My new RO System from First Ray's

[silence882]

I have finally gotten an RO system! I was tired of going out to a frozen water barrel mid-winter and my wife was tired of 15 milk jugs strewn about the kitchen/growing area.

I ordered the 5-stage residential system from First Ray's and installed it under the kitchen sink. It was much easier to install and get started than I thought it would be.

Here's the full set-up freshly unpacked:

Here's where it'll go:

The first step was to install the supply valve at the cold water source. My sink is connected to the cold water valve with a braided steel line, so I had to use a T valve rather than a self-piercing saddle valve:

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough of the 1 1/4" drain pipe exposed to connect the saddle valve for the drain. The previous owner of the house cobbled together a bizarre drain setup:

So I had to add a few components to lengthen the exposed area:

I drilled a 1/4" hole in the drain pipe and attached the saddle valve:

I installed the RO membrane in the main unit and mounted it to the side of the cabinet:

I then pre-filled the tank, closed its valve and connected all the tubing. The faucet is still under the sink until I figure out where to put it. I have granite countertops and it's not so easy to drill a hole in it:

After everything was hooked up, I opened the supply valve to pressurize the system. After the system filled for a while, I opened the faucet and let the system run until water came out of the faucet. I then opened the valve on the tank and allowed it to empty.

I let it run for a few hours until I was sure the tank was full and emptied it and discarded the water. I did this one more time to finish breaking in the system.

Then came the exciting water tests! The water coming straight out of the tap was registering 160 ppm TDS. The water out of the RO system was at 11 ppm TDS. I added a quarter teaspoon (half-strength) of the fertilizer from First Ray's and the finished product was 175 ppm TDS with a pH of 6.4.

As a bonus, the setup from First Ray's came with 3 extra sediment filters, 2 extra carbon filters, and a 2 pound tub of fertilizer. The extra filters means I have everything I need for two years of service.

--Stephen

 

[abax]

WOOHOO! And you didn't make a big mess on the wood floors or the
bottom of the cabinet. Good job!

 

[Dido]

Great system I work with it since over 10 years now for my fishes and so for my plants too.

 

[consettbay2003]

Is the third filter a deionizing one?

 

[Ray]

Is the third filter a deionizing one?

No. A 4-stage system consists of 1) sediment filter, 2) carbon filter, 3) membrane, and 4) polishing filter. A 5-stage system adds a second carbon cartridge before the membrane, and is intended for sure removal of chlorine, as that can degrade the membrane.

 

[dodidoki]

The best way to get great water for orchids. Better than rain water! (eg. no acidic chemicals, bacteria etc.) RO water is free from any parts of diseases.

 

[eteson]

I have been thinking for a while in installing a RO system.
I use to "waste" about 10 to 12k liters/mont of water watering my plants.
My water is about 50ppm TDS but sometimes the chlorine content is too high.
Should I use a whole RO system or using only carbon filters would be OK?
thanks in advance
Eliseo

 

[tomkalina]

We installed one of Ray's systems about a year ago, and it's worked flawlessly. Water in is 220 ppm TDS with a pH of 7.3 and water out is < 10ppm TDS w a pH of 7.0. I'd recommend it to anyone having issues with water quality. You can have everything else perfect (humidity,light levels, temps,etc. ) but if your water quality is not good - you won't be able to maximize growth.

 

[Justin]

Nice work! Be sure you are putting back in plenty of Magnesium and Calcium via your fert program.

 

[keithrs]

I have been thinking for a while in installing a RO system.
I use to "waste" about 10 to 12k liters/mont of water watering my plants.
My water is about 50ppm TDS but sometimes the chlorine content is too high.
Should I use a whole RO system or using only carbon filters would be OK?
thanks in advance
Eliseo

Carbon filters will be fine..... You can also just let the water sit in a open container for 24 hrs and the chlorine will gas off.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

Nice! I'm seriously considering getting one.

 

[Ray]

Carbon filters will be fine..... You can also just let the water sit in a open container for 24 hrs and the chlorine will gas off.

I agree - UNLESS - the chlorine is in the form of chloramines, in which case time won't help, but activated carbon will.

 

[Ray]

Let me thank those giving be kudos on the RO systems, but in reality, there is nothing unique about them, other than the deal I offer. The "other folks" who advertise them in the AOS Orchids magazine claim to have the "lowest prices and best quality" and "lowest prices on prefilters and membranes", but don't.

 

[iwillard]

I got "over the counter' RO system from Ray and it was the best thing I ever did for my orchids along with K-Lite and Kelpmaxx.

 

[Wendy]

We have an r/o system that came with our new house but it uses water that has been through the softener so I can't use it for my orchids.

 

[orchid527]

Wendy

I don't understand your comment. My RO system uses softened water as its source. I'm getting 6 ppm water and I've been using it for 3 years with no problems. It is my understanding that sodium ions are easy to exclude with a RO membrane.

Mike

 

[Wendy]

I actually started using it on my orchids and almost killed my little Pleurothallis grobyi before I realized that it was the water that was responsible. We also have a tap in the kitchen that bypasses the softener but isn't r/o so I use that. The plant is coming back nicely now.

There must be something wrong with the way our system is hooked up but I have no idea what it could be. The membrane and filters were replaced prior to us moving in so I don't know what is wrong with it.

 

[Ray]

Mike is right, Wendy. An RO system on a softened water feed should be great.

If you'd like, I can put together a brief description of how the tubing should be connected, so you can compare... Send me an email.

 

[Ray]

I just had another thought: what fertili1zer were you using with the RO water, and did you check the pH?

 

[Wendy]

For the first month I was using nothing for fertilizer as we had so much to unpack and I hadn't gotten to my orchid stuff yet.....so it had nothing to do with fertilizer.

I will try to get under the counter and check how it is hooked up. Will attempt photos as well and send them to you. We are finding all kinds of surprises with this home so it wouldn't surprise me that the previous owner messed things up. He was a bit strange. Our kitchen has three separate water sources at the sink....softened, raw and RO. Obviously the RO doesn't work properly. There are so many pipes etc under the sink that it will be difficult to get a good photo but I will certainly try.

LOL....the joys of fixing some one else's mistakes. :rollhappy: