Question

[Mbheat77]

1 hour ago, JMsAquarium said:

are you testing the TDS in your aquarium? Usually you should test TDS of the RODI water

 

Yep I made a rookie mistake. Buddy just came over here to show me how to use it. 

[Origami]

The flush valve on your RO/DI unit is positioned wrong. When it's pointed along the length of the valve, it's set up to flush the membrane. It's supposed to be at a right angle to the body during RO production. 

 

To produce RO/DI water in your configuration, position the valve in the position shown for a few minutes (while not collecting water from the DI side) and then set the valve cross-wise. Start collecting water about a minute after you've set the valve in this new position. Take a sample and, with a clean tds sensor (rinse the contacts off in fresh water since you don't want salt residue on the contacts when you test), take a TDS measurement. Report back on the number. 

 

[Origami]

By the way, your combo meter reports that your salinity is 1.022. That's a bit low for corals (target 1.0264 or 35 ppt), but quite sufficient for fish.

 

 

[Origami]

Also, you have the waste water line going into the bucket. That's the throw away water, not purified. If you've been putting this in your tank, it's worse than the source water. Actually, with the flush valve in this position, it's probably close to the same as EO production will be close to zero.

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[Origami]

OK. Let's see more pictures of you RODI system. I want to see it from every angle and be able to track every piece of tubing thru from start to finish.

Off hand, I can see it's broken. I can also see that your flush valve is in the wrong position. What I can't see is the pure water line. Instead, it looks like there's a broken fitting on the DI resin stage (right side from front).

The high level flow that I would expect is

Input - sediment filter - carbon block - (center in) membrane (center out) - DI resin - pure water output (to collection bucket)

The waste water flow is like this

Input - sediment filter - carbon block - (center in) membrane (side out) - DI flow restrictor - waste water output (to sink)



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[Mbheat77]

23 hours ago, Origami said:

Also, you have the waste water line going into the bucket. That's the throw away water, not purified. If you've been putting this in your tank, it's worse than the source water. Actually, with the flush valve in this position, it's probably close to the same as EO production will be close to zero.

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This is the only line that water comes out. I will get more detailed pics for u, but wow I feel like a total noob about that valve. All this time for over 2yrs it's been like this. Smh

[Mbheat77]

@Origamithis is my exact system. I only ever had the 2 hoses since I got it. The red 1 has the faucet connector and the yellow is the only other long 1. The blue hose is short and goes from the different compartments. I will still send u pics. 

 

 https://store.afwfilters.com/reverse-osmosis-systems/aquarium-ro-di-systems/4-stage-aquarium-ro-di-psarion-omega-reef-system/

[Origami]

@Origamithis is my exact system. I only ever had the 2 hoses since I got it. The red 1 has the faucet connector and the yellow is the only other long 1. The blue hose is short and goes from the different compartments. I will still send u pics. 
 
 https://store.afwfilters.com/reverse-osmosis-systems/aquarium-ro-di-systems/4-stage-aquarium-ro-di-psarion-omega-reef-system/

Thanks in advance for the pics.

There are always at least three lines coming out of any reverse osmosis system. There's the input, the RO (pure) and the waste water (aka flush) lines. A random fact: Waste water volume is typically four times pure water output.

A quick lesson on Reverse Osmosis (RO): The RO membrane (inside the big white housing) is a tube of rolled film (with lots of surface area) that is porous at the molecular level. It's pores are so small that it allows water and a few small dissolved ions through and very little else. To push water through these tiny pores to the other side of the membrane requires a pressure gradient. To keep from clogging all the pores requires that impurities trapped on the input side of the membrane have an "exit." The pressure gradient is set by a flow restrictor and the exit is the waste water outlet. The flush valve on your setup is dual function: It functions as both a flow restrict or (when the handle is crosswise) or as a membrane flush (when the handle is aligned to the body). While common, not all RO systems have a combo flow restrictor/flush valve. Yours does. Flushing the membrane extends the life of the RO membrane by washing away debris trapped on the input side of the membrane that may be clogging the pores. Eventually membranes do fail, either clogging up entirely or the pores can be eaten away allowing large particles to pass. But membranes can be surprisingly long-lived.

