Help RO Sytem befor or after the water softner

German Shepherd · 02/24/2011, 10:19 AM

I just bought a ro sytem i currently have a water softner on my house. the local well know salt water/ reef fish store is telling me to install it before the water softner. Every where i look IE google tells me after the softner it will get me more usage out of the membrane. Why would there be any reason to put it befor the softner. What should i do i want to do it one and right.I looked up other treads but no direct answer.please help

Virtuoso · 02/24/2011, 10:36 AM

I really don't know a whole lot about the topic, but going from what your LFS said it sounds right, assuming you have 60 PSI coming out of your water softener. You always want to have 60-65 PSI going into your RODI unit. Again, from my very limited knowledge on the topic. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

Bigez · 02/24/2011, 10:43 AM

Hard water will have a higher concentration of TDS, mainly calcium ions and magnesium ions. If you're looking for more life out of your membrane definitely put it after the softener. If you're lacking pressure after the softener install a booster pump. HTH

German Shepherd · 02/24/2011, 10:47 AM

the house was build so that you can install ro systems under the sink so i am just guessing but i think water pressure is not an issue. How ever the fish store did not mention water pressure it was more of something not being picked up by the ro system that the water softner produces that is harmful to the fish.

rivoth · 02/24/2011, 10:48 AM

I'd also put the RO/DI after the softener. The water from your softener will be used for many purposes, the RO/DI water will mostly be just for your tank and it only outputs a trickle.

If the water softener is producing something that the RO/DI unit can't filter, then I'd learn what that is before adding it to your tank.

Bigez · 02/24/2011, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by German Shepherd

the house was build so that you can install ro systems under the sink so i am just guessing but i think water pressure is not an issue. How ever the fish store did not mention water pressure it was more of something not being picked up by the ro system that the water softner produces that is harmful to the fish.

To help out with that question it's best to know how a water softener works. You hard water from the well main whatever is high is calcium and magnesium ions. The water softener is full of plastic media that is coated with sodium ions, when the hard water passes over the media in the softener the ions trade places in the water column and the sodium ions are all that are left. Sodium enriched water will not precipitate out deposits like hard water will which is why a softener is used in the first place.

So no harmful chemicals are added to the water in reality. All your RO membrane would be dealing with is processing the sodium that's in the water. After which anything that remains in the water will pass through your DI stage and get soaked up by the DI resin.

German Shepherd · 02/24/2011, 11:29 AM

i will install it after the water softner thanks for all the info.

RedM3 · 02/24/2011, 12:25 PM

Keep in mind putting it through the water softener first will increase the life of your RO membranes, but you're also putting more stress on the water softener. Remember for every 1 gallon of RO/DI water, you use 3-5 gallons of water through your softener (anywhere from 2 - 4 gallons of waste water depending on your system).

Without knowing how much it'll affect either membrane, I think the amount of wasted effort by the water softener - especially due to the waste water - will not offset the marginal benefit you receive to the RO membranes.

Bigez · 02/24/2011, 01:17 PM

RedM3 has a point your media in your softener will get depleted over time but that time is usually much much longer than your RO membrane would last if it were subjected to the water pre-softener. Remember water softening units were designed to run large amounts of water for long periods of time so a little bit here and there extra won't effect the overall performance of your softener too much.

02/24/2011, 10:19 AM	#1
German Shepherd Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 23	Help RO Sytem befor or after the water softner I just bought a ro sytem i currently have a water softner on my house. the local well know salt water/ reef fish store is telling me to install it before the water softner. Every where i look IE google tells me after the softner it will get me more usage out of the membrane. Why would there be any reason to put it befor the softner. What should i do i want to do it one and right.I looked up other treads but no direct answer.please help

02/24/2011, 10:47 AM	#4
German Shepherd Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 23	the house was build so that you can install ro systems under the sink so i am just guessing but i think water pressure is not an issue. How ever the fish store did not mention water pressure it was more of something not being picked up by the ro system that the water softner produces that is harmful to the fish. Last edited by German Shepherd; 02/24/2011 at 10:48 AM. Reason: incomplete

02/24/2011, 12:25 PM	#8
RedM3 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 187	Keep in mind putting it through the water softener first will increase the life of your RO membranes, but you're also putting more stress on the water softener. Remember for every 1 gallon of RO/DI water, you use 3-5 gallons of water through your softener (anywhere from 2 - 4 gallons of waste water depending on your system). Without knowing how much it'll affect either membrane, I think the amount of wasted effort by the water softener - especially due to the waste water - will not offset the marginal benefit you receive to the RO membranes. __________________ Fish: 2 Percula Clownfish Inverts: 2 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, CUC Corals: Kenya Tree, Long Polyp Leather Current Tank Info: 55g Reef

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02/24/2011, 10:36 AM	#2
Virtuoso Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 727	I really don't know a whole lot about the topic, but going from what your LFS said it sounds right, assuming you have 60 PSI coming out of your water softener. You always want to have 60-65 PSI going into your RODI unit. Again, from my very limited knowledge on the topic. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

02/24/2011, 10:43 AM	#3
Bigez Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 110	Hard water will have a higher concentration of TDS, mainly calcium ions and magnesium ions. If you're looking for more life out of your membrane definitely put it after the softener. If you're lacking pressure after the softener install a booster pump. HTH

02/24/2011, 10:48 AM	#5
rivoth Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: New Mexico, USA Posts: 267	I'd also put the RO/DI after the softener. The water from your softener will be used for many purposes, the RO/DI water will mostly be just for your tank and it only outputs a trickle. If the water softener is producing something that the RO/DI unit can't filter, then I'd learn what that is before adding it to your tank.

02/24/2011, 11:29 AM	#7
German Shepherd Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 23	i will install it after the water softner thanks for all the info.

02/24/2011, 01:17 PM	#9
Bigez Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 110	RedM3 has a point your media in your softener will get depleted over time but that time is usually much much longer than your RO membrane would last if it were subjected to the water pre-softener. Remember water softening units were designed to run large amounts of water for long periods of time so a little bit here and there extra won't effect the overall performance of your softener too much.