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Yet another RO unit thread
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gill_za
Never Knows Best
Portable Reverse Osmosis unit
Let the necrothreading commence!
Dear RO users,
I am currently looking for a portable ( countertop or tabletop or whatever else it might be called) reverse osmosis unit (up to $170). My water requirements are not high and I use about 1.5 gal of water a day for my plants and a humidifier unit. It has to be a portable unit ( I am renting a condo and can't mess with the plumbing ) that I can hook to the faucet in the kitchen and unhook with ease when not in use.
So far potential choices are:
Mighty Mite 50GPD with DI Added
http://www.amazon.com/AWI-Mighty-Mi...K2IE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323796757&sr=8-2
Mikro Delta Portable 3 Stage RO System (Mighty Mite)
http://www.amazon.com/RO-MIGHTY-MIT...8470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323796757&sr=8-1
Portable Reverse Osmosis System Countertop 100-150 GPD
http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=pro-c2&Click=4263
One of my concerns after reading the reviews on these is that some users report a drop from 200 - 150ppm tap water to 30-20ppm only. 20 ppm is rather high.
Does anyone have any experience with similar units here? Which would you recommend (from my list and not). I'd really appreciate suggestions and recommendations of different units (within the price range) if available.
Thank you!
Let the necrothreading commence!
Dear RO users,
I am currently looking for a portable ( countertop or tabletop or whatever else it might be called) reverse osmosis unit (up to $170). My water requirements are not high and I use about 1.5 gal of water a day for my plants and a humidifier unit. It has to be a portable unit ( I am renting a condo and can't mess with the plumbing ) that I can hook to the faucet in the kitchen and unhook with ease when not in use.
So far potential choices are:
Mighty Mite 50GPD with DI Added
http://www.amazon.com/AWI-Mighty-Mi...K2IE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323796757&sr=8-2
Mikro Delta Portable 3 Stage RO System (Mighty Mite)
http://www.amazon.com/RO-MIGHTY-MIT...8470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323796757&sr=8-1
Portable Reverse Osmosis System Countertop 100-150 GPD
http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=pro-c2&Click=4263
One of my concerns after reading the reviews on these is that some users report a drop from 200 - 150ppm tap water to 30-20ppm only. 20 ppm is rather high.
Does anyone have any experience with similar units here? Which would you recommend (from my list and not). I'd really appreciate suggestions and recommendations of different units (within the price range) if available.
Thank you!
RO units without DI remove on avg about 95-98% ish of what goes in them.... so a perfectly running unit exposed to 1000 ppm input water would have an output ppm of 20-50 ppm. The exact same unit with a 100ppm inlet would have an outlet of 2-5ppm
Think percentages....
(We use the DI stage to remove what the RO doesnt)
This is if everything is "right".... if your inlet pressure is lower than 50psig at the membrane or if your water is cold then you wont get this level of performance...
Most problems with RO units can be traced down to inlet pressure issues, be in the system or excessive pressure drop from the prefilters.
I have no personal experience with either of these 3 units, personally Im not a fan of portable units for several reasons. But that being said, sometimes you got to do what you got to do...
Just dont expect 4-5 year life out of the membranes with most portables, it isnt going to happen.
(DI units mounted horizontally also tend to "channel" in short order, bypassing the mixed bed media....better if you mount them vertically to prevent this)
HTH's a little,
Butch
Think percentages....
(We use the DI stage to remove what the RO doesnt)
This is if everything is "right".... if your inlet pressure is lower than 50psig at the membrane or if your water is cold then you wont get this level of performance...
Most problems with RO units can be traced down to inlet pressure issues, be in the system or excessive pressure drop from the prefilters.
I have no personal experience with either of these 3 units, personally Im not a fan of portable units for several reasons. But that being said, sometimes you got to do what you got to do...
Just dont expect 4-5 year life out of the membranes with most portables, it isnt going to happen.
(DI units mounted horizontally also tend to "channel" in short order, bypassing the mixed bed media....better if you mount them vertically to prevent this)
HTH's a little,
Butch
Last edited:
gill_za
Never Knows Best
Thank you Butch.
It looks like I the first unit would be a better choice from the three as it comes with DI cartridge. Also from the pictures it looks like it could be mounted vertically as wel. Ill keep looking for a better one, but your post helps me narrow down my choices.
Thank you.
It looks like I the first unit would be a better choice from the three as it comes with DI cartridge. Also from the pictures it looks like it could be mounted vertically as wel. Ill keep looking for a better one, but your post helps me narrow down my choices.
Thank you.
Gill,
You should never let a membrane dry out..... it will damage it pretty bad.
Likewise.... you should never let it go a long time without use. A bacteria will grow in them, damaging them.
When you replace a membrane.... squeeze it, listen for crackling sounds.... smell it, does it stink?
