limited water changes... next step, overkill

[Magnum Man]

so I have been criticized for not changing enough water, and with my set up, I could easily change much more water, except for one thing... I have a "normal" sized RO unit, that I'm literally pumping dry every day, with plant use, evaporation, and water changes... because I'll need more water daily for my current set up, and I have 2-30 gallon tanks left to get running in my group, and that big 250 gallon going into my living room upstairs, I've decided to replace my "normal" sized RO unit for commercial size 500 gallon per day unit... once installed, I'll be pumping water in, and out, rather than slupping buckets... I already pump water in, but use buckets to keep track of how much I'm pulling out, to make sure I can spread it around... now I'll be using the gauge lines on my holding tank to confirm water change levels, that will likely be set around the filter draw tube lengths, so I don't have to restart filters, but could be done a couple times a week easily enough, if I decide 15 gallons per tank is not enough ( about the amount of gallons I can pull out of the tank before exposing the draw tubes... of coarse if they were all Tidal brand filters ( those would restart flow themselves, even doing a 90% water change ) but I still have a couple Aquaclears, and some 30 year old hang on backs, that would not restart, if the water level was dropped below the draw tube... but those could also be changed out, if I routinely wanted to do a bigger water change...

better to shut off the water, when the holding tank is full, rather than always having an empty holding tank...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

If I had not been pumping water both in and out of tanks for years I would never have survived. I have a lot of hoses and pumps and they very on length and flow rates. My need was because I have tanks in two buildings and 4-5 different rooms. So it has not been possible to automate things.

But the one thing I have been dedicated to doing is working with my tap without alteration as much as possible. I had only one tank where I changed the parameters. I sold the fish and the tank recently and I barely use mu RO/DI unit any more. These days I am using it mostly to make water for my brother to use in his humidifiers.

 

[Magnum Man]

I have "rock hard" water here... I could keep rift lake cichlids in my tap water

 

[Magnum Man]

So, RO filters are tricky business... this is the RO filter I was 1st considering...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PCRSD7I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

reading reviews can be challenging, dealing with experts to novices... so I mostly scan over those... but I think I gleaned from the thorough reading, that the RO membrane filter is rated at 500 gallons per day ( which is actually bigger than I need ), but the rest of the filters, lines, & pump, aren't rated for anywhere near 500 gallons per day...

so, as I'm still researching... I'm thinking this one, that tandem runs 3-100 gallon per day membranes & double sized prefilters seems better for me right now...

Amazon.com

even though these are listed as tankless, I'll be hooking up to my 100 gallon holding tank ( non pressurized ) to fill with continuous flow... at least the 2nd one, is listed at 300 gallons per day maximum... the 1st RO filter listed here, even from the manufacturer does not list a maximum flow, only that the membrane is rated at 500 gallons per day...

anyone knowledgeable about RO units??? thoughts

 

[Magnum Man]

Monday my new RO unit gets here, supposed to filter "up to" 300 gallons per day... with my 100 gallon holding tank... 50% water changes a couple times a week, should end up being a lot of fresh water, everyone should like that... however, with that much water exchange, there may not be enough nutrients for the plants, I currently don't add any, and it may require some remineralization for some of the fish, I also currently don't add any...

 

[MaloK]

Have you ever tested your well water more distinctively.

Your GH for the amounts of Calcium and Magnesium. Also, your Carbonates and Bicarbonates.

If you are able to use your well water to increase the hardness and alkalinity instead of commercial products, you are going to save some $ there.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

How much output one can get for any given membrane flow through rate depends upon the amount of water pressure going in. In order to get the maximum output rate one normally needed to increase the input pressure by using a pump and not just the flkow rate coming from a faucet.

Up until a few months ago when I sild my altum angels I was batching RO/DI for their tank. I had nowhere need the volume that you do, so I was fine with a 75gpd RO membrane. I only needed to use about 11 or 12 gallons/week. I would batch the water and store it in a variety of containers. I used a 20 gal. Rubbermade garbage can into which the output flowed. From there I would use a small pumps to fill 1 gal. containers and 5 gal buckets with lids and a couple of other containers to store it.

