Water line pressure exceeds RO unit

[moik]

Hello, just purchased an RO and the directions say not to exceed 75psi..My water line pressue is 90psi...curious if I have to put a pressure regulator on my house water line to use this RO or disregaurd it....I know the higher water pressure will give better output but I do not want to come home to mess if the RO or float will burst due to high pressure.any help would be greatly appreciated..

[NanDiscus]

Check out what kind of membrane you have in it. If it's something from a reputable producer, then 90psi will be perfectly alright. It is best to either open the tap slowly when starting the unit, don't unleash all that pressure in an instant. Even better to get another membrane right away, piggy-back it with the existing one, give them a bigger flow restrictor and use that great pressure to save on your water bill. Not to mention the smaller ecological footprint your fishkeeping leaves behind...

Nandi

[William Palumbo]

Man...that's some pressure! Even with a booster pump, mine is barely @60psi...Bill

[moik]

I bought a pressure guage you screw onto a faucet and then turn the water on..It read 90psi,,is there going to be a problem with the actual RO unit,housings and fittings if I leave the pressure at 90psi ?? Is the automatic shut and float going to work as intended?? Is the pressure tyoo much for the float to completely shut off? sorry for all the questions but I do not want to come home to mess if I can avoid it first off..

[NanDiscus]

No worries mate! The 90psi reading on the gauge connected directly to the faucet will be a lot less as the water passes through the RO-unit. If there are push-fit fittings on the RO, the higher the pressure the better they hold, you only have to make sure that the tubes are sitting properly in place. Give them an extra push, just to be sure.
The auto-shutoff system should function properly. There is next to no pressure at all on the permeate side of the membrane where the float-valve is supposed to be, and if it shuts tight, then the 4-way-valve will shut the incoming water off as well.

Nandi

[John_Nicholson]

My pressure use to be about 120 and it never gave my RO unit any problems.....now I did blow up quite a few water hoses but that is another story entirely.

-john

[moik]

I really appreciate everyones input here,,I have to gather some odd materials to hook up my RO and get going ..Thanks again,vince

[jimg]

I would think about a pressure regulator. most houses usually run about 40-60 psi.
Over 70 is no good. I would think at higher pressures you might get premature membrane failure.

[flyman767]

I HAVE A CULLIGAN SYSTEM AND HAD SEVERAL MEMBRANE FAILURES. AFTER INSERTING A WATER PRESSURE GAUGE IN-LINE I FOUND I WAS GETTING A WATER SPIKE OF AROUND 80-100 PSI. I DID ADD A WATER PRESSURE REGULATOR AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES SINCE. ALSO, THERE ISN'T ANY CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCE IN THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO MAKE THE 15 GALLONS OF WATER I NEED FOR A WATER CHANGE.

[moik]

Thanks everyone for the advice..I have ran a seperate water line with a pressure reducer inline for the RO..I am awaiting more 1/4 tubing and some minor parts to come in and then I can fire it up..I just did not want to over pressurize the system and end up with a failing membrane...It's easier to do it right from the start..