T at the top since that shut off valve goes on top of the water storage container.

Disconnect the line coming off the left side of the DI and connect it to the T on the right side of the very top filter. Then connect that shut off to the top of the water tank.

Left side of the very top filter is where the faucet connects to.

Then the left side of the DI chamber would have a tube running from there to your water storage container for DI water.

The shut off valve on top of the water tank has to be off unless you are getting drinking water. You can NOT get both RO/DI and drinking water at the same time. When you want drinking water, you open the valve, get your water, then close the valve. Another reason I didn't worry with my storage container.

Whether its RO/DI or drinking water, it all goes through the RO membrane, then the ASO, then to the T on the right side of the DI resin. The RO/DI would come out the left side of the DI resin, the drinking water would go through the top "polishing" filter and out the faucet.

If you take the DI chamber off of the clamps and turn it vertically you will get better performance out of the unit since the water wouldn't channel through it. Turning the polishing filter vertical would help it as well.

[RobbW]

Originally Posted by OneDummHikk

The shutoff valve that is in the left side of the picture and appears to be hooked to the left side of the DI chamber (the clear one) has to be moved to the T at the top since that shut off valve goes on top of the water storage container.

There is a second length of tubing that has a shutoff valve on one end that came with the unit but was not connected to anything. It is exactly the same as the one coming off the left side of the DI housing. I assume I can use that one to connect to the T on the right side of the polishing filter and then to the top of my storage tank.

Left side of the very top filter is where the faucet connects to.

Gotcha. So that is where I should connect the tubing that has the blue flag that says, "Pure water tube. Please connected [sic] to pressure tank, floating valve, ice maker, or any close container to make auto-shut-off valve stop. Otherwise the system won't stop!"

Then the left side of the DI chamber would have a tube running from there to your water storage container for DI water.

I assume I'm safe leaving the tube with shut-off valve where it is since I have a duplicate to use on the water tank.

The shut off valve on top of the water tank has to be off unless you are getting drinking water. You can NOT get both RO/DI and drinking water at the same time. When you want drinking water, you open the valve, get your water, then close the valve. Another reason I didn't worry with my storage container.

Okay, I'm slightly confused with this one. I understand that I cannot produce drinking water and RO/DI water for my aquarium simultaneously. However, I was under the impression that I should leave the valve on top of the water storage tank in the open position at all times until I needed to make RO/DI water. Then I would close the valve on the storage tank and open the valve coming off the DI housing. Otherwise, what you're telling me is that whenever I want to pour myself a glass of filtered water I will have to poke my head under the kitchen sink cabinet, open the valve on top of the storage tank, put my glass under the faucet at the sink, dispense my water, and then close the valve on the storage tank when I'm done. Or am I completely misreading what you said?

If you take the DI chamber off of the clamps and turn it vertically you will get better performance out of the unit since the water wouldn't channel through it. Turning the polishing filter vertical would help it as well.

Do you have any suggestions on how to mount the DI and Polishing housings vertically once I take them off their horizontal clamps? I mean, I'd like to make the installation look professional and purdy-like. I don't want to just duct tape the filters vertically to the inside of my kitchen sink cabinet.

Also, I know it is recommended to teflon tape the connections to prevent any leaks. Do you recommend taping ALL the connections? Some of the connections appear to already be taped. In fact, the instructions mention that some of the connections are already taped with some sort of heavy-duty teflon tape. Should I just go ahead and re-tape all the connections, or are there only certain connections I should worry about?

Thanks for your help, Randy. I think I'm understanding this thing a bit clearer now.

[OneDummHikk]

Yes, leave the valve on the tank open unless you want DI water. I always think RO/DI first and drinking water second.

Mounting the canisters vertically, you can get a piece of PVC pipe that it will fit on to mount it on, then just mount the pipe somewhere. If you leave it horizontally, you will see increased TDS way early because of the channeling.

[RobbW]

Well, I put in eight hours straight today trying to install this @#&!%$*# RO/DI unit, and I'm still not producing any water. My first attempt at assembling everything and turning on the water resulted in Niagara Falls gushing from my kitchen sink cabinet. I have since removed every single connection point and teflon taped them two times so far. I have reduced the many leaks down to one single very slow leak from an end of the RO housing. It turns out the threads in that connection were delivered to me stripped and had no chance of holding water no matter how much teflon tape I used. I had to resort to silicone sealing the connection.

So, my progress has come to a standstill until the silicone dries. Also during the installation process, I unfortunately broke off the plastic connection that ran to the water storage tank I purchased with my unit. So, the tank has now become useless to me and has been banished to a corner of my garage.

