Messing With Water

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:31 pm

So have anyone been messing around this easter or tidying up there ponds/filtration

As some of you know i run RO on my set up as i have very hard water

so i have been thinking of ways to tidy it up a bit and make it a little bit easier for testing/keeping an eye on when toping up

So i had ordered a few little pipe bits and pieces so i could have a little mess around and see what i come up with.So today was the day as we have been busy up until now so i got all the stuff together and went out to the shed for some head scratching

Now the idea is to make sure you can test the water your putting back into the system both supply and product water (supply = purified water & product = RO water) so my idea was to see if i can set this up so i have both the supply and product water going into the same pipe and just have a single pipe coming out and going back into the system.Now the idea behind that is i can then test the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)straight away and will know the exact measurement of the mix as it comes out the end of the pipe so nice and easy to see whats going on

So i have managed to set this up and will see how it goes as i am sure it will need some tweaking here and there along the way but at least i managed to get the pipe work all done today for both the QT and the main pond

Just wish my meter hadn't gone up the wall and to top that off my good hand held unit look like the PH probe may be up the wall as well

Bob Hart · Post by **Bob Hart** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:35 pm

Come on Gazza, where's the pictures?????

I know you like things neat and tidy (just like me!!!!!), so am interested in how it looks now.

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:37 pm

Err well its in its test stages at the moment and the battery is flat on the camera....hounest

I was trying to get mine neat and tidy like yours thats where the idea came from

I will sort out some pictures soon but it is just a bit of a test thingy at the moment

Davej · Post by **Davej** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:49 pm

Hi Gazza

Whats going on? Probe failures and then camera batteries, what's next!!

With the the weather putting a spanner in the planned concrete laying activities today did do a probe cleaning and calibrating session today myself!

Neat and tidy is not my thing!! May get there some day!

Personally I like to be able to have a quick peek at both Supply and RO outlets so I can see that both are flowing and the relative rates..

Secondly what happens if you get a quirk in the readings of the combined flow ; will you need to dismantle to investigate by taking a sample of both the supply and RO flow rates and readings?

Regards

Dave

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:09 pm

Hi Dave,

Well you know what they say it never rains but it poors

Its just a single outlet so the idea is that i can control it to how i want........i hope

and no dismantling will be required as its not that complicated and all in 1/4 tubing with push fit so very easy to assemble/dissemble

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:35 pm

OK so batteries charged out i went in the cold to take some pictures for you guys

This is the tidy mess i was on about

[img]http://www.koipix.com/gallery/albums/userpi ... G_6011.JPG[/img]

This is how i have pipe up the supply & product water into one

[img]http://www.koipix.com/gallery/albums/userpi ... G_6009.JPG[/img]

[img]http://www.koipix.com/gallery/albums/userpi ... G_6008.JPG[/img]

Davej · Post by **Davej** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:01 pm

Hi Gazza

Never rains; doesn't it just - In my playing today i did a filter change on the RO as pressure was down, but no improvement so looks like the RO membrane could be on the way out, no real suprise I guess given the quality of the supply water! Got away without a pump to date but may have to look at this to get some more life out of the membrane.

Are you going to put a permanent TDS meter in line on the combined output then?

Regards

Dave

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:04 pm

Hi Dave,

What RO set have you got as the membranes should last a while and yours in fairly new isn't it

I will be setting up some monitoring on the tank hopefully is they all don't go up the south

Davej · Post by **Davej** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:33 pm

Hi Gazza

Yes less than 6 months!

RO man 4040 unit, theory being that a bigger unit without a pump would deliver ample at the fairly meagre low water pressure I have up in the pond shed so saving on a pump. At 35psi I was getting 1.9L /min but am now at 25psi delivering 1.2L/min - still more than adequate but not looking that great!

First step is to double check the "new" sediment reducer I put in is not a duff!

All the underground pipework up to the shed is in inch bore but there is a section of 30' or so in 1/2 inch so next stage will be to replace in inch pipe.

It could be that the Water Company have turned down the pressure I guess!

Any ideas?

Dave

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:53 pm

I went for a pumped system to make sure i could get a fairly good pressure as it can cause a problem when toping up.

It may just be the colder weather as the colder it gets the less production you will get i cant remember but there is a minimum temp i believe.

You could always add a pump as i very much doubt your membranes have gone yet not

Do you run the unit as it comes

Davej · Post by **Davej** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:09 pm

Hi Gazza

In the much colder weather in December production was much higher so I think that unfortunately I can rule that out

No modifications (yet) to the unit. Flushed daily for half an hour...

Regards

Dave

brians · Post by **brians** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:28 pm

whilst the subject is reverse osmosis i am looking at it for my pond
i have read the posts in the archives but have little practical knowledge of the workings of it ----could you tell me if the length of the wast and reverse osmosis water pipe have any effect on performance( i am looking at siting mine in shed which is permantly heated but about 4 meters of pipe from where the drain and filters are

thanks in advance
Brians

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:04 pm

Hi Brains,

over that type of distance i wouldn't of thought it would be much problem,i run about 4mts of pipe from the unit round to my QT

vippymini · Post by **vippymini** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:18 pm

Gazza, you need some nice little clips to hold all that pipework neatly on the plywood board.

LOL (it wil help with the turning of them taps)

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:25 pm

Hi Jane,

Well funny you should say that i thought i had got the clips but ordered the wrong ones

Better have another look as once its all running and hopefully working i will want to tidy it up a bit