• Osmosis. How much water does it need?

  • Alexander

Good day, everyone! The situation is as follows. The reverse osmosis filter has been moved to a new location where the water meter is installed. It has been set up, screwed in, and started. Water is flowing through the tube directly into a barrel instead of a storage tank. The flow rate is 1-2 drops per second. Previously, it was flowing in a thin stream, apparently the pressure was higher. The reverse osmosis membrane seems to be American, from Filmtec. So, for the collected 75 liters, 25 cubic meters of water was consumed according to the meter. That means 333 liters of tap water were used for 1 liter of osmotic water. Something doesn't add up in the logic of events. Are there any findings regarding the output ratio? Only in practice, not the theory written in filter destructors...

Kyle

With low pressure, it is difficult to answer this question. I use 3.5-4 liters of water for 1 liter of osmosis, but I have a pump (after the pump, the pressure is 4 bar) and, of course, a flow restrictor (a necessary component of osmosis).

Joseph6461

I also have low blood pressure and the meter is set. Today I'll measure it out of curiosity.

Angel2396

Yes, by the way, I forgot to mention - the performance is about 10 liters per hour. Also, regarding the flow limiter: under no circumstances should you replace it with a ball valve and restrict it (say, 1 to 4 or 1 to 5). I tried that, and the pump burned out - the limiter has a smooth restriction, while the ball valve has a sharp one. There's no need for any improvisation, and the limiter won't be more expensive than the ball valve.

Michelle104

Oops! What a surprise! I had never even heard of such a thing. Google suggested it's called a Drain Flow Restrictor. The thing is, I'm installing my third reverse osmosis system and haven't seen any restrictor. Moreover, the first osmosis system had a pump that I appropriated due to high pressure in the system. I could use that for my home system. I just need to find this creature - the restrictor... Here's what Google says. I found a photo. Is this really the restrictor? Could you take a picture of it? I would be very grateful. It might also be interesting for others for educational purposes.

Stephanie3084

deleted...

Cynthia

yes...

Amber1273

There is also a limiter that is installed immediately after the reverse osmosis system before the discharge into the sewer, but it is very small and fits inside the tube that goes to the drain. So it might not have been noticed, but it is there. You need to look carefully. As for the pump, I also have a pump that pressurizes, but the pressure is still insufficient. It’s possible that the membrane is already failing; I had a similar situation. If the reverse osmosis system has been idle for some time, the membrane can deteriorate, and the water will not flow in a thin stream but will drip like yours.

Caleb6320

I have a membrane from scratch. I bought 3 pieces. 2 work perfectly at "normal" pressure. I probably have low pressure.

Kevin3579

I get 1 liter of water when draining 3-5 liters into the sewer (depending on the temperature of the tap water and the flow restrictor). Also, the performance and lifespan of the reverse osmosis system depend on the order of the cartridges. I have #1 - 5 microns, #2 - carbon, #3 - 1 micron, #4 - pump, #5 - membrane. When I placed the carbon filter as #3, no matter how much I rinsed it, carbon dust would wash out and clog the membrane (after a year, the water flowed not in a stream but dripped, even with the pump present). #3 is in a transparent housing (it's easy to see when the cartridges need to be changed). Water flows into a barrel. Sincerely, Cat.

Allison

Thank you to everyone who responded! So, I will summarize. The DIY osmosis system, assembled from a water ultrafiltration system, with a FilmTec membrane inserted into the chamber, produced 11 liters of "osmotic" water in 7 hours of operation, while sending 41 liters of "waste" to the drain with a 400 drain restrictor. I did not take measurements of the indicators due to my absence at the water production site. As soon as I can, I will check the readings.