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
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