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View Full Version : R/O water system vs. ?



Outnumbered
08-09-2006, 12:39 AM
I have a GE R/O under the kitchen sink. Its a pain in the ass to take it apart and sanitize, change filters, etc every 6 months. Plus, now it seems to not make as much water as it used to when it was new 2 years ago.
I also have a water softner for the whole house in the garage. The R/O uses softened tap water as its source.
I was thinking of a whole-house filter system and ditching the softner and R/O. Any water experts here? Our water is hard as Hell from the tap without a softner. Can you filter out the hardness and get R/O quality water from all taps with a good filter system?
Thanks in advance for the help.

Trailer Park Casanova
08-09-2006, 02:53 AM
Only 2 ways to de-mineralize water:
R/O, or Distillation.
All the clamp on devices and goofy gadgets are sold by swindlers.
R/O is the way to go.
Your problem could be all or some of 3 reasons:
2 years between service on R/0 is more the norm around this neighborhood.
Do you have a quality inline supply water filter right before the R/O system?
By quality I mean it cost at least $50.
The filters dont get real good until $75 to $100. Filters only remove particles and odor, not minerals.
And ya throw them away and replace with new.
If you can by-pass the supply water around the softner to the R/O, the R/O may work better. Softners are exchangers that still leave minerals in the water that the R/O has to work harder to eliminate. Mountain Fresh (the inventor of R/O) by-passed a seperate line around our softner to the R/O unit, I believe for this reason.
Also, the r/o "membrane" looses its ability to demineralize after time and has to be replaced, not cleaned. This in addition to the filters. It's a seperate function from the filters. Usually replaced every 2 years, but can run a little spell longer in some cases.
Call the local Sparklets guy and get their free advise on that. These 3 things may the problems.
Above is solely what I've learned from my system, and I'm no expert, but they ain't rocket science.

Outnumbered
08-09-2006, 06:36 AM
Only 2 ways to de-mineralize water:
R/O, or Distillation.
All the clamp on devices and goofy gadgets are sold by swindlers.
R/O is the way to go.
Your problem could be all or some of 3 reasons:
2 years between service on R/0 is more the norm around this neighborhood.
Do you have a quality inline supply water filter right before the R/O system?
By quality I mean it cost at least $50.
The filters dont get real good until $75 to $100. Filters only remove particles and odor, not minerals.
And ya throw them away and replace with new.
If you can by-pass the supply water around the softner to the R/O, the R/O may work better. Softners are exchangers that still leave minerals in the water that the R/O has to work harder to eliminate. Mountain Fresh (the inventor of R/O) by-passed a seperate line around our softner to the R/O unit, I believe for this reason.
Also, the r/o "media" looses its ability to demineralize after time and has to be replaced, not cleaned. This in addition to the filters. It's a seperate function from the filters. Usually replaced every 2 years, but can run a little spell longer in some cases.
Call the local Sparklets guy and get their free advise on that. These 3 things may the problems.
Above is solely what I've learned from my system, and I'm no expert, but they ain't rocket science.
I do a re-build/clean routine every 6 months. Its a pain in the ass and is the main reason I want to ditch the thing. Thanks for the input. Anyone else have any suggestions?

burtandnancy
08-09-2006, 06:56 AM
Water softner on the hot water only, charcol filter at the sink and ice maker. RO is OK for some applications, but takes away all the good stuff you need in drinking water including taste...

blown65
08-09-2006, 07:19 AM
Best RO on the market is made by Kinetico. There should be a dealer for them close to you, they are more expensive but worth the $$.

lakewake
08-09-2006, 12:16 PM
Hey Outnumbered, I've been in the water treatment business ,commercial and residential since 1994.
Don't replace the RO with a filter system. The Ro you have has filtration built in. You would be moving backward in quality. The softening system does not hinder the RO process it helps it and extends the life of the membrane by removing the heavy minerals befor it gets to the RO. Whole house filters are good in conjunction with a softener but not to replace one. The filters at household flow rates need to be pretty big. You need contact time with carbon to completely remove chlorine and ammonia. Softeners work on an Ion Exchange process to remove hardness minerals. You exchange one calcium or lime molecule for a sodium molecule. The minerals in your water are not healthy. They are rock. You can't eat a nail to get iron you can't eat rock to get calcium. Keep the softener and add a whole house carbon filter to remove the chemicals and improove the odor.
For the RO... the step most people skip when doing the filter changes themselves is pressurizing the storage tank. This is the problem that you are having with volume. Turn the system off and drain the tank.Flip the tank over and look for a valve stem like on your tire to add air. If there is still water in the tank leave the faucet handle open and add air. When the tank is completely empty the tank should have 8-10 pounds of air pressure. Close the faucet handle and turn the water back on. When the tank fills the bladder inside the tank you will have about 35 pounds of pressure and the tank will deliver 2.5 - 3 gallons of water. PM me if you have any problems and I'll give you my cell and talk you through it. Also that tank needs sanitation from time to time. Good luck. Tony

Outnumbered
08-09-2006, 02:28 PM
Hey Outnumbered, I've been in the water treatment business ,commercial and residential since 1994.
Don't replace the RO with a filter system. The Ro you have has filtration built in. You would be moving backward in quality. The softening system does not hinder the RO process it helps it and extends the life of the membrane by removing the heavy minerals befor it gets to the RO. Whole house filters are good in conjunction with a softener but not to replace one. The filters at household flow rates need to be pretty big. You need contact time with carbon to completely remove chlorine and ammonia. Softeners work on an Ion Exchange process to remove hardness minerals. You exchange one calcium or lime molecule for a sodium molecule. The minerals in your water are not healthy. They are rock. You can't eat a nail to get iron you can't eat rock to get calcium. Keep the softener and add a whole house carbon filter to remove the chemicals and improove the odor.
For the RO... the step most people skip when doing the filter changes themselves is pressurizing the storage tank. This is the problem that you are having with volume. Turn the system off and drain the tank.Flip the tank over and look for a valve stem like on your tire to add air. If there is still water in the tank leave the faucet handle open and add air. When the tank is completely empty the tank should have 8-10 pounds of air pressure. Close the faucet handle and turn the water back on. When the tank fills the bladder inside the tank you will have about 35 pounds of pressure and the tank will deliver 2.5 - 3 gallons of water. PM me if you have any problems and I'll give you my cell and talk you through it. Also that tank needs sanitation from time to time. Good luck. Tony
Hey Tony, thanks for the help. Mine has the valve stem but the instructions were confusing on how to use it. It specifically says NOT to pressurize the tank for fear of blowing it up. So I guess its just to make it an idiot proof process. I will try to use my compressor with the regulator set at 10 PSI so I don't over-do it. I'll give you a PM/call if I get stuck. Thanks again!!!

CMATT21
08-09-2006, 02:34 PM
Does it matter if you use the big rock or small rock bags???