RO help??

jsimpson123 · 01/22/2008, 08:22 PM

Has anyone else had trouble with their water tempature going to the ro unit and what have u done about it??

plummike · 01/22/2008, 08:34 PM

temp shouldn't effect your RO's performance

dsn112 · 01/22/2008, 08:47 PM

but it does, if water is too cold it slows production. I've seen someone put a long supply line in a bucket of water with a heater, heated the bucket to 80, this way the water entering the RO was warmer

AZDesertRat · 01/22/2008, 09:24 PM

Two things have a big effect on RO output, water temperature and water pressure. If one or both is lower than the manufacturers recommended levels the unit will produce less water. Russ over at www.buckeyefieldsupply.com has a really cool calculator on their home page that gives you an idea of the effects they both have.
Temperature is a tough one to overcome. Raising the water temperature by combining hot and cold is not recommended at all since its easy to toast a membrane. Remember being in the shower and someone flushes the toilet? Same thing happens to the membrane if its making water and its toast.
One way to overcome temperature is to raise pressure. If you have a Dow Filmtec RO membrane, they are rated at 50 psi. Raising the pressure to 60 or 65 psi increases a 75 GPD up to 90 GPD or higher at 77 degrees F water temperature. If the temperature is lower but you increase the pressure you cna get back to that 75 GPD level or close to it. Play with the calculator and you see if your pressure is 60 psi and the temp is only 40 you can still get 44 GPD out of a 75 GPD membrane. Use a Aquatec 8800 booster pump and you can get it back up to the 75 or higher.

Heating water in a bucket is a very very inefficient way to raise the temperature. The BTU's required are tremendous and its not really cost effective using a aquarium heater. Look at the RC power calculator and you will see the electrical cost is pretty high using this method.

01/22/2008, 08:22 PM	#1
jsimpson123 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Gainesville, GA Posts: 18	RO help?? Has anyone else had trouble with their water tempature going to the ro unit and what have u done about it?? __________________ Uhhhhhhh what? Justin Simpson Current Tank Info: 55g

01/22/2008, 08:47 PM	#3
dsn112 Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: South Jersey Posts: 1,139	but it does, if water is too cold it slows production. I've seen someone put a long supply line in a bucket of water with a heater, heated the bucket to 80, this way the water entering the RO was warmer __________________ I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I got it all!! Current Tank Info: Fluval Edge w LED freshwater. Looking at doing a 20-40g long penninsula fowlr soon

01/22/2008, 08:34 PM	#2
plummike Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: near Pittsburgh Posts: 271	temp shouldn't effect your RO's performance

01/22/2008, 09:24 PM	#4
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Two things have a big effect on RO output, water temperature and water pressure. If one or both is lower than the manufacturers recommended levels the unit will produce less water. Russ over at www.buckeyefieldsupply.com has a really cool calculator on their home page that gives you an idea of the effects they both have. Temperature is a tough one to overcome. Raising the water temperature by combining hot and cold is not recommended at all since its easy to toast a membrane. Remember being in the shower and someone flushes the toilet? Same thing happens to the membrane if its making water and its toast. One way to overcome temperature is to raise pressure. If you have a Dow Filmtec RO membrane, they are rated at 50 psi. Raising the pressure to 60 or 65 psi increases a 75 GPD up to 90 GPD or higher at 77 degrees F water temperature. If the temperature is lower but you increase the pressure you cna get back to that 75 GPD level or close to it. Play with the calculator and you see if your pressure is 60 psi and the temp is only 40 you can still get 44 GPD out of a 75 GPD membrane. Use a Aquatec 8800 booster pump and you can get it back up to the 75 or higher. Heating water in a bucket is a very very inefficient way to raise the temperature. The BTU's required are tremendous and its not really cost effective using a aquarium heater. Look at the RC power calculator and you will see the electrical cost is pretty high using this method.