Deciding RO or Not RO

[niewczyk]

I'm interested in improving my water quality. I don't know if a whole house RO is the way to go or not.

I have well water and currently have the following water treatment system that has been used since 2005:

1) Water Softener - Salt pellets - Removes Iron
2) Chlorination System (For removal of sulfur)
3) 120 gallon tank of water fed clorine.
4) Dechlorinator
5) Reverse Osmosis system in kitchen.

The Clorination System was install by Anderson Water Systems

For 3 years I had no problems with the clorination system. In 2008, I had to call Anderson for clorination pump filters, then carbon replacement in the spring of this year.

Recently I have a sulfur smell again when running the water faucets.
I'm sick and tired of dealing with Anderson Water Systems.

I'd like to know if whole house reverse osmosis is right for me?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Dave

[Andy CWS]

Point of Entry (POE) RO: absolutely not! Your water would eat the system up without most of the equipment you already have in front of it. A POE RO alone may cost you as much again as you have in your present water treatment system....and, maintenance over the length of service will drive your costs up even more.

Moreover, if you have copper plumbing, RO water would leach metals from the pipes and fixtures. Your retention system would need to be in excess of 300 gallons or more depending on your daily water use.

Now there are those with POE ROs but many aspects (READ: costly) need to be hurdled first.

Can you describe the pump that is causing problems? Diaphragm or peristaltic-type? Sometimes I have seen the whole system break down giving frustration due to failure at the weakest link. I went to the website and couldn't find much on their equipment.

You neglected to give details on your water quality. This can make a major difference in, not only the equipment, but the sequence, size and capacity. What type of well pump do you have? How is the chem-feed pump metered or switched?

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[niewczyk]

More info about my water and system

Andy,

Thanks for your reply. I'll answer your questions the best I can.
Thanks for forcing me to do some legwork. I now have digital as well as
the paper copies of the manuals.

Q1) Can you describe the pump that is causing problems? Diaphragm or peristaltic-type?

A1) The chlorine pump is a Uni Dose Model #U142-281
Manufactured by Liquid Metronics Inc. Acton, MA 01720
Division Milton Roy

The manual says its and Electronic Metering Pump.
After reading the manual it's a Diaphragm.

The link I've provided above is where the digital liturature is.
For a picture check out the UNIDOSE Model U1 Photo (TIF)

Q2) You neglected to give details on your water quality.

A2) To be honest, I haven't tested the water since they tested it last
on 10-15-2005.

Total Iron: 3 Insoluble Iron: .5 Iron bacteria: Yes Nitrates: No
Hardness: 6 Sulfur: Trace TDS: 225

Q3) What type of well pump do you have?

I don't know. I can take a picture of it. This forum restricts images to 31.9 KB.
I can't get me images down to that size.

Q4) How is the chem-feed pump metered or switched?

Metered.

One thing I do remember is that last year the chem-feed pump filters needed to be replaced. I was charged an arm and a leg for them. I can't find the receipt. Also this spring had to have the carbon replaced in the Ionics Automatic Whole House Filer. That was more than an ouch.

Dave

[niewczyk]

One thing it could be.

Since I've change the carbon in the Ionics Automatic Whole House Filer and changed the chem-feed pump filters, logically the problem by process of elimination could be the chem-feed pump. I have noticed that the pump isn't pumping correctly. It doesn't seem to be pumping as strong as it did in the past. I wonder how long one of these chem-pumps last? or What the warenty on one of these pumps is?

[Andy CWS]

A1) The chlorine pump is a Uni Dose Model #U142-281
Manufactured by Liquid Metronics Inc. Acton, MA 01720
Division Milton Roy

That is a diaphragm pump that uses reeds. These reeds often need replacing as they get clogged with precipitation.

The manual says its and Electronic Metering Pump.
After reading the manual it's a Diaphragm.

The link I've provided above is where the digital liturature is.
For a picture check out the UNIDOSE Model U1 Photo (TIF)

Total Iron: 3 Insoluble Iron: .5 Iron bacteria: Yes Nitrates: No
Hardness: 6 Sulfur: Trace TDS: 225

Q4) How is the chem-feed pump metered or switched?

Metered.

A metered pump needs to have a flow meter and a contol module. The flow meter indicates when water is moving through the pipies and activates the pump. Most pumps are connected to the pressure switch

One thing I do remember is that last year the chem-feed pump filters needed to be replaced. I was charged an arm and a leg for them. I can't find the receipt. Also this spring had to have the carbon replaced in the Ionics Automatic Whole House Filer. That was more than an ouch.

Yes, these pumps are often replaced. I prefer the peristaltic pumps. I use hydrogen peroxide for sulfur treatment. Pictures of your unit would be great.

http://www.stenner.com/product.htm

Andy

[niewczyk]

Andy,

Thanks for your continuing response. I've tried to attach pictures of my system earlier but there is a size restriction of images. I've tried my best to reduce the size but can't reduce the size low enough. I could place the pictures someplace else for you to get at.

I wasn't aware that H2O2 was used in sulfur removal. I'd like to know more about the upkeep and cost of such a system. I'd be willing to switch if I knew how to properly handle H2O2 and if it were lower maintainance than my current chlorine system.

In the meantime I called Anderson Water Systems to find out about the warenty of the pump just for my curiosity.

It probably wouldn't hurt to replace these reeds you mentioned. I bet I could change them myself. I wonder if there is kit I can purchase and do myself. I'll do some more research into this.

I appreciate your time.

[niewczyk]

I found the the Spare Parts Kit UNIDOSE Pumps PN SP281 - QSP281
I think I'll order it and replace the reeds after reading the installation instructions.

One question. Are the reeds you mentioned in this Spare Parts Kit? Below are the contents of