# water problem



## dodidoki (Mar 18, 2012)

There is extreme drieness here in Hungary (and Europe). It lasts more than 2 years Many rivers become useless for shipping. I couldn't collect rain water at all. Tap water is very hard. Boiling is very expensive and gives only very few water. I tried with oxal acid, I tested water with probes( added ca solution to water to test excessive acid, from other side added oxal to test remaining ca and mg). result is catastrophical, plants are suffering, some died, especially cattleyas.....RO????Is it worth to pay much money for a machine????


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## Shiva (Mar 18, 2012)

Yes!


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## John M (Mar 18, 2012)

Yes! I used to collect rain water....until my barn roof was flattened by heavy snow! But, I cannot use the well water that I have in the house. It is too hard with disolved minerals. So, I use an R.O. unit. I made it myself. I feed it with pure, untreated, hard well water and the product water it makes is nice and pure. Because the input water is so hard, I have to replace all three "75 gallon per day" membranes, 2 times a year....or, maybe every 9 months or so. That's not too bad though. They cost only about $45 each and they make enough water for me to water my entire 1,440 square foot greenhouse as well as for my own use as drinking and cooking water. I do not even use any prefilters in the water line any more. I used to; but, found them unnecessary....they just added to the operating cost You can see the clear prefilter housings in the photo below. They have filters in them in the photo. Now, they just sit empty and the feed water goes through them unflitered. The water going through the membranes is straight from the well. When the membranses begin to slow down the production due to becoming clogged with minerals, I extend the life by a couple months by adding some hydrochloric acid to the feed line (in the clear prefilter housings) and letting that go through the membranes, disolving the mineral build up. When I do this, I allow the product water go straight down the drain for a few hours after the treatment. This acid method usually improves the amount of product water I get for a few more weeks or more. After doing this once or twice, I finally replace the membranes. Because my water pressure is quite low, I use an R.O. booster pump to increase the pressure and therefore, the amount of output of product water. Even though I use three 75 gallon per day membranes, I only get about 120 to 150 gallons per day. Many R.O. units produce only 1 gallon of product water for every 6 gallons of waste water. I cut back that ratio to 1:1 by simply putting a kink in the waste water line and holding it in place with a piece of wire. This restricts the flow of waste water and forces more pressure to build up in the membranes, causing more product water to be made. It's a very crude system; but, it works beautifully and has done so since 1999. Here's a photo.






'Hope this helps you. Too bad about the sick plants; but, you should get good results with an R.O. Good luck!

p.s. Dodidoki, would you please update your profile information so that your location (Hungary), shows up in the upper right hand corner of your posts. It helps a lot to put a person's posts into context when we know roughly where in the world they are. Thanks!


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## keithrs (Mar 18, 2012)

Yes, it worth every penny....


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## Stone (Mar 18, 2012)

Before I moved a few years back, I had problems with hard water (pH 10). This did not kill plants directly but left terrible Ca deposits on the leaves. I could not collect rain water (no rain!) so about once/month I filled a s/steel tank with mains water and added concenrated sulphuric acid one drop at a time or citric acid to bring pH down to about 5 and drenched the pots with this. It worked well and don't add any Ca to your p/mix. But you might eventually need to find a more perminant solution. Many production nurseries use in-line injectors to acidify their water. Maybe cheaper than RO if hardness is the only problem? You must get your water analyzed so you know what your dealing with.


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## NYEric (Mar 18, 2012)

Go R.O. Here a system runs about $150 US and $40 every 6 months to change the 2 filters.


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## Ray (Mar 19, 2012)

NYEric said:


> Go R.O. Here a system runs about $150 US and $40 every 6 months to change the 2 filters.


You are apparently 1) changing filters too frequently, and 2) paying way too much for them.

Standard residential RO systems have one sediment filter ($2.50) that should be replaced every 6 months, and one or two carbon filters ($5 each) that should be replaced annually.


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## keithrs (Mar 19, 2012)

And 100 GPD(150 with a booster pump)membraines are around $30.....


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## NYEric (Mar 19, 2012)

Ray said:


> You are apparently 1) changing filters too frequently, and 2) paying way too much for them.
> 
> Standard residential RO systems have one sediment filter ($2.50) that should be replaced every 6 months, and one or two carbon filters ($5 each) that should be replaced annually.



You may be correct but when I change one i alway do the other. I was quoted $130 on a membrane!! Is that a price I can get from you on the filters? Don't forget, I live where a small studio apartment rents for $3000/month.


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## keithrs (Mar 19, 2012)

Save yourself some money......

RO Supplies


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## NYEric (Mar 19, 2012)

thanks. I will check them out at home.


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## eggshells (Mar 19, 2012)

Ray said:


> You are apparently 1) changing filters too frequently, and 2) paying way too much for them.
> 
> Standard residential RO systems have one sediment filter ($2.50) that should be replaced every 6 months, and one or two carbon filters ($5 each) that should be replaced annually.



Do you ship to Canada Ray? I am thinking that even if I pay for shipping its still cheaper if I get it from here especially if I buy a bunch.

...Just phoned some local water supply shops and they are pretty consistent. They are charging $50 for 2 carbon filters + 1 sediment filter. Is it easy to replace?


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## keithrs (Mar 19, 2012)

eggshells said:


> D Is it easy to replace?



Yes.... Unscrew the bottom half of the filter, pull the old filter out, replace with new filter and screw on the bottom housing. Takes me all of two min to replace the filters.

I'm sure theres youtube videos....


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## Ray (Mar 19, 2012)

keithrs said:


> Save yourself some money......
> 
> RO Supplies



My prices are still lower than those.


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## Ray (Mar 19, 2012)

eggshells said:


> Do you ship to Canada Ray? I am thinking that even if I pay for shipping its still cheaper if I get it from here especially if I buy a bunch.
> 
> ...Just phoned some local water supply shops and they are pretty consistent. They are charging $50 for 2 carbon filters + 1 sediment filter. Is it easy to replace?



Sure do.

Use the USPS website to check shipping rates.

So you're about 100 miles north of the border, huh? A great many of my Canadian customers have me ship to a "shipping service" in the US, then take it across the border themselves, which save a bundle.


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## eggshells (Mar 20, 2012)

Sorry dodi for hijacking your thread. Didn't mean to.. At least we found out that ray is selling inexpensive supplies. And some of us are paying way too much.

Thanks Ray I will look at shipping and duty costs and see if it's feasible.


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## NYEric (Mar 20, 2012)

I know on the A Gardener's Home Supply site the filters sell in bulk cheap. I just need to get some good lights and another ultrasonic fogger and I'll be set.


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