Filter System for "Brackish" Water?

[ZX9RCAM]

Just attach the black drain line to the top of the bucket.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

Just attach the black drain line to the top of the bucket.

I know that now...

 

[Nate C]

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How many cases of bottled Ozarka could you have bought in place of all that?

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Does bottled water have an expiration date?

 

[Texan-in-Training]

How many cases of bottled Ozarka could you have bought in place of all that?

If you include the price of the well and pump, probably quite a few.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

I'd bet a lot of the 400 PPM is carbon dust. Looking forward to reading about the PPM after the filters rinse out.

91 PPM. My tap water reads 140 PPM.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Must be working, great!

 

[GUNNER51]

Dear sirs and madams,

This is very interesting stuff, but may I ask what is the purpose? What sort of event are you planning for that you NEED this much pure water? Or do you just require less than 100ppm for your showers?

Thanks kindly,
GUNNER51

 

[Texan-in-Training]

This is very interesting stuff, but may I ask what is the purpose?

I give a bit of background in my first post on this thread. I can't recall if I happened to mention the recovery rate of our well, but its around 50 gallons a day. Considering the ratio of filtered water to waste water in a reverse osmosis filter system, it's roughly 20-25 percent. So, we're looking at roughly ten gallons a day of drinking water for our household in an emergency. So no, we won't be taking showers in it.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

Must be working, great!

Yeah, it is. I'm pretty happy with it now that I've got low TDS values and the "mystery" leak has been solved. The taste is a little on the "flat" side, but my understanding is that's how it's going to taste with all the missing minerals.
Again, I appreciate everyone's advice and support on my little "science project".
If anyone in the area might be interested in a first-hand look at it to benefit from my learning curve, send me a PM.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Spoke to Watts technical support just now.
They recommend against drying and reusing the filter cartridges because of bacterial growth issues.
They say that the used cartridges can be "preserved" by totally submerging them in a water filled container and storing in the refrigerator. No longer than for ninety days though.
Guess I'll just toss the cartridges I use to test out the system that I'll try to get on order this afternoon.

Don't know why the system isn't alerting me to replies on threads, sorry!

Coupla things - the leak on the spigot - that's likely an air-gap faucet. If your drain is higher than the faucet, it'll leak. It's why I hate 'em. You're product water TDS is high, IMO - generally speaking, you shouldn't be getting more than a 5% TDS passage on a new membrane.

Do NOT run hydrogen peroxide through a RO membrane - the results ain't gonna be good....lol

Once wetted, the filter shouldn't be stored. Period - you can't store it long enough to be viable, IMO. You mentioned your well has a 50 GPD recovery......did I read that right? That's not much - the average home RO has a 10-15% recovery rate.

Booster pump - yeah, the 12vdc RV type pumps generally do well on the home RO's.

The pressure tank is to allow you to store pressurized RO water so you can draw off 1-2 gallons quickly, rather than sit around and wait for it to make it. Also - 100 gpd membranes are pretty readily available.

Salt is EASILY rejected by a RO membrane - and sodium chloride has almost no detrimental effect to a membrane. I generally get 4-7 years life on a commercial membrane, 2-4 years on a residential one that got a soft water supply. Bear in mind - as long as the water is okay to your taste, a higher TDS isn't really much to worry over given the analysis you have.

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me - gmandryATsatx.rr.com