Both of these would indicate inadaquate use
RO membranes need to be used on a pretty regular basis.... once use is started.
Dont ever buy one "used"
A properly designed system under typical conditions should get 3 to 5 years out of a membrane.
You should never let a membrane dry out..... it will damage it pretty bad.
Likewise.... you should never let it go a long time without use. A bacteria will grow in them, damaging them.
When you replace a membrane.... squeeze it, listen for crackling sounds.... smell it, does it stink?
Both of these would indicate inadaquate use
RO membranes need to be used on a pretty regular basis.... once use is started.
Dont ever buy one "used"
A properly designed system under typical conditions should get 3 to 5 years out of a membrane.
in the old days there were different membranes for well water vs chlorinated municipal water. Is this still the case? I don't foresee the day that I will need a RO system, but never know....
Yes, but you have to order them.... Ive not seen one in person in a long time for residental application. They are actually a little lower in efficiency IIRC (dont quote me on that
)Nowadays, we just remove the Chlorine with the Carbon prefilters(s)..
If anything I will probably be needing a better carbon filter system as the county is adding more chlorine /cloramines to the water all the time....
In some systems, the carbon prefilter is omitted, and cellulose triacetate membrane (CTA) is used. The CTA membrane is prone to rotting unless protected by chlorinated water, while the TFC membrane is prone to breaking down under the influence of chlorine. In CTA systems, a carbon postfilter is needed to remove chlorine from the final product, water.
We mainly use TFC (thin film membrane) anymore
---------- Post added at 02:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 PM ----------
Mach,
These people sell "Top Shelf" RO systems and prefilters..... over priced on their systems IMHO, but good reference source and good source for the oddball component.
They have lots of good (and accurate) info
http://spectrapure.com/
We mainly use TFC (thin film membrane) anymore
---------- Post added at 02:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 PM ----------
Mach,
These people sell "Top Shelf" RO systems and prefilters..... over priced on their systems IMHO, but good reference source and good source for the oddball component.
They have lots of good (and accurate) info
http://spectrapure.com/
I think Thez is using the Mighty-Mite.
You can buy faucet or under the sink feed water adapters for $10-20. And basically you'll have a "portable" unit without having to pierce any of the plumbing. You can even get a quick connect faucet adapter if you don't like the hose being in the way when you're not using it. Otherwise you'd have to unscrew the adapter all the time.
The advantage of using an "under-the-counter" model is if you get one with standard sized filters the filters are readily available. The encapsulated filters are more difficult to find locally.
You can buy faucet or under the sink feed water adapters for $10-20. And basically you'll have a "portable" unit without having to pierce any of the plumbing. You can even get a quick connect faucet adapter if you don't like the hose being in the way when you're not using it. Otherwise you'd have to unscrew the adapter all the time.
The advantage of using an "under-the-counter" model is if you get one with standard sized filters the filters are readily available. The encapsulated filters are more difficult to find locally.
I am just using multiple household filters set up inline with the carbon filter cartridge. I probably just will need a better grade of carbon cartridges.....
I use 2 carbon blocks in my prefilter stages.... (good quality)
Normally, I can smell the chlorine from my faucet and I smoked for 25+ yrs LOL
I get over 4 yrs out of a membrane under pretty heavy use
Exo had repeated failures till he went with a name brand prefilter.... you get what you pay for most of the time.
Excellent point Warren... much better then that non-standard stuffs IMHO
Normally, I can smell the chlorine from my faucet and I smoked for 25+ yrs LOL
I get over 4 yrs out of a membrane under pretty heavy use
Exo had repeated failures till he went with a name brand prefilter.... you get what you pay for most of the time.
Excellent point Warren... much better then that non-standard stuffs IMHO
gill_za
Never Knows Best
Yes, the TDS of my tap water is 150-140ppm.
Not a Number said:
Oh, is she using a standard, under the counter unit but with faucet adapter and just feeding the brine line into the sink? Did I understand correctly?
She's using one of the Mighty-Mites or something like it with the included faucet adapter. Waste water goes down the drain or into a bucket for other uses.
Buy a standard unit, tankless or otherwise. Buy a faucet/feed adapter. Put the waste water hose down the drain, into a bucket etc. You have a "portable" unit.
Buy a standard unit, tankless or otherwise. Buy a faucet/feed adapter. Put the waste water hose down the drain, into a bucket etc. You have a "portable" unit.
gill_za
Never Knows Best
This is what I was going to recommend before I read Warren's post. This way, you have a much wider variety of units to choose from, probably cheaper than those specifically manufactured to be "portable," and you can easily get a unit with standard filters and membranes. Not to mention, when the time comes you get your own place, you've got a nice, solid unit that you can install pseudo-permanently (even non-portable units aren't permanent and are easy to remove and plug up any holes you made).