RO-DI noise problem

Ricimer · 04/30/2009, 03:59 PM

Hi!
I have a noise issue with my RO-DI. It's not the first time I notice it producing noise but it recently got problematic. It's causing a strong vibration noise from pressure I guess. When it starts producing the noise it wont stop until I open the faucet. The vibration noise stops if I open any faucet in the appartment and let the water flow for a couple seconds. After a little while the noise starts again.
Anybody familiar with this kind of problem? How to solve it?
Thanks!

Ricimer · 05/01/2009, 08:18 PM

Anybody can help?

birch03 · 05/01/2009, 08:39 PM

I had a similar problem and found that where was air inside of the ro unit that had a hard time escaping. What type of RO unit do you have? What is your current PSI going into the RO unit?

sivert55 · 05/01/2009, 08:50 PM

mine used to do that when i had a pressure gauge attached. I took it off and installed an auto membrane flush kit form filterguys and no more noise!

Ricimer · 05/02/2009, 09:49 AM

There is no pressure gauge per attached to it. I am going to test it later. I am going to sound stupid, but what do you mean by Â«what type of RO-DIÂ»? It's a 5 stage and I removed the cartridge long time ago in the second stage. So there is one sediment filter, one carbon and then the membrane and the DI resin. I do have an auto membrane flush kit.
So I guess I should tear the RO-DI apart and put it back together?

kumb knots · 05/02/2009, 10:13 AM

I am tagging along i to am having the same issue and my seems to rattle the wall when its in the auto top off mode?It maybe in the float switch?

Buckeye Hydro · 05/03/2009, 05:44 AM

Do you have a auto shut off valve? I'm guessing that is the source of the noise.

Ricimer · 05/03/2009, 08:08 AM

I do have an auto shut off valve. Should I remove it? Isn't it damageable to the membrane if I do so (back pressure on the membrane...)?

Ricimer · 05/03/2009, 08:30 AM

BTW I checked the PSI and it is 45 (or 3kg/cm2).

Buckeye Hydro · 05/03/2009, 09:13 AM

asov really doesn't do anything to protect the membrane. Can you tell if that's where the noise is coming from?

Ricimer · 05/03/2009, 09:27 AM

I dont think it is. The whole unit and tubings are shaking. Difficult to say for sure. Yesterday I flushed the membrane and left a lot of water running through the unit as well. Since then it seems much better.

Ricimer · 05/03/2009, 10:22 AM

I always tought the asov was helping to make the membrane last longer by cutting off the pressure (the 45 PSI from the main) when the unit is not producing water (i.e. pressure from the main but no flow out of the unit = great pressure on the membrane). That pressure is a bad thing on the long run, right?
BuckeyeFS, could you please give me more explanations on this?

Buckeye Hydro · 05/03/2009, 03:33 PM

The asov's job is to sense when the flow of purified water has been stopped, and automatically stop the flow of waste water.

If you manually stopped the flow of purified water and waste water, the pressure on both sides of the membrane would equalize.

Russ

Ricimer · 05/03/2009, 03:45 PM

Ok thanks. Now what if the noise came from the asov. I can't just remove it otherwise I either have to manually stop/start the flows on a regular basis... or constantly waste a lot of water in the drain. I guess that wouldn't be a problem if my solenoid would be placed before the RO-DI unit instead of after. But that's not good for me since I have two outputs after my unit: one goes to a reservoir for drinking water. If I place the solenoid before the unit, the drinking water reservoir will often be empty because the input will be stopped when the input to the aquarium is stopped...

Buckeye Hydro · 05/03/2009, 05:16 PM

Let's figure out if that is where the noise is coming from, and then we can look at options to get it fixed.

Russ

kumb knots · 05/03/2009, 06:09 PM

Just chiming in the ro-di water is so pure that it dose not have any vital minerals for human consumption?Russ is this true

Ricimer · 05/03/2009, 06:22 PM

Most if not all animals are unable to get their minerals directly from water unlike plants and must ingest organic minerals already Â«processedÂ» by plants (or algae) to assimilate them. To be more precise we are able to get a very little % of the minerals in water and our minerals come at 95%+ from food. Consequently it doesn't change anything to drink RO-DI water. In fact you dont really get less of what you need but what you dont want to have in it is removed so it is a good thing. It makes sense to drink it out of the RO without going through the final DI stage.

Ricimer · 05/03/2009, 06:23 PM

And finally it's still making noise...
Tonight I'll remove the asov and will report tomorrow to tell you if it's still making noise without it.

