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Reef And Saltwater Lighting, Filtration, Reactors, Refugiums, Skimmers, Pumps, And All Other Devices This is the place to discuss filters for reefs and other saltwater tanks. Posts belong here that are involving saltwater aquarium hardware - skimmers, reactors, denitrators, refugiums, wet/dry, uv, ozone, co2, pumps, lights, chillers, etc.

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Old 07-07-2008, 07:04 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default Can Someone Explain What RO is?

I am looking at purchasing a Reverse Osmosis Filtration system and i would like to know how i can plumb it, i need to know EVERY detail, i have a 29g oceanic biocube and i need to know how to plumb the RO and which one is the best, i dont want to spend more than 150 dollars... have any q for me ask, otherwise i hope this is sufficient info
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Old 07-07-2008, 08:38 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Default Re: Can Someone Explain What RO is?

The RO is a system that consists of several chambers.
This is how the most basic of a Reverse Osmosis filter works:
Water flows from your tap (you will probably connect it under your sink and tap the water from the cold water line) into the filter.
The first chamber is a micron filter used to trap particles from the water.
Then the water flows through a second chamber that holds a cartridge of activated carbon, used to further remove impurities.
Then the water flows out of that and into a third chamber, where the actual RO membrane is. This chamber has a special piece of plastic inside that is semi-permeable. It is a membrane that only some of the water will pass through, only very pure water molecules, at the rate of perhaps 50, 75, or 150 gallons per day (there will also be a flow restrictor inside the device to only allow this much water through, its a piece of plastic with a tiny hole in the center, only lets a certain amount of water through each day) . This chamber has two outlets though, one for good water, and another for waste water. The waste water line you will plumb into the drain, again under the sink.
The clean water line you will run to your reservoir or to your float valve in your sump.
Thats a simple system. You can get more and more advanced by doing any of the following:
Additional micron and carbon chambers. You can run the water first through a 5 micron cartridge, then through a 1 micron cartridge. This will extend the life of both and allow you to make sure your first stage cartridges get you down to 1 micron. Running a 1 micron without a 5 micron before it will clog up pretty fast, so depends on the usage you will be doing and how often you want to service it. The chambers will probably be clear to allow you to spot check your filters, they turn colors as they get compounded with dirt.
Another thing you can do is run two carbon filters, again, one down to 5 microns then the following down at 1 micron. Again, for the same reasons as stated above.
After your RO membrane itself, you can install a DeIonizing filter to further strip the water of impurities. There are various types of media, some you can refill, and some that change color as well. All depends on your budget.
Another thing you can do is install a TDS meter. This measures the Total Dissolved Solids in the water. There are two types, mainly. One has one sensor, and the other has two sensors. If you run 1 sensor, run it after all your filters, before your float valve (or reservoir). If you run 2, install the other directly before all the filters, after the tee coming off the tap.
The meter, when you turn it on, will tell you how many molecules of solids are in the water. When setup ideally, your RO/DI will read 0 coming out. When the level rises above 0, its time to change your filters. A 2 stage TDS is cool because you can easily see whats happening going in, and coming out.
Another thing you can do is install an terminator auto-shutoff on your RO. If you have a float valve on your sump that constantly makes the water run and then shut off, many times during the day, this is slightly bad for the membrane and the terminator auto shutoff basically helps thwart some of the ill effects of turning on and off through the day and alleviate some pressure against the membrane by forcing some water through a loop instead of through the membrane. There are other types of shut off devices, some also detect pressure and seal off supply lines, some run a solenoid, and some setups are combinations further.
You can also setup a reservoir to use for drinking water and a faucet on the sink to dispense it. Also, you will need a quality check valve if you run a float valve on your sump, before each sump you have connected if you have multiple tanks. Ball valves and couplers are also a good idea to use as unions when servicing lines or when you want to cut off supply.
You can also install pressure valves to make sure you have enough pressure to operate the filter and also place them to detect if water is flowing or if the float has it cut off.
This is a more or less general overview of RO/DI systems and I hope it helps you decide on what to invest in. It all depends on your budget, space under the sink, ability to drill through walls to run feed lines, desire to know the exact quality of the water, and desire for the quality level itself, and desire to space out time between each servicing.
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Old 07-07-2008, 08:42 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Default Re: Can Someone Explain What RO is?

OK, thanks i got it now.. thanks bra...
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Old 07-07-2008, 08:43 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Default Re: Can Someone Explain What RO is?

Welcome! Hope it helps everyone who wants to learn about reverse osmosis systems.
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