During the few minutes I actually had the unit producing RO/DI water before I had to shut it down to fix the final slow leak, my only thoughts were, "My God, that is some exceedingly slow water production!" I guess, if I had done the calculations beforehand, I would have realized that a 100gpd RO/DI unit is only going to produce one gallon of water every 15 minutes (roughly). Nope, I never thought of that. My only thinking was, "Wow, 100gpd! That's WAY more than I need. I only need 5 gallons of RO/DI water once per week. This is going to be sweet!" Little did I realize it is going to take about 1 hour 15 minutes to produce the 5 gallons I need for my water change. That seems like forever! Not only that, but whenever I want to make a pot of coffee, I'm going to have to stand there with my coffee pot under the RO faucet at my sink for well over seven minutes. That's longer than it takes to actually brew a pot of coffee! Had I known this, I wouldn't have even bothered wasting my money on the water storage tank and RO kitchen faucet.

[OneDummHikk]

Robb, get a water jug from Walmart. 5 gallon container. Then fill it with RO water and use it as if you bought the water from Walmart. You could improve on that idea by having a pump plumbed into the water jug to keep from having to gravity drain it. That is the concept behind what I want to do is to have a container full of RO water with a pump that gets turned on/off to get drinking water. I would fill it myself.

It sucks that you had the issues with it though. Can you post a picture of the piece of the tank you broke? Is it broken on the tank itself or just the fittings? You can replace the fittings.

[Mr.Peanut]

Hey Robb, I had some leak issues with mine too. For the really stubborn leaks, I went to ACE Hardware and bought some higher quality fittings. The threads were a little deeper on them making the seal a little more positive.

Also, try not to be too down on how slow it makes water. You are pretty annoyed at the unit right now and no matter what, it can't do anything to please you. I know I was there 2 weeks ago. After you get all the leaks fixed and your making water without problems it will be all good. Just try not to get to flustered.

[Fat Tony]

holy cow Rob... you got one with a lot of leaks too... looks like I am going to have to change my recommendation list and find another cheap RODI alternative...

I have learned from installing several RODI units that when it arrives, I take it all appart and re-Teflon all the fittings... even from units from AirWaterIce.

[RobbW]

Thanks for the encouraging words everyone. I'm calmed down now that I've gotten a good night's sleep. I'm at work now, so the RO unit won't even have an opportunity to frustrate me again until late this evening. I'll have to run to Home Depot at lunch to get a couple parts I need to finish the install. Are spare parts for RO/DI units pretty standard? Should I be able to get extra fittings that will actually fit without too much trouble?

Randy, if you look at the third pic I posted in a previous post, the part that broke is the T connector going into the input (right) side of the water polishing unit on top. The open side of the T is where the line to the water storage tank should connect. I had removed this T to wrap the threads in Teflon tape. When I screw it back in, I guess I didn't realize how much force I was using. I thought it had another 1/2 turn or so to go to be fully seated. Well, the T cracked right off and left the threads inside the T33 water polishing unit. It took some very delicate maneuvering with pliers to persuade the broken piece out of the end of the filter. Luckily, there was a spare connector in the parts bag that didn't seem to go to anything. It wasn't a T connection. It was a single right angle connector. It attached and it works. I can't attach the line to the water storage tank anymore, but at least I can still have drinking water flow through the polishing filter and up to the faucet. I'll take a look at HD today and see if they have any replacement T connections that will work.

For the short period of time that my RO/DI filter was producing DI water, I originally thought it was producing so slowly because I forgot to remove some sort of protective covering or something else from the RO membrane. There was a blue plastic-looking film that covered the membrane. I tried to remove the membrane to check it out, but it is now permanently stuck in its housing. However, I was able to tell by looking at the end of the membrane that the blue film is supposed to be there because the black O-ring on the end was installed over the blue film. So, that obviously wasn't the case for slow production.

My next thought was that my house's water PSI was not high enough. The instruction manual provides instructions (imagine that!) on how to test the PSI of your water line using the water storage tank. It says to attach the water feed line directly from the water tap to the water storage tank. It then says to fill the tank with water. Once the tank is full, you can use a tire pressure gauge on the valve sticking out from the bottom front of the tank to measure the PSI of the water. That should give you the PSI of your water line. There are two flaws with these instructions:

1. If you take the main water feed line off the RO/DI unit and try to attach it directly to the water tank, it does not work. The valve on the top of the tank is too big for the plastic nut on the water feed line. So, there is no way to even attach the water line to the tank.

2. Even if you could find a way to attach the water feed line to the tank, after you fill the tank up and test the pressure, how do you then detach the water feed line from the now full and pressurized tank without a geyser of water erupting from the tank once the pressure is released?

Well, once I get the spare/replacement pieces I need from HD today, I will attempt to finish this install tonight. I really hope I can find a replacement T connection for the one I broke so that I can hook the water storage tank up to the system. It would be really nice to have the RO filter producing drinking water quietly behind the scenes so that it is ready to use when I need it. Waiting 7-10 minutes to make enough water to make a pot of coffee or a pitcher of Kool-Aid for my daughter is going to suck! Having four gallons of RO water ready and waiting for immediate use would be sooooo much better!