Ricimer · 05/03/2009, 10:50 PM

Ok, I confirm that the asov was the cause of the noise. I removed it and no more noise. I replaced it and there was noise again. Removed again and no noise. So it's the cause for sure.
Russ, that hint was really a piece of gold. Now, does it simply mean that the asov is defective and that I only need to buy a new one? BTW, I guess that right now water is wasted in the drain because the asov is removed... but the funny thing is that I can't hear it at all (water running down the drain...).

Buckeye Hydro · 05/04/2009, 04:40 AM

Without the ASOV -yes - water is going to the drain - you'll want to shut off supply water to the system or you'll will waste lots of water.

What you hear is likely the ASOV shutting off and coming back on repeatedly. Either the ASOV has gone bad, or the valve at the end of your DI tube is leaking a bit, or the check valve is leaking a bit.

Russ

Ricimer · 05/04/2009, 08:32 AM

Ok. Many thanks Russ! I am getting a new asov asap and will shut off the system manually in between when it's not needed.

Ricimer · 05/10/2009, 09:00 AM

Hi! Just to let you know: I placed a new asov on the unit now and it's working perfectly silent. Thanks for the help!

Buckeye Hydro · 05/10/2009, 09:50 AM

good deal. thanks for the feedback.

Russ

Ricimer · 05/16/2009, 01:27 AM

I am sorry to bother you with this again but the noise is back with a vengence. It's going to drive me crazy... It doesn't seem to make sense: why was it ok for several days and then starts to make a noise for a few seconds from time to time, then more and more often. Now it comes and goes (hammering noise for a few seconds each 3 to 5 minutes), but it's more and more frequent. I guess it's progressively becoming what it was before I changed the asov: constant noise that can be stopped for a few minutes only by releasing pressure (letting water run from the faucet). Would be gratefull to have futher instructions from you Russ.
Ciao!

Buckeye Hydro · 05/16/2009, 04:15 AM

Without the ASOV -yes - water is going to the drain - you'll want to shut off supply water to the system or you'll will waste lots of water.

First thing I think is what I mentioned above: What you hear is likely the ASOV shutting off and coming back on repeatedly. Either the ASOV has gone bad (unlikely because it is new), or the valve at the end of your DI tube is leaking a bit, or the check valve is leaking a bit.

Russ

04/30/2009, 03:59 PM	#1
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	RO-DI noise problem Hi! I have a noise issue with my RO-DI. It's not the first time I notice it producing noise but it recently got problematic. It's causing a strong vibration noise from pressure I guess. When it starts producing the noise it wont stop until I open the faucet. The vibration noise stops if I open any faucet in the appartment and let the water flow for a couple seconds. After a little while the noise starts again. Anybody familiar with this kind of problem? How to solve it? Thanks!

05/01/2009, 08:18 PM	#2
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	Anybody can help? __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/01/2009, 08:50 PM	#4
sivert55 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Wesley Chapel, FL Posts: 891	mine used to do that when i had a pressure gauge attached. I took it off and installed an auto membrane flush kit form filterguys and no more noise! __________________ Non Illigitimi Carborundum Current Tank Info: 400g total volume bb sps reef

05/02/2009, 09:49 AM	#5
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	There is no pressure gauge per attached to it. I am going to test it later. I am going to sound stupid, but what do you mean by Â«what type of RO-DIÂ»? It's a 5 stage and I removed the cartridge long time ago in the second stage. So there is one sediment filter, one carbon and then the membrane and the DI resin. I do have an auto membrane flush kit. So I guess I should tear the RO-DI apart and put it back together? __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/02/2009, 10:13 AM	#6
kumb knots Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Greenville S.C Posts: 37	I am tagging along i to am having the same issue and my seems to rattle the wall when its in the auto top off mode?It maybe in the float switch? __________________ knumb knots big game fishing team Current Tank Info: We have a 150 gal reef with 40 gal sump and fuge 3-250 watt highlights 20k refluxs

05/01/2009, 08:39 PM	#3
birch03 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Midwest Posts: 124	I had a similar problem and found that where was air inside of the ro unit that had a hard time escaping. What type of RO unit do you have? What is your current PSI going into the RO unit?

05/03/2009, 05:44 AM	#7
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	Do you have a auto shut off valve? I'm guessing that is the source of the noise.

05/03/2009, 08:08 AM	#8
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	I do have an auto shut off valve. Should I remove it? Isn't it damageable to the membrane if I do so (back pressure on the membrane...)? __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/03/2009, 08:30 AM	#9
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	BTW I checked the PSI and it is 45 (or 3kg/cm2). __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/03/2009, 09:13 AM	#10
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	asov really doesn't do anything to protect the membrane. Can you tell if that's where the noise is coming from?

