Run creek water through RO/DI?

Juruense · 06/17/2009, 07:36 AM

So I am getting real tired of lugging water home from the pet store.

Also, I hate the idea of the waste water that RO/DI generates. Yes I could use the waste water to water my garden or something I know that...

My new house has a creek in the back yard so I was thinking about running that through the RO/DI and discharging the waste water back into the creek. This would be especially ideal because the city water in the area my new house is in is very expensive.

But would using creek water as the source lead to constant and premature failure of the filter elements?

benr · 06/17/2009, 07:42 AM

The water from a creek could be a very good source for aquarium water, some creek water has good levels of calcium, mg. etc. but some is also not so good. Best pratice is have water tested to see what is in it. As a minimum I would run it first thru a sand bed to remove the bulk of particulates before running it thru a RO/DI system. Organics and phosphates may also be high from run-off water.

Biologist · 06/17/2009, 07:43 AM

Can you measure the TDS on the creek?

What kind of creek are we talking about? Is it very clear water? I would be concerned with silt, organics, etc clogging up the prefilters of the RO/DI.

che25 · 06/17/2009, 07:52 AM

The waste water aspect of RO/DI is an annoyance. Natural creeks and rivers are a source of Giardia, even in pristine wilderness areas. If you are in a populated area; there could be a vast array contamination that exceeds the design of the filter. I contracted Giardia once after drinking creek water during a long hike in a rain forest in Costa Rica; it wasn't a pleasant experience. I think I would stick to the city water supply, and catch the waster water for plant watering.

Biologist · 06/17/2009, 08:12 AM

You are also going to have to find a way to pressurize the creek water. The water pressure in the tap drives it through the membrane. I suspect that the electricity spent on pumping the creek water would vastly exceed the cost of lost waste water from the RO.

Since you seem concerned about waste water loss, have you seen units like this?
http://premierh20.com/watts/showdetl...ID=121&CATID=1

Do some math on how much RO water you will need per week. If it's say 5 gallons a week, it will waste 20 gallons of water that week. That is an insanely small amount of water to worry about. Older toilets use 4 gallons to flush so that's only 5 flushes extra a week.

Juruense · 06/17/2009, 10:30 AM

Excellent points all thanks!

Buckeye Hydro · 06/17/2009, 06:08 PM

Yes - I'd avoid feeding creekwater to a standard RODI system.

06/17/2009, 07:36 AM	#1
Juruense Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 1,138	Run creek water through RO/DI? So I am getting real tired of lugging water home from the pet store. Also, I hate the idea of the waste water that RO/DI generates. Yes I could use the waste water to water my garden or something I know that... My new house has a creek in the back yard so I was thinking about running that through the RO/DI and discharging the waste water back into the creek. This would be especially ideal because the city water in the area my new house is in is very expensive. But would using creek water as the source lead to constant and premature failure of the filter elements?

06/17/2009, 07:52 AM	#4
che25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 173	The waste water aspect of RO/DI is an annoyance. Natural creeks and rivers are a source of Giardia, even in pristine wilderness areas. If you are in a populated area; there could be a vast array contamination that exceeds the design of the filter. I contracted Giardia once after drinking creek water during a long hike in a rain forest in Costa Rica; it wasn't a pleasant experience. I think I would stick to the city water supply, and catch the waster water for plant watering. __________________ Ave caesar! Morituri te salutamus Current Tank Info: 75 gal. glass, mixed reef/fish(SPS, LPS and softies), 2X150 MH w/130 watt actinic, Euro Reef RS80 Skimmer. DIY ATO w/Kalkwasser and 10 gal. DIY Fudge. DIY RODI system.

06/17/2009, 07:42 AM	#2
benr Moved On Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Richmond VA Posts: 127	The water from a creek could be a very good source for aquarium water, some creek water has good levels of calcium, mg. etc. but some is also not so good. Best pratice is have water tested to see what is in it. As a minimum I would run it first thru a sand bed to remove the bulk of particulates before running it thru a RO/DI system. Organics and phosphates may also be high from run-off water.

06/17/2009, 07:43 AM	#3
Biologist Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 80	Can you measure the TDS on the creek? What kind of creek are we talking about? Is it very clear water? I would be concerned with silt, organics, etc clogging up the prefilters of the RO/DI.

06/17/2009, 08:12 AM	#5
Biologist Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 80	You are also going to have to find a way to pressurize the creek water. The water pressure in the tap drives it through the membrane. I suspect that the electricity spent on pumping the creek water would vastly exceed the cost of lost waste water from the RO. Since you seem concerned about waste water loss, have you seen units like this? http://premierh20.com/watts/showdetl...ID=121&CATID=1 Do some math on how much RO water you will need per week. If it's say 5 gallons a week, it will waste 20 gallons of water that week. That is an insanely small amount of water to worry about. Older toilets use 4 gallons to flush so that's only 5 flushes extra a week.

06/17/2009, 10:30 AM	#6
Juruense Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 1,138	Excellent points all thanks!

06/17/2009, 06:08 PM	#7
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	Yes - I'd avoid feeding creekwater to a standard RODI system.