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Yet another RO unit thread
- Thread starter Kyle
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- built spectrapure
Since I can't get in touch with fixyurwater, which I'm bummed about 'cause he could build me the exact system I want, I'm looking into backups. I only have a couple weeks to get a unit and have it installed and working, so I can't be wasting time waiting for a reply from fixyurwater. I am going to wait until Monday, maybe Tuesday, to see if I can get in touch with him, but I'm moving on after that. Here is what I've found and is looking the most promising so far. After contacting the seller, adding a 90% ASO valve will cost about $20 extra, which still leaves it at a good price. A question I have about this unit is in regards to the third stage. What's a GAC water filter? After a search, it seems to be some sort of carbon filtration - is it just what others call the second carbon block?
Well, I got it and everything seems to be okay, except I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to get everything together. The "e-instruction manual" isn't for a system with a permeate pump and that's what's throwing me all off. Permeate in, permeate out, brine in, brine out... oh man. And the T that is in there, I don't know exactly what to do with it. I'll just study your diagram, LOL. Oh, and it didn't come with an ASO valve, so that further confuses me. 
EDIT: There are actually a number of issues, now that I've looked more thoroughly at everything.
1) The T connector that's supposed to be attached to the DI canister is broken at the point it should be attached to the canister.
2) The hose connecting the DI canister to the carbon post filter is severely kinked, rendering it unusable.
3) There is no hose to connect the second carbon prefilter to the membrane canister.
4) The bracket to mount the permeate pump is broken in half.
I've contacted the seller, asking if they can get me replacement parts within a few days (because I leave on vacation very soon and the unit must be working by that time as a friend will be using it to water my plants). Needless to say, I'm not very happy. It's not surprising, either; everything was just sort of thrown in the box with some bubble wrap thrown in. The unit itself was flush up against the cardboard of the box, not even wrapped in bubble wrap, so I'm mildly surprised something like one of the canisters isn't busted.
Bottom line: I don't recommend buying from dhillonnoni on ebay. They have great feedback, but with this kind of quality, I'm shocked about it.
EDIT: There are actually a number of issues, now that I've looked more thoroughly at everything.
1) The T connector that's supposed to be attached to the DI canister is broken at the point it should be attached to the canister.
2) The hose connecting the DI canister to the carbon post filter is severely kinked, rendering it unusable.
3) There is no hose to connect the second carbon prefilter to the membrane canister.
4) The bracket to mount the permeate pump is broken in half.
I've contacted the seller, asking if they can get me replacement parts within a few days (because I leave on vacation very soon and the unit must be working by that time as a friend will be using it to water my plants). Needless to say, I'm not very happy. It's not surprising, either; everything was just sort of thrown in the box with some bubble wrap thrown in. The unit itself was flush up against the cardboard of the box, not even wrapped in bubble wrap, so I'm mildly surprised something like one of the canisters isn't busted.
Bottom line: I don't recommend buying from dhillonnoni on ebay. They have great feedback, but with this kind of quality, I'm shocked about it.
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Hey reaper....
I have an spare 60% ASO valve hanging on the basement wall... send me your mailing addy and Ill donate it and a couple foot of hose to the cause
(you can see it hanging on the wall in the pic of my system)
The hose and fittings (most) are all off the shelf items at Lowe's btw
and for the permeate pump connection look at my pics and this:
sux about the condition upon arrival, hope the vendor comes through... but still sux
I have an spare 60% ASO valve hanging on the basement wall... send me your mailing addy and Ill donate it and a couple foot of hose to the cause
(you can see it hanging on the wall in the pic of my system)
The hose and fittings (most) are all off the shelf items at Lowe's btw
and for the permeate pump connection look at my pics and this:
sux about the condition upon arrival, hope the vendor comes through... but still sux
Wow, that animation is awesome! I'll have to save that somewhere in case someone else needs it. Very cool to see how the permeate pump works.
That's very nice of you to offer to donate your ASOV, I really appreciate that. Thing is, I need one by Thursday at the absolute latest, and even that's really pushing it. I'd like to have some time with it hooked up and running before going out of town for three weeks and just hoping nothing goes wrong it because the person looking after my plants is by no means "handy." LOL. I leave Saturday, probably before sunrise, so even Thursday gives me one full day with it. What I'll do is call around today and see if I can't find one locally and, if not, I'll paypal you Priority shipping, if that's okay. Again, I really appreciate the offer.
As far as the seller, my replacements are shipping out today with Priority shipping. So I can't be too horribly upset, they're doing their best to make it right. It just shouldn't have had to have been made right at all. We'll see!
That's very nice of you to offer to donate your ASOV, I really appreciate that. Thing is, I need one by Thursday at the absolute latest, and even that's really pushing it. I'd like to have some time with it hooked up and running before going out of town for three weeks and just hoping nothing goes wrong it because the person looking after my plants is by no means "handy." LOL. I leave Saturday, probably before sunrise, so even Thursday gives me one full day with it. What I'll do is call around today and see if I can't find one locally and, if not, I'll paypal you Priority shipping, if that's okay. Again, I really appreciate the offer.
As far as the seller, my replacements are shipping out today with Priority shipping. So I can't be too horribly upset, they're doing their best to make it right. It just shouldn't have had to have been made right at all. We'll see!
UPDATE! And good news!
