Water Temp for Making RO/DI

JoeMomma · 02/25/2008, 08:04 AM

Are we supposed to use cold water for making RO/DI?

I was told that warm water will damage the RO membrane.

Shooter7 · 02/25/2008, 08:17 AM

Not to mention that you would drain your water heater unnecessarily using the hot water line as a hookup.

Hook up your RO/DI to your cold water line.

JoeMomma · 02/25/2008, 12:07 PM

Ok! Thanks for the reassurance.

indydog1 · 02/25/2008, 12:45 PM

and to increase your water output, try using a hose coiled in a five gallon bucket with a heater in the bucket. adjust the temp to around 74 degrees and then ahve it connect back to your ro/di. especially in the winter months it will give you much greater production and less waste per clean water. hope this helps.

oscar.millan · 02/25/2008, 01:32 PM

I agree with most of what has been said so far, I haven't tried the bucket with heator approach, but I've heard great increases in production from regular cold tap water.

You're absolutely right about damaging the membrane with super hot temperature from a heater, but a warm water feed, for example with the bucket with a heater, I think would be great.

In the summer if you can run tubing through your fish tank's sump, it will warm the feed water and cool your tank at the same time. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Good luck.

0scar Millan

Buckeye Hydro · 02/26/2008, 04:55 AM

Once you get over 30 or so feet of coiled 1/4" tubing in a bucket you'll pay in decreased pressure reaching the system.

Russ

JoeMomma · 02/26/2008, 07:25 AM

Instead of doing that whole heater in a bucket with the coil tubing couldn't you just turn on the hot water a little in the feed?

If its about cost, wouldn't running a heater be the same as using a little bit of hot water?

Buckeye Hydro · 02/26/2008, 06:51 PM

With such low flows it is dificult to mix the hot and cold consistently and protect the membrane from hot water.

Aquarist007 · 02/26/2008, 07:00 PM

I agree with not using hot water. Have you actually measured your ratio of waste to ro water this winter to see if there is much a difference.
I just went through this--I was able to compensate by ugrading the flow restrictor and attaching the ro machine to the main house line in the basement. This is giving me a 3:1 ratio right now which is the best I ever have had in summer or winter

AZDesertRat · 02/26/2008, 07:24 PM

The tubing in a bucket with a heater sounds nice but you will find the BTUs or powre consumption required to heat the water far outweigh the increased production. It takes a bunch of power to heat 1 gallon of water even 1 degree, add to that the cold water you are circulating through the tubing and it becomes almost impossible. Not to mention the fact plastic tubing acts as an insulator and you get horrible heat exchange.

Do not try to mix hot and cold, its very tough to regulate the flows in the low volumes a membrane requires. One flush of the toilet and you just melted your membrane.

rbursek · 02/26/2008, 08:35 PM

Been there done it in the summer with the tubing in the fuge, tank temped droped, heaters are on, it is called just suck it up!

02/25/2008, 08:04 AM	#1
JoeMomma Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 619	Water Temp for Making RO/DI Are we supposed to use cold water for making RO/DI? I was told that warm water will damage the RO membrane.

02/25/2008, 08:17 AM	#2
Shooter7 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Tolono, IL Posts: 6,754	Not to mention that you would drain your water heater unnecessarily using the hot water line as a hookup. Hook up your RO/DI to your cold water line. __________________ Dave Current Tank Info: 10 years salty - standard 29g reef - moved from 120 gal reef, 2x250w Reeflux 10k's on ARO electronics and VHO super actinics on Icecap ballast, 2xTunze 6060, MSX 200 skimmer, GEO 612 Ca reactor, mag 12 return

02/25/2008, 12:45 PM	#4
indydog1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: round lake, il Posts: 1,590	and to increase your water output, try using a hose coiled in a five gallon bucket with a heater in the bucket. adjust the temp to around 74 degrees and then ahve it connect back to your ro/di. especially in the winter months it will give you much greater production and less waste per clean water. hope this helps. __________________ Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself Current Tank Info: 210 gal

02/25/2008, 01:32 PM	#5
oscar.millan Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,003	Good advice I agree with most of what has been said so far, I haven't tried the bucket with heator approach, but I've heard great increases in production from regular cold tap water. You're absolutely right about damaging the membrane with super hot temperature from a heater, but a warm water feed, for example with the bucket with a heater, I think would be great. In the summer if you can run tubing through your fish tank's sump, it will warm the feed water and cool your tank at the same time. Just thought I'd throw that in there. Good luck. 0scar Millan

02/26/2008, 07:00 PM	#9
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	I agree with not using hot water. Have you actually measured your ratio of waste to ro water this winter to see if there is much a difference. I just went through this--I was able to compensate by ugrading the flow restrictor and attaching the ro machine to the main house line in the basement. This is giving me a 3:1 ratio right now which is the best I ever have had in summer or winter __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock

02/25/2008, 12:07 PM	#3
JoeMomma Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 619	Ok! Thanks for the reassurance.

02/26/2008, 04:55 AM	#6
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	Once you get over 30 or so feet of coiled 1/4" tubing in a bucket you'll pay in decreased pressure reaching the system. Russ

02/26/2008, 07:25 AM	#7
JoeMomma Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 619	Instead of doing that whole heater in a bucket with the coil tubing couldn't you just turn on the hot water a little in the feed? If its about cost, wouldn't running a heater be the same as using a little bit of hot water?

02/26/2008, 06:51 PM	#8
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	With such low flows it is dificult to mix the hot and cold consistently and protect the membrane from hot water.

02/26/2008, 07:24 PM	#10
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	The tubing in a bucket with a heater sounds nice but you will find the BTUs or powre consumption required to heat the water far outweigh the increased production. It takes a bunch of power to heat 1 gallon of water even 1 degree, add to that the cold water you are circulating through the tubing and it becomes almost impossible. Not to mention the fact plastic tubing acts as an insulator and you get horrible heat exchange. Do not try to mix hot and cold, its very tough to regulate the flows in the low volumes a membrane requires. One flush of the toilet and you just melted your membrane.

02/26/2008, 08:35 PM	#11
rbursek Moved On Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: germantown,wi Posts: 2,339	Been there done it in the summer with the tubing in the fuge, tank temped droped, heaters are on, it is called just suck it up!