New R/O Unit HELP!!!

[danny2013]

Just got a new R/O unit and hooked it up. I ran the R/O for about 2 hours down my drain. When i tested the pH i noticed it was the same as the tap, a pH of 8.0. My current R/o unit that i have been using has a pH of 6.3 but since it is in my kitchen mainly for drinking purposes i decided to get one in my fish room. Like i said, I ran it for 2 hours and the pH is still the same as the tap. Is this the new media creating the High pH of 8.0? Any thought's or opinions would be helpful! Thanks, Dan

[decula]

Just got a new R/O unit and hooked it up. I ran the R/O for about 2 hours down my drain. When i tested the pH i noticed it was the same as the tap, a pH of 8.0. My current R/o unit that i have been using has a pH of 6.3 but since it is in my kitchen mainly for drinking purposes i decided to get one in my fish room. Like i said, I ran it for 2 hours and the pH is still the same as the tap. Is this the new media creating the High pH of 8.0? Any thought's or opinions would be helpful! Thanks, Dan

maybe some thoughts Dan

my RO comes out slightly acidic, but the lack of any carbonates makes
the ph change with even a slight amount of baking soda.
How about you test with a small amount in something other than your tank,
add a few drops of vinegar and see if it changes really fast to acidic compared
to your tap water.

On my tank, the natural ph is enough to make the added RO water
about the same overall ph.

You are using the output line that is the slower of the 2, right? The one that
allows more water to go through is the exhaust water, with plenty of
chlorine in it (at least here).

dec

[William Palumbo]

As Dec mentioned, check you are using the right hose. The "good" hose is usually blue in color. The hose with the most flowing water is usually the waste water. Your good water should have a lower ph and MUCH softer...Bill

[danny2013]

As Dec mentioned, check you are using the right hose. The "good" hose is usually blue in color. The hose with the most flowing water is usually the waste water. Your good water should have a lower ph and MUCH softer...Bill

thanks, i am using the BLUE hose which is the right one. If there is no change in ph in the next few days i will swap it out with my kitchen one which also has a DI canister for the reef tanks. Thanks, if you have any ideas or experience please leave a reply.

[William Palumbo]

Not sure Dan. Sounds like you flushed it long enough. Carbon may make the ph go up, but your RO membrane should lower it. Did you purchase it new?...Bill

[danny2013]

Purchased from bulkreefsupply. A great company in my mind and I have been using them for years. Here is the exact unit i ordered http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/75-gp-5-stage-ro-system-no-di.html. Check it out and tell me what you think.

[William Palumbo]

Looks good Dan...Not sure what the problem could be. You might have to call them up and pick their brain...Bill

[Chad Hughes]

Would it be possible to take some pictures of your specific setup? It's hard to see the attached lines on the unit on the website PLUS your's may have been delivered with hoses in the wrong spots. Some pictures could help us help you figure this one out. RO systems can be a bit mind boggling. Been there and done that.

Best wishes!

[NanDiscus]

Hey Danny,

The unit you purchased looks like a pretty nice one and you should have no problems with it once you'll have sorted everything out. Here are a few things to look at and/or consider.:

As I can see in the picture, the connectors of the membrane housing are facing backwards. I could not see a flow restrictor on it (there should be one as well as a bypass flush-valve goin' 'round it), but it's the waste water that runs though it and it should be connected to the elbow on the top side of the membrane housing. Consequently, the other line will be the permeate water, coming out <u>much slower</u> than the waste water.

Membranes take quite some time to 'mature', meaning that it can take weeks or even months before they give their best with the kind of water and amount of pressure available. Flushing the membrane for two hours is ok to get rid of the preservative (if the membrane was stored wet), but it's too short time for one to come to solid conclusions about the performance.

I don't normally recommend the use of digital pH-meters for the testing of pure RO-water as it has very low conductivity and the digital meters tend to be hugely inaccurate in that kind of water. The good old drop-tests work much better.

As William was saying, the carbon prefilters will knock the pH up considerably and the 'raw' membrane will not be able to alter it too much. Also, according to the tech. department of a big RO-company, membranes do not necessarily change the pH of the water, although in 90+% of the cases they do to a lesser or greater extent. It also depends largely on the quality of the feed water. (E.g.: I have a feed water of 360ppm, pH7.2 and a product water of 2-6ppm, pH~6.8. My friend who uses a unit just like mine has a feed water of 580ppm, pH8.2, while on the product end he gets 4-5ppm and pH5.5-6.0. Go figure...)

As long as the product water's TDS is low, I would not worry about anything else. The pH can be lowered easily.

Nandi

[nc0gnet0]

As long as the product water's TDS is low, I would not worry about anything else. The pH can be lowered easily.

+1

The main thing I would be concerned about right now is the TDS value of the output water. This more than anything else will tell you if your RO unit is working correctly. Monitor this level over the course of a few weeks, (it should steadily drop). I seen you mention a DI filter on your other unit, so I am assuming you don't have one on the new unit. This is fine, for Discus use I don't think it is really needed and an uneccesary expense.

You should see your TDS levels in the >30 PPM range. Bear in mind it is the components that make up these 30ppm that will ultimately effect the PH of your output water, and for this reason, comparing to others with a different supply water can be maddening, and lead you to assume that you have a problem when none exists. That being said, as long as yor TDS is in that range, lowering your PH is relatively easy (it is lowering the PH of water with a high TDS/KH that is next to impossible) if you have your heart set on it.

I like to use Seachem's neutral stabilizer for this purpose. While I am not as concerned about the PH, it does add some buffering back into the water while help keeping your ph at or around a PH of 7.0. Others here do the same by just adding back some untreated tap water, and there are many ways to do this, but remember, what works for one may not work for you as you have a different makeup in your tap water.

[nc0gnet0]

If there is no change in ph in the next few days i will swap it out with my kitchen one which also has a DI canister for the reef tanks.

Your not using the DI filter water for drinking water correct? I am assuming the first unit has an ice maker output line in between the RO membrane and DI filter section. When you measure the PH of this unit, are you taking your measurments after it has passed through the DI filter or before?

Also, can I ask, what is the water presure in PSI of your source water for the new unit?

[danny2013]

Your not using the DI filter water for drinking water correct? I am assuming the first unit has an ice maker output line in between the RO membrane and DI filter section. When you measure the PH of this unit, are you taking your measurments after it has passed through the DI filter or before?

Also, can I ask, what is the water presure in PSI of your source water for the new unit?

No the Di is separate for my reef tank's. I filled a glass of the new R/O water up last night and it tested 8.0. This morning when i woke up it tested 6.4. :confused::confused:What caused this sudden change in the pH?

[danny2013]

ohh and the TDS of the R/O is around 17 ppm's.

[jimg]

Had the same problem when I first started using ro I found that one of the black rubber gaskets at the top and bottom of the filter cartridges was not seated properly. Also tds and ph will be higher until all carbon dust is washed away.

[nc0gnet0]

You seem to be just fine then, just needed a little "settle" time :)

[Chad Hughes]

No the Di is separate for my reef tank's. I filled a glass of the new R/O water up last night and it tested 8.0. This morning when i woke up it tested 6.4. :confused::confused:What caused this sudden change in the pH?

That is weird. Never had that issue with any of my RO systems.

Glad to hear you're back on track!

Best wishes!

[decula]

Purchased from bulkreefsupply. A great company in my mind and I have been using them for years. Here is the exact unit i ordered http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/75-gp-5-stage-ro-system-no-di.html. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Same folks I got mine from, Dan. Had it for about 6 months and
not any indications of problems.

dec