Filtration off of a water line for kitchen?

[dagray]

I am currious as I have a filter plumbed in for drinking water that takes a solid carbon block if I could run a filter system off of the cold water line that would tee off and filter the kitchen faucet at one end of the T and then off of the other end have the system run through some cartriges (carbon, possible removal of calcites) and then run through a UV filter and finally a small heater so that I could hook up a hose to refill the tanks with water at or just below the tank temp so in the winter I don't have to heat the water on the stove.

Currently I pull my tank replacement water from the drinking water filter which is zero for chlorine, chloramine, amonia, nitrite, and under 20ppm nitrate with a ph of 7.4-7.6 and since this comes off of the cold water I generally need to warm it up unless it is spring or summer.

I am thinking three cartridges, one to remove chlorine/chloramine, one to filter sediment (down to 3 micron or smaller) and one for pulling some of the calcites out of the water (I don't want to strip all the minerals as Reverse Osmosis does).

To do a whole house filtration system with my wants I would be looking at $5000.00 or more US dollars.

I know I can buy filter replacement cartriges for the year fairly reasonably.

Dave

[rcomeau]

Is the flowrate through the cartridges so slow that it will take so much time that it requires filling of a barrel before it is used for a water change? If so, why not fill the barrel and add Prime or Safe to treat the Chloramine?

[dagray]

no the issue isn't flow rate, it is tempurature and the fact that the faucet for the drinking water filter doesn't allow attaching hoses. Also the drinking water filter replacement cartriges cost an arm and a leg ($120.00 per cartridge which is supposed to last a year) and I think I can go to a more generic cartridge and pick them up in bulk for a cost saving per cartridge. The drinking water faucet is plumbed into the cold water line so in the winter the temperature can be down in the low to mid 40s on the farenheight scale.

Dave

[-gb-]

Hi Dave do you have room for a storage barrel? It would make your life a lot easier if you did.

Something like this (Post #7 for pic): http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?104031-recommend-a-3-stage-water-filter-system&highlight=

[dagray]

Unfortunately I don't have room for a storage barell inside, and outside the tempuratures run extreme around here as in freezing and below for fall and winter, spring is temperate, and then over 100 degrees in the summer with little humidity.

By running the water through the filters, then through a UV system (small inline or?) I am removing chemicals and bacteria, and then if I can find an inline heater or small tank I can heat the water that is void of the chemicals (chlorine/chloramine, amonia, etc) and most bacteria.

right now I fill a five gallon trash can purchased for doing water changes on a 20 gallon tank with the filtered water or fill up stock pots (used for canning or making soup) with filtered water to heat on the stove and mix heated with non-heated filtered water so that I don't drop the tempurature too much.

I do have a 35 gallon barrel made of nalgene with a valve at the bottom where I can connect nylon or other tubing, but no place to store it inside the house (it is in a very small shed outside right now).

If I do a three stage like you did I can do one or two stages carbon/particulate down to three or less microns and one filter to remove the calcium/mineral content.

If I can pull a hose over to the tank and turn on the valve at or under the kitchen sink and have the water ready to go it would save me a bunch of time.

eventually there are plans to build a sunroom of sorts to house plants, aquariums, a place to have coffee of a morning and sit and photograph the wildlife around here (we feed the birds). When that is built I would have a place to build in a large storage system for water or put my barrel.


I don't want a portable or small RO unit as I don't want to strip all of the minerals from the water, I am looking at a filtration system and doing a whole house system is price prohibitive right now so I was thinking a small system under the kitchen sink or plumbed into the laundry room/ half bath (comode and wash basin) which has no space for a barrel (room is six by 20 feet and is full with washer, dryer, toilet, shelves, and wash basin.

right now my water quality is good enough to hatch angel eggs and get wigglers to free swimming, but they get eaten in a community tank

Dave

Dave

[-gb-]

Two problems I see in running the water from the filter directly to your tank.

1) The flow rate from any good filter is quite slow. About 0.6 gpm. At that rate it will take quite a bit of time to refill your tank.
2) Even at that slow flow rate an inline heater may not heat the water quick enough. Something you'd want to test.

As for the UV. I'd suggest running that on your tank if you think it's necessary. Hook it up to your canister filter if you have one.

Does your water have chlorine or chloramine's? If so you'll want to add a filter to strip it out of your water. That or use prime.

[dagray]

Tap water (city water) has chlorine/chloramine, but my drinking water which I use to fill the tanks as it is filtered through a solid carbon block filter has zero chlorine/chloramine. faucet nozzle on water filter (under sink filter with faucet on the sink) is 1/2 inch diameter.

I am thinking filtration with 3/4 or one inch diameter to a flexible nylon hose diameter as I have about 80psi water pressure right now. filling the 20 gallon tanks is not too much trouble with my son's help, but filling the 75 gallon can be a pain in my shoulders.

When I bought the tank I filled my barrel with 35 gallons of their sump water and then brought it into the house five gallons at a time, did my aqua scaping and then filled the tank the rest of the way with the filtered water from my tap.

Dave

[-gb-]

Wow that does sound like a lot of work to do a water change. The setup you've described will take a long time to fill your tank but it sounds much more appealing than dragging all that water around your house.

[Chad Hughes]

Big blue filters will give you the flow that you'd need to fill the tank in a reasonable amount of time. I think they're 3/4" which is garden hose size/flow.

If you plumb a mixing valve between the hot and cold water sources, you could run 84 degree water through the filters right in to the tank.

[-gb-]

Big blue filters will give you the flow that you'd need to fill the tank in a reasonable amount of time. I think they're 3/4" which is garden hose size/flow.

If you plumb a mixing valve between the hot and cold water sources, you could run 84 degree water through the filters right in to the tank.

Good recommendation!

[dagray]

Big blue filters will give you the flow that you'd need to fill the tank in a reasonable amount of time. I think they're 3/4" which is garden hose size/flow.

If you plumb a mixing valve between the hot and cold water sources, you could run 84 degree water through the filters right in to the tank.

great idea, and then I could come out of the filter into a UV compartment and from that to the hose and tank.

[Chad Hughes]

I'd skip the UV. The flow rate will be too high to be effective. City water through sediment & carbon filters should be all you need.

[dagray]

Chad what about a filter to remove some of the calcium? we get hard water spots on dishes in the dishwasher and if the sprinklers hit windows or auto paint. We have moderately hard water here in Eastern Oregon as our water is pulled from the Columbia River and then treated before being sent to our homes here in Boardman.

Even tank water dripped on the outside of the tank will give a hard water streak which is easily cleaned up if it isn't left to build up more.

[Chad Hughes]

I have hard water too. pH is 8 TDS 400.

Unless you are trying to breed discus, just use your carbon filtered source water. Trying to alter it just complicates things.

I actually use RO waste water for grow out and 90% RO/tap mix for breeding. So, my regular discus water is only filtered through 1 micron sediment and triple carbon block (10" canisters). And yes, I have deposits all over the place.