RO water systems

[Denver]

As my collection grows and the drought in Texas continues it is getting more and more impractical to collect rainwater for my orchids so I am getting very close to investing in a RO water filter.

I really like the idea of Ray's countertop model and perhaps should just email him directly but I wanted to get everyone's thoughts. My main concern with it is that I would only be using it about once a week and then disconnecting it. Would the weekly wetting and then drying out of the filters make it less effective and/or lead to possible growth of microbes within it?

 

[ALToronto]

You'll use it daily. Once you've tried coffee and tea made with pure water, you'll never go back to tap.

 

[couscous74]

I started with a countertop unit a few years ago. And I definitely started using it for drinking and coffee/tea, etc. It's a huge difference. I bought from pure-earth. com. This was before Ray started selling these. You can find quite a few online retailers. Home Depot even sells some, but I think they are under the sink models. Most of the internet guys just buy the parts and assemble units for sale.

When I moved to a house, I got an under the sink unit. And now the plants mostly just get tap and rain water.

 

[MaryPientka]

I recently bought Ray's countertop model, and I love it!

 

[NYEric]

I would not use NYC tap water on my plants! The water sits in the filters.

 

[AdamD]

I bought an under counter model from Ray and it has more than paid for itself by now. I use it for everything, drinking water, coffee, tea, ice, etc etc... I wish I would have got a 5 gallon tank instead of 3. We go through it quick!

 

[eggshells]

I bought an under counter model from Ray and it has more than paid for itself by now. I use it for everything, drinking water, coffee, tea, ice, etc etc... I wish I would have got a 5 gallon tank instead of 3. We go through it quick!

Get a float valve and you can use a rain barrel or anything big container you can store water in.

 

[NYEric]

We just keep gallon containers in a corner. 16 in all.

 

[Ozpaph]

It does waste a lot of water if the volume you need is high. Filtered water wastes nothing if you just want to drink it. You could collect rainwater, as an alternative.

 

[Ray]

Denver - you do not let it dry out between uses, but leave it full. No problem.

Eric - not use NYC water on orchids? At <50 ppm TDS, it ought to be great.

Adam - In addition to Eggshells' suggestion, you can either add another 3-gallon tank, or add a permeate pump to refill the current one faster.

Ozpaph - the units I sell are low-waste models. The standard units are 3:1, while my standard is about 2:1, and it is possible to go even lower.

 

[Ozpaph]

Ray, that's great water conservation.
I live in a city where not so long ago we showered over a bucket to collect water so we could water the plants - Level 5 restrictions. Even with the dams refilling after a severe and prolonged drought, rainwater tanks are mandatory and the best way to conserve a precious resource - and the water is better quality! I have a small RO system to supply water for my misting system - stops them blocking up.

 

[Denver]

Thanks Ray, I'll head over and place an order once I take care of a couple of things piled up on my desk.

Also, if my understanding is correct, with the countertop model, I'll easily be able to bucket the flush water to then water plants in the yard as water here is getting more and more scarce also.

 

[NYEric]

Eric - not use NYC water on orchids? At <50 ppm TDS, it ought to be great..

Yeah but..ppm of what!!!

 

[Ray]

Also, if my understanding is correct, with the countertop model, I'll easily be able to bucket the flush water to then water plants in the yard as water here is getting more and more scarce also.

That's true with any RO system, actually, although you may find it more convenience to run a garden hose to a specific plant, and just stick the flush water line into the elevated end of the hose.

 

[Ozpaph]

I discard the 'waste' water as it has more than twice the TDS of my tap water (already 300+) and Im not sure the garden plants like it anymore than the orchids???

 

[Denver]

I discard the 'waste' water as it has more than twice the TDS of my tap water (already 300+) and Im not sure the garden plants like it anymore than the orchids???

my faint knowledge of chemistry says that as long as it is used to water plants that are in the ground the TDS is fairly irrelevant

 

[Ozpaph]

wont the salinity increase?

 

[Ray]

wont the salinity increase?

Only if it contains salt! I believe Denver's point is that considering the mineral level of soils, as far as plant exposure is concerned, using a high TDS water supply is not that different from using a pure one, in net effect.

In a standard 3:1 system, if we assume 100% purification (it's a shade less, in reality), you're putting 100% of the dissolved solids in 3/4 the volume, so the solids content of the flush stream is 4/3 or 33% higher than the incoming water. At 2:1 it is 50% higher.

My greenhouse system is about 1.5:1, so it's 67% higher - making it about 300 ppm. The frogs, birds and deer that drink from the artificial pond it dumps into don't have an issue.

 

[gonewild]

Using discharge water with 600 or 700ppm on landscape plants won't have any negative effect assuming that the source water is potable and contains normal salts.
There is no need to waste RO discharge.

 

[Denver]

got the filter yesterday, it seems to work great and is super convenient.

I'm going to have a chemist friend check the TDS tomorrow to find out exactly how well it works.