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Yet another RO unit thread

  • #21
Thanks so much for your help, guys.

Upon closer inspection, I think a holding tank will fit fine under the sink - they're smaller than I thought. So I think I'm going to go ahead and get one with a tank and I'm waiting on that seller's response regarding adding a permeate pump for me. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
  • #22
If you are going to use it for cp and general use then a captive air tank is a very nice feature to have.... that way you have a few gallons ready on demand. Without the captive air tank the flow rate will be rather low.

Next step up from that is a permeate pump, this will extend prefilter life and increase system efficiency
Spectrapure is definitely a good brand, but neither of the two systems you posted would be what i would recommend for cp use (as packaged)

You can get a lot more bang for the buck IMHO

I have no personal experience with the KS unit, but looking at it from an engineering point of view i see several issues that would make me leary of it.

Plenty of threads on this subject, run a search...

Of course this is just my opinion based on my experience

my_rodi.jpg

RO/DI/PP/High pressure ASO system:
blue = permeate
blk = prefiltered water
yellow = brine
red = fresh water inlet
white = bladder tank
clear = system inlet and outlets

my_rodi_bw.jpg
Nice :-O
 
  • #23
So, here's the news.

To add a permeate pump will cost an extra $55 (plus another $15 if I wanted them to install it - which I'm sure I'm fully capable of). That seemed high to me, but I don't know anything about this stuff. Does that seem reasonable?

The auto shutoff valve is at 60%, but I can have them change it to 90% for $10, which is probably worth it. I assume the number is simply the capacity of the tank at which it shuts off? For an extra $10, it's probably worth the extra 30% capacity, if that is the case.

So, essentially, to have this unit with a permeate pump and a 90% ASO valve would cost me $217. Does that seem pretty reasonable to you?

Thanks, yet again. XD
 
  • #24
Yeah, thats not bad at all...

One thing i would recommend when you go to install it, mount the DI chamber vertically instead of horizontally.

As the beads get used they shrink.... if you mount it horizontally it will "channel" and flow across the beads instead of through them

15 to install a PP?... yeah skip on that LOL, the pump itself is at least 45 plus shipping anywhere you go
so 55 shipped isnt bad

you will have a nice high performance system that should last many years
Butch
 
  • #25
Alrighty, I'll go ahead and let them know that's what I want to do, then!

Finally cutting out the grocery store from the hobby picture... what a relief. :D
 
  • #26
Few obvious hints

*Make your tubing cuts nice and square with a box cutter blade...
*Route your lines and PP so air can easily be purged by the system (the pump will have a "this side up" indicator)
*You will notice a unique sound with a PP equipped system, they pulse their output to the tank.
*Tie off your lines with zip ties to reduce relative motion on the connections

HTH's
Av
 
  • #27
Haha, truth be told, I was planning on stealing your setup; putting things in the same place, tubing looking similar, etc etc. Trying to think of a way to mount it under the sink such that it's still easily accessible. I'm thinking I'll mount it all on a piece of plywood and then drill some holes in that to hang the whole thing on a couple screws on the inside of the cabinet. Should work, I suspect.
 
  • #28
i went to lowes and got a small white shelving board so it would match LOL

gmta LOL

Oh BTW, i get my replacement prefilters at lowes... they have a kit of 1 sediment w/ 2 carbon block for about 25, They are not marked as to micron rating but they've really worked well for me. (Whirpool brand)

Butch

(fwiw you can actually do away with the ASO valve with a permeate pump, however... I dont recommend this... it can cause excessive cycling.... get the 90%, that way tank pressure has to drop to 90% of membrane before the unit cycles back on ( a 10% deadband))
 
  • #29
Haha, that's not a bad idea at all. Yours is out in the open, though (or so it looks to be), while mine will be down under the sink, so I'm not all too worried about matching. XD However, it might not be a bad idea anyway since the paint will offer some protection against water and, thus, mildew.

That's awesome about the prefilters at Lowe's, too. Nothing like the convenience of just running to a store in town as opposed to ordering online and paying for shipping and such. Thanks for the tip!
 
  • #30
im paying close attention and bookmarking this thread, thanks for all the great info everyone!
 
  • #31
Ditto on the DI placement, ALWAYS vertical or, in time, you might as well not even use it. One thing, I'm not a great fan of PPs in public areas. Some are quieter than others, but all make noise. The better ones, with better installation, are pretty whisper quiet. If you find that it is noisy, find a foam mousepad or two and use them in between the pump and wherever it's mounted. The hammer usually isn't too bad, but it is usually evident, so you really do want to take your time and make sure your fitting connections are soild and clean and neat.
 