I managed to get a valve here in town. Mildly confused, though. Does it matter which side, vertically speaking, goes where? All the valve says on it is "In" and "Out." Does it matter which "Out" goes into the membrane and which goes into the permeate pump?
EDIT: In inspecting it further, one of the channels goes right through (as in, I can see right through the valve from one "In" port to the corresponding "Out" port) and the other does not. So I'm assuming it DOES matter which goes where.
I managed to get a valve here in town. Mildly confused, though. Does it matter which side, vertically speaking, goes where? All the valve says on it is "In" and "Out." Does it matter which "Out" goes into the membrane and which goes into the permeate pump?
EDIT: In inspecting it further, one of the channels goes right through (as in, I can see right through the valve from one "In" port to the corresponding "Out" port) and the other does not. So I'm assuming it DOES matter which goes where.
yeppers it matters, brb
here ya go, my schematic has the ASOV labeled:
Now since yours includes the PP, also look at the pic of my systesm... specifically the blue and black lines
permeate outlet of membrane to permeate pump (Blue)
Permeate pump to ASOV (Blue)
Prefilter outlet to ASOV inlet (Black)
ASOV outlet to membrane inlet (black)
Av
here ya go, my schematic has the ASOV labeled:
Now since yours includes the PP, also look at the pic of my systesm... specifically the blue and black lines
permeate outlet of membrane to permeate pump (Blue)
Permeate pump to ASOV (Blue)
Prefilter outlet to ASOV inlet (Black)
ASOV outlet to membrane inlet (black)
Av
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Smitty
Plant Ninja
Haha, that's funny, I was just studying that diagram last night. Didn't realize you had it labeled such that the ASOV was actually labeled according to position. Excellent!
Perhaps, Butch, you should make a new thread with all sorts of RO/DI info and it can be pinned since so many people ask questions about it and so many find your diagrams and help to be so valuable. I vote for pinnage if you do make one! XD
Perhaps, Butch, you should make a new thread with all sorts of RO/DI info and it can be pinned since so many people ask questions about it and so many find your diagrams and help to be so valuable. I vote for pinnage if you do make one! XD
Nope, not until I get those replacement parts from the seller.
I did have a question, though. The seller sent it all assembled with the T-connector before the DI stage. Shouldn't it be AFTER the DI stage but BEFORE the carbon post filter? Also, there's no check valve (ugh). Do you happen to know if that's one of the fittings Lowes would carry?
I did have a question, though. The seller sent it all assembled with the T-connector before the DI stage. Shouldn't it be AFTER the DI stage but BEFORE the carbon post filter? Also, there's no check valve (ugh). Do you happen to know if that's one of the fittings Lowes would carry?
Ughhhhh. Who knows if I'll be able to find one... This has been a nightmare.
The T is connected to the permeate out from the pump and to the input side of the DI stage. Nothing was plugged into the third port, but presumably that's where I was supposed to put the tank.
EDIT: I might have mistook the check valve for a flow restrictor. It's on the brine out from the membrane, though... isn't it supposed to be on the permeate out?
Maybe I should just take a bunch of pictures...
The T is connected to the permeate out from the pump and to the input side of the DI stage. Nothing was plugged into the third port, but presumably that's where I was supposed to put the tank.
EDIT: I might have mistook the check valve for a flow restrictor. It's on the brine out from the membrane, though... isn't it supposed to be on the permeate out?
Maybe I should just take a bunch of pictures...
Exo
Tastes like chicken!
back, ugh... hail then lighting strike nearby and power failure... what a spring
The tee location is sort of flexible, in my thinking i wanted to DI before the tee. This way I removed everything before exposing the tank bladder to the water. The final carbon polishing is last to remove and VOC's given off by the tank bladder.
The check valve may be very easy to miss.... mine is just a fitting screwed into the outlet of the membrane.
just stick a section of tubing on and and check for direction flow, as marilyn monroe once said... wrap your lips around it and blow (and suck)
---------- Post added at 08:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 PM ----------
ummm exo, they should last for 10's of thousands of gallons....
(10,000 - 20,000 gallons is typical, lower micron models have less usable life but filter better... trade off)
few questions...
1. How do you know they are failing?
2. What kind are they.... GAC or Carbon Block?
3. What is your Brine rate?
Other then bi-annual prefilter changes mine requires zero maintenance... and this has been true year after year
The tee location is sort of flexible, in my thinking i wanted to DI before the tee. This way I removed everything before exposing the tank bladder to the water. The final carbon polishing is last to remove and VOC's given off by the tank bladder.
The check valve may be very easy to miss.... mine is just a fitting screwed into the outlet of the membrane.
just stick a section of tubing on and and check for direction flow, as marilyn monroe once said... wrap your lips around it and blow (and suck)
---------- Post added at 08:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 PM ----------
ummm exo, they should last for 10's of thousands of gallons....
(10,000 - 20,000 gallons is typical, lower micron models have less usable life but filter better... trade off)
few questions...
1. How do you know they are failing?
2. What kind are they.... GAC or Carbon Block?
3. What is your Brine rate?
Other then bi-annual prefilter changes mine requires zero maintenance... and this has been true year after year
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Exo
Tastes like chicken!
I can smell the chlorine in the water....so I got a test tablet kit....it reads that there is indeed chlorine in the RO water. Also...the prefilter is a carbon block cartridge.
The unit itself is a coralife II BTW.