Anyway, three lines. You're showing two, but also showing a canister with a broken quick connect. We can probably get you fixed up (insofar as this is concerned) but need details.

Was your system used when you got it?

Also, can you use Zoom on your phone?

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[Mbheat77]

[Mbheat77]

[Mbheat77]

[howaboutme]

I've finally tracked the blue line out of the ro membrane and it seems to go into the di but there is no outlet from the di... That means if the flush valve is turned the correct way water will be coming out of that broken quickly connect outlet. That may be why he's using the flush valve this way (wrongly). Easy fix if this is the case. 

[Mbheat77]

42 minutes ago, Origami said:

Thanks in advance for the pics.

There are always at least three lines coming out of any reverse osmosis system. There's the input, the RO (pure) and the waste water (aka flush) lines. A random fact: Waste water volume is typically four times pure water output.

A quick lesson on Reverse Osmosis (RO): The RO membrane (inside the big white housing) is a tube of rolled film (with lots of surface area) that is porous at the molecular level. It's pores are so small that it allows water and a few small dissolved ions through and very little else. To push water through these tiny pores to the other side of the membrane requires a pressure gradient. To keep from clogging all the pores requires that impurities trapped on the input side of the membrane have an "exit." The pressure gradient is set by a flow restrictor and the exit is the waste water outlet. The flush valve on your setup is dual function: It functions as both a flow restrict or (when the handle is crosswise) or as a membrane flush (when the handle is aligned to the body). While common, not all RO systems have a combo flow restrictor/flush valve. Yours does. Flushing the membrane extends the life of the RO membrane by washing away debris trapped on the input side of the membrane that may be clogging the pores. Eventually membranes do fail, either clogging up entirely or the pores can be eaten away allowing large particles to pass. But membranes can be surprisingly long-lived.

Anyway, three lines. You're showing two, but also showing a canister with a broken quick connect. We can probably get you fixed up (insofar as this is concerned) but need details.

Was your system used when you got it?

Also, can you use Zoom on your phone?

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I just sent pics. But yes the system is used it came with the tank. I had the filters changed about a year ago but I think 1 of the filters he didn't have. So I do have all new filters coming. I have a question about the broken piece, will the water in that compartment trickle out or should it shoot out?

Edited March 9, 2023 by Mbheat77

[Mbheat77]

29 minutes ago, howaboutme said:

I've finally tracked the blue line out of the ro membrane and it seems to go into the di but there is no outlet from the di... That means if the flush valve is turned the correct way water will be coming out of that broken quickly connect outlet. That may be why he's using the flush valve this way (wrongly). Easy fix if this is the case. 

So should I get some tubing and a elbow and reconnect that to the broken piece

[Origami]

 

This is a diagram of your setup as gathered from your photos.  Yes, you should go to the hardware store and pick up a new fitting and a length of tubing. You should find both at either Lowe's or Home Depot. See my next post for more.

[Origami]

Depending on the history of your RO/DI setup, it's possible that the membrane is shot. We won't know until later unless you want to try something. 

 

So let's do some basic stuff to check that membrane.

 

First, let's establish the remnants of that broken fitting will pass water. I see that you have the setup in a small tub. That's good, because we're going to let it catch some water that passes through the DI stage. With the flush-valve set in the crosswise position and the blue/white valve (on top next to the RO membrane housing) set open (parallel to the plastic lines), turn your sink water on. Be sure that the yellow line is hanging in the sink to catch the waste water. 

 

Now, wait a few moments as the DI stage fills. You should soon get a trickle of water out of this last stage. It'll be less than is going down the sink, maybe 4 to 6 cups of waste for every cup of good water trickling out of this last stage. If, instead, you see nothing coming out of this last stage, your membrane may be clogged. Or, if you see a lot coming out of this last stage and very little going down the sink, then it could be that there's no membrane in the housing.

 

It's easy for a membrane that's been used but then which has sat unused for a very long time to become swollen and non-functional. You're more likely to have this problem when buying a used RO/DI system from somebody who got out of the hobby and let it sit around a while before selling off gear. In your case, it's far less likely that the membrane is missing simply because you've not said anything about water coming out of that broken fitting before. It's more likely that the membrane is there and either good or clogged. So let's test that first and report back.