  • #32
Thanks for the heads up on the noise level. I'm sure I'll figure something out, I tend to be pretty crafty. The mousepad idea does sound good. I might try them both between the pump and the mount board and between the mount board and the cabinet. Should, theoretically, dampen things pretty well.

I'll be sure to update this thread a little while from now with my first impressions and then again a few months from now. ^.^
 
  • #33
So, that seller is giving me some grief. They don't sell the ASO valve in their eBay store, so they wanted me to pay for it through a Paypal invoice, even though eBay, every time you contact someone or vice-versa, reminds you to ignore any requests to pay for items outside of eBay. But, ya know, I figured it was $10 and the seller has excellent ratings. So I said to go ahead with it. They sent me the invoice... for the cost of the entire setup, even though I could easily buy the RO unit and permeate pump from their eBay store, therefore within eBay's protection and policies. When I replied letting them know I wanted to only pay for the ASO valve through paypal and get the rest from their store, the cost of the ASO valve went up to $25 - 250% that which they told me ($10) not only in the first email they sent me, but also in the Paypal invoice. I don't know, it just strikes me as shady. Why would the cost of the ASO valve more than double just because I'm not sending them $250 direct from Paypal? They were also sure to tell me they don't do private auctions, so they can't simply make one auction for me with everything I want included, therefore obeying eBay's policies.

So, I'm looking elsewhere unless they figure out a way to rectify the situation. This unit and seller are what I'm looking at now, and I'm about to contact the seller about adding a tank and permeate pump.

We'll see how this goes, but is there anything I'm missing with the unit itself? It looks decent to me (assuming I can mount the two (o_O) DI canisters vertically), but maybe I'm missing something important.

Thanks again. I'll be sure to get back with info about how it goes with this seller. As of right now, however, I can't say I can recommend filterdirect as a source for anything outside of the basic buy-it-now option.

EDIT: This unit is also available from the same seller, which might be better, but I find 160gpd a little suspicious.

EDITEDIT: This one is also looking pretty solid.
 
Last edited:
  • #34
Reaper,

that unit shows its comes with an ASO valve but i dont see the tank??
Also, cant tell if the DI unit is bulk bead or some kind of DI filtering element and no mention of bypass valve

I think i would avoid it

Maybe get the first system (the one that is acting funny on the PP/ASO) as is and just source the permeate pump seperately
I bet they are reselling those two items from someone else

Ill look for the vendor i used for it... gimme a few mins to find them
 
  • #35
Thank ya.

The permeate pump isn't what they're giving me grief about, it's just the valve. And I wouldn't be surprised if I could just pick up a 90% ASO valve somewhere in town... But it's a lot to do with how they're kind of jerking me around about it. Take a look at that EDITEDIT one, if you get a chance, though - looks solid, and they have a site I'm poking around right now.
 
  • #36
Here is the source i used for my PP and ASO

They list their phone number even... call them and see if they can help put you a system together
http://stores.ebay.com/fixyurwater?_trksid=p4340.l2563

---------- Post added at 07:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:51 PM ----------

I totally understand.... I dont think i would go with them mate.... i have a feeling service after the sale would be zero
 
  • #37
IF the guy offered me the $10 ASOV, sure, I'd take it, but INSISTING that the whole deal go off e-bay would throw up some red flags for me too. The 150 gpd is "up to", but does sound a little hinky in a single membrane unit. A quick look and neither unit has a pump or drain saddle included that I could see. But I don't think you're going to find a very reputable brand/seller, all-inclusive unit, pump, ASOV, flush, etc., etc. for less than $250. For a 60 or so gpd unit, you'll probably come in around $250.
 
  • #38
I'll keep fixyurwater in mind for a pump and valve if I can't find someone to put the whole thing together for me, but their systems don't look necessarily good. >.< This is turning out to be much more work than I expected!

And, yeah, them telling me the price of the valve goes from $10 to $25 just because I don't want to buy everything outside of eBay is exactly what made me suspicious. Steering clear unless, maybe, if they can fix the situation - even then, though, like Av8tor1 said, I don't know if I'll be able to trust them post-sale. So we'll see.

I'm still diggin' around, I'll figure something out... don't really have a choice, LOL.
 
  • #39
wouldnt hurt to call fixurwater and show them this thread and see...
They do state that they can build per customer request... showing them the thread might help with pricing and expressing your desires

just an idea
 
  • #40
I just shot fixyurwater an email (because I suck at describing things on the phone and figured it'd be easier for both parties to just have a list of my "wants," LOL). I don't know why I said their units don't look "necessarily good," they certainly do. Not to mention they're made here in the US, which I hear is good - if my Zippo is any indicator, it must be true. XD And Dave (the owner, I assume) obviously takes pride in his products, so that's always nice.

We'll see if it'll be within budget. >.<;

Thanks for the 9 billionth time!
 
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