chbix

I have one of Marcs units and it has a little deal in line that looks just like this.



It is an auto shutoff and when you shut off the valves on the output side of the system the water shuts off for the whole system. If you have something that looks like this then when you shut off the output of your system it should all shut down. If not you may want to get one.

I only run about 8 to 10 gallons of DI water at a time so I pull the output and drop it in the washer and wash clothes with it. As far as plants and stuff you have removed a lot of particulate and all the chlorine which is likely better for them anyway. As far as your dogs, I have no idea. . . guess would depend on what the output levels for tds is at. I know that the EPA doesn't allow anything over 500 for human consumption.

As far as storage time. . . I have no idea.

I always just put the waste down the drain. Remember you are outputting the waste of the cleaned water into the waste so the waste TDS will be about double what it is before you ran it through the RO/DI unit. I personally would not drink it though some folks do. and If I won't drink it then I would not give it to my pets. If you produce any amount of RO water the waste will become a big pain to empty unless you have big containers. I run about 5 gallons per day so that about 20 gallons of waste per day so you can see how it can become cumbersome to controll. I would try to come up with a process that is more automated than not. My system has a waterline that is always on, and has a timer that I turn on every day or two for two hours. the RO water goes into a 55 gallon container that is sealed as Deionized water is a magnet for contaminants out of the air, and the waste just goes directly down the drain. then the RO water is used for my auto topoff system.

-SR

how do you have it set up on a timer?

The system has to pressurize for the ASOV to turn off the water going into the unit, which shuts off the output. You can't stop the waste line; it has to be the good water line. Since the waste ratio is 4:1, you'd need to really be on top of it to avoid the waste barrels overflowing. Note I said barrels, as in plural. You can plumb them together with uniseals or bulkheads, but it would take four of them to match one equal-sized barrel of pure water.

Water needs to be stored in sealed containers to be clean, and I'd try to use it within 30 days or less. If you plan to use collection barrels for good water, plan on cleaning them with bleach water (10 parts water to 1 part bleach) every three months to keep them pure and to avoid reintroducing TDS into your 0 TDS water.

I found a good water line under my water heater in my garage, but it has a pressure regulator before it goes to my washing machine. Anyone know if I should go before or after the regulator to splice in? Also its a blue colored pipe, not metal not PVC but feels like a type of plastic. Can I use one of the saddle type fittings on that?

One more question, does anyone know if the outlets on the washing machine water lines are the same as a regular hose? They look the same thread type maybe just a bit less threads, was gonna hook up my pressure gauge and see what the pressure is coming out at the faucet to help me decide where ti splice in but I cant find it so thought I would ask.

This way I can keep the whole RO DI unit in the garage with bins. I think I may just use a solenoid on a timer and run it maybe an hour or two a day.

That pipe is likely PEX. . . http://www.pexinfo.com/ It is very tough stuff, I worked with it in a building with enough water pressure to put water 11 stories up with just city water and still spray 30 feet in the air from a garden hose. I don't think a saddle valves would be a good idea, I don't even think it would fully pierce the line. If there is a regulator you should probably go before it rather than after, you do not want to have reduced pressure. The outlets on normal washing machines are standard garden hose threads.

If you do have to work with the PEX lines home depot has the fittings that can be used or you can get a type of fitting that is called a "SharkBite" that will allow you to cut and rejoin the PEX and do whatever else that you need. Otherwise you will have to buy fittings a pex crimping tool and rings to crimp the lines.

Where do you live, chbix? Does your garage encounter extreme heat or extreme cold? The RO/DI system works best in temperate conditions, such as those we keep indoors. If it has to be in the garage, it should be fully insulated to avoid freezing it as it will burst fittings, ruin the membrane, and crack acrylic housings.

I wouldn't mess with the PEX tubing. Instead, you might opt to hook it up over your washing machine using a Y adapter to split the cold water line to the washer and to the RO/DI system.

I live in Northern Nevada so it does snow and we get below freezing. The garage is fully insulated although it does get cold because there is obviously no heat going into the garage.

I think im gonna end up splitting off of the wash line using exactly what you have shown there. Just gotta figure out how to pipe it into the garage, may end up drilling a hole through the wall from the wash room into the garage.

That is probably fine. Try to keep the output tubing for the good water less than 40' from the RO unit. And if the line freezes, water won't pass through the tubing until it has thawed.