 

If the membrane tests out to be open, we'll test it's performance next. But let's get past step 1 first.

[Mbheat77]

1 hour ago, Origami said:

Depending on the history of your RO/DI setup, it's possible that the membrane is shot. We won't know until later unless you want to try something. 

 

So let's do some basic stuff to check that membrane.

 

First, let's establish the remnants of that broken fitting will pass water. I see that you have the setup in a small tub. That's good, because we're going to let it catch some water that passes through the DI stage. With the flush-valve set in the crosswise position and the blue/white valve (on top next to the RO membrane housing) set open (parallel to the plastic lines), turn your sink water on. Be sure that the yellow line is hanging in the sink to catch the waste water. 

 

Now, wait a few moments as the DI stage fills. You should soon get a trickle of water out of this last stage. It'll be less than is going down the sink, maybe 4 to 6 cups of waste for every cup of good water trickling out of this last stage. If, instead, you see nothing coming out of this last stage, your membrane may be clogged. Or, if you see a lot coming out of this last stage and very little going down the sink, then it could be that there's no membrane in the housing.

 

It's easy for a membrane that's been used but then which has sat unused for a very long time to become swollen and non-functional. You're more likely to have this problem when buying a used RO/DI system from somebody who got out of the hobby and let it sit around a while before selling off gear. In your case, it's far less likely that the membrane is missing simply because you've not said anything about water coming out of that broken fitting before. It's more likely that the membrane is there and either good or clogged. So let's test that first and report back.

 

If the membrane tests out to be open, we'll test it's performance next. But let's get past step 1 first.

Ok I did try that when I was taking the pics. It was almost dripping out when my waster line is pouring out fast. Like the waste line will fill up a 5gal bucket in about 3-5 minutes. 

[JMsAquarium]

7 minutes ago, Mbheat77 said:

Ok I did try that when I was taking the pics. It was almost dripping out when my waster line is pouring out fast. Like the waste line will fill up a 5gal bucket in about 3-5 minutes. 

Yes the waste line does pour out a lot of water, this is normal. At least in my experience.

[howaboutme]

2 hours ago, Mbheat77 said:

So should I get some tubing and a elbow and reconnect that to the broken piece

Looks like Tom is taking good care you.

 

If that fitting leaving the DI is shot and it's more than the fitting, you can easily get a replacement canister. Those just screw to the metal bar and easily replaced if necessary. You're almost there!

[JMsAquarium]

1 minute ago, howaboutme said:

Looks like Tom is taking good care you.

 

If that fitting leaving the DI is shot and it's more than the fitting, you can easily get a replacement canister. Those just screw to the metal bar and easily replaced if necessary. You're almost there!

True, and they are standard sizes so very easy to replace.

[therootcause]

21 minutes ago, howaboutme said:

Looks like Tom is taking good care you.

 

If that fitting leaving the DI is shot and it's more than the fitting, you can easily get a replacement canister. Those just screw to the metal bar and easily replaced if necessary. You're almost there!

 

Agreed - Tom is invaluable.  Looks like Mbheat77 is heading in the right direction.

 

Edit: No advice...just wanted to recognize Tom.

Edited March 9, 2023 by therootcause

[Mbheat77]

27 minutes ago, JMsAquarium said:

Yes the waste line does pour out a lot of water, this is normal. At least in my experience.

Thanks for all your help. 

[Mbheat77]

22 minutes ago, howaboutme said:

Looks like Tom is taking good care you.

 

If that fitting leaving the DI is shot and it's more than the fitting, you can easily get a replacement canister. Those just screw to the metal bar and easily replaced if necessary. You're almost there!

Not sure which one us Tom, but everyone has been extremely helpful. So much that I'm ready to get my stuff and start my tank over today. I'm excited to see how I can get it now that I have a little more knowledge. Thanks to all. 

[Mbheat77]

4 minutes ago, therootcause said:

 

Agreed - Tom is invaluable.  Looks like Mbheat77 is heading in the right direction.

It sure feels that way. 😁

[JMsAquarium]

Glad we can help you out. Looks to me that your RODI unit mayyy be the cause of all your issues. But by fixing it it will/should solve the water "mystery"