05/03/2009, 09:27 AM	#11
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	I dont think it is. The whole unit and tubings are shaking. Difficult to say for sure. Yesterday I flushed the membrane and left a lot of water running through the unit as well. Since then it seems much better. __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/03/2009, 10:22 AM	#12
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	I always tought the asov was helping to make the membrane last longer by cutting off the pressure (the 45 PSI from the main) when the unit is not producing water (i.e. pressure from the main but no flow out of the unit = great pressure on the membrane). That pressure is a bad thing on the long run, right? BuckeyeFS, could you please give me more explanations on this? __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/03/2009, 03:33 PM	#13
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	The asov's job is to sense when the flow of purified water has been stopped, and automatically stop the flow of waste water. If you manually stopped the flow of purified water and waste water, the pressure on both sides of the membrane would equalize. Russ

05/03/2009, 03:45 PM	#14
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	Ok thanks. Now what if the noise came from the asov. I can't just remove it otherwise I either have to manually stop/start the flows on a regular basis... or constantly waste a lot of water in the drain. I guess that wouldn't be a problem if my solenoid would be placed before the RO-DI unit instead of after. But that's not good for me since I have two outputs after my unit: one goes to a reservoir for drinking water. If I place the solenoid before the unit, the drinking water reservoir will often be empty because the input will be stopped when the input to the aquarium is stopped... __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/03/2009, 05:16 PM	#15
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	Let's figure out if that is where the noise is coming from, and then we can look at options to get it fixed. Russ

05/03/2009, 06:09 PM	#16
kumb knots Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Greenville S.C Posts: 37	Just chiming in the ro-di water is so pure that it dose not have any vital minerals for human consumption?Russ is this true __________________ knumb knots big game fishing team Current Tank Info: We have a 150 gal reef with 40 gal sump and fuge 3-250 watt highlights 20k refluxs

05/03/2009, 06:22 PM	#17
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	Most if not all animals are unable to get their minerals directly from water unlike plants and must ingest organic minerals already Â«processedÂ» by plants (or algae) to assimilate them. To be more precise we are able to get a very little % of the minerals in water and our minerals come at 95%+ from food. Consequently it doesn't change anything to drink RO-DI water. In fact you dont really get less of what you need but what you dont want to have in it is removed so it is a good thing. It makes sense to drink it out of the RO without going through the final DI stage. __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/03/2009, 06:23 PM	#18
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	And finally it's still making noise... Tonight I'll remove the asov and will report tomorrow to tell you if it's still making noise without it. __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/03/2009, 10:50 PM	#19
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	Ok, I confirm that the asov was the cause of the noise. I removed it and no more noise. I replaced it and there was noise again. Removed again and no noise. So it's the cause for sure. Russ, that hint was really a piece of gold. Now, does it simply mean that the asov is defective and that I only need to buy a new one? BTW, I guess that right now water is wasted in the drain because the asov is removed... but the funny thing is that I can't hear it at all (water running down the drain...). __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/04/2009, 04:40 AM	#20
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	Without the ASOV -yes - water is going to the drain - you'll want to shut off supply water to the system or you'll will waste lots of water. What you hear is likely the ASOV shutting off and coming back on repeatedly. Either the ASOV has gone bad, or the valve at the end of your DI tube is leaking a bit, or the check valve is leaking a bit. Russ

05/04/2009, 08:32 AM	#21
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	Ok. Many thanks Russ! I am getting a new asov asap and will shut off the system manually in between when it's not needed. __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/10/2009, 09:00 AM	#22
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	Hi! Just to let you know: I placed a new asov on the unit now and it's working perfectly silent. Thanks for the help! __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/10/2009, 09:50 AM	#23
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	good deal. thanks for the feedback. Russ

05/16/2009, 01:27 AM	#24
Ricimer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 194	I am sorry to bother you with this again but the noise is back with a vengence. It's going to drive me crazy... It doesn't seem to make sense: why was it ok for several days and then starts to make a noise for a few seconds from time to time, then more and more often. Now it comes and goes (hammering noise for a few seconds each 3 to 5 minutes), but it's more and more frequent. I guess it's progressively becoming what it was before I changed the asov: constant noise that can be stopped for a few minutes only by releasing pressure (letting water run from the faucet). Would be gratefull to have futher instructions from you Russ. Ciao! __________________ Ricimer PHOTOPATHE http://dominiquecapelle.wordpress.com Dominique Capelle's Photoblog

05/16/2009, 04:15 AM	#25
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	Without the ASOV -yes - water is going to the drain - you'll want to shut off supply water to the system or you'll will waste lots of water. First thing I think is what I mentioned above: What you hear is likely the ASOV shutting off and coming back on repeatedly. Either the ASOV has gone bad (unlikely because it is new), or the valve at the end of your DI tube is leaking a bit, or the check valve is leaking a bit. Russ