My problem was I batched the water in our 2nd building bt I used it in the main house. I carried 2 1 gal bottle at a time from between the building ever week to do the water changes. Mu biggest problem was when I would forget to darin water from the Rubbermaid into t-storage containers and I would have a small overflow flood.

I was fine with the output rate of my seystem. I batched about 50 gals, at a time and only needed to do it about every 4-5 weeks. There is one other factor that will effect the output rate and that is the temperature of the incoming tap water. The unit will make the RO/DI water faster if there the water is close to the the low 70s than full cold which would be close to the 50s. Howerver hot water is not what is needed just warmer water than cold. Here is how the Google AI explains it:

The ideal temperature for making RO water is 77°F (25°C), as most reverse osmosis membranes are rated and perform best at this temperature.

Explanation:
Water viscosity:
Higher temperatures decrease water viscosity, allowing it to flow more easily through the RO membrane, resulting in better production rates.
Membrane efficiency:
Most RO membranes are designed to operate optimally at 77°F, and significantly lower temperatures can reduce the amount of purified water produced.
Flow rate impact:
For every degree Fahrenheit below 77°F, you can expect a slight decrease in water production, while temperatures above 77°F can slightly increase production.

 

[Magnum Man]

because I have a low pressure old "stroker" well pump, my current, and new RO filters both had booster pumps

 

[anewbie]

I'm using a 500 gallon ro unit now with a 500 gallon membrane. It is ok - the waste water is lower (I think it is close to 1:1 which saves me $100 a month); but the tds is a bit higher - maybe 4 instead of 2.

I will note that all the ro unit that use 500 or 700 membrane use booster pumps because those membrane require higher pressure to get the water through them - they also have valves to adjust the pressure - higher pressure less waste but higher tds.

my 'system' ro unit -> 500 gallon retention tank with float valve -> well pump -> house wide pipes -> faucet: open faucet pressure drops well pump comes on and water flows
-
Becareful with your pipes/ hoses as they will leach... (btw pvc is no longer recommended for city pipes because it leaches and over time research shows cause cancer).

 

[Magnum Man]

WOW!!!! this thing is huge... like 4 times bigger than my normal RO unit... and it's just plug a play... well looks like I have to install the RO filters

 

[Magnum Man]

whew! 100 gallon tank is now in the basement... had to take the back door off the house, to get it down the stairs... had to take the door off my work area to get behind the tanks... I'm not there yet, but expect, a part wall will have to come down as well... good thing I put everything together with screws...

 

[anewbie]

Just remember if you have only been doing 5% changes for a *long* time; start slowly with larger water changes - perhaps 10% and a week later 20% then 30% for a few weeks ... the issue is that the old water has had a long time to build up concentration and a sudden change to water chemistry can have a negative impact on fishes.

 

[MaloK]

I remember straightening old rusted nails to make cabins in the wood...

Because, if Pops catches you hammering a brand new nail on that...

Your no better than dead.

Loll.

But beside building a house, I use screws for everything else possible.

When I nail something, I get it as it's final in my brain. I know It isn't. It's in the brain.

But it's a lot more fun to dismantle.

 

[Magnum Man]

had to remove the door and frame, the behind tanks light switch, and the sheet rock on the other side, that's how tight a fit, but once through, the tank fit like a glove where it's supposed to fit under the basement stairs... I topped off all the tanks, so I have a day or two to get everything hooked up...

 

[fishorama]

We had very hard water in our first 2 abodes but it wasn't much of a "thing" so much back then (early 80s). Our last 2 houses have pretty soft water. So I'm interested in your RO system but for a future? home. I am envious of any automated water changes. In DE a club member had a very small WC system hooked into his basement fishroom toilet. It continuously flushed away "old" tank water & refilled w/fresh. It was kind of spooky the 1st time I saw & heard it. But he had a bunch of tanks with virtually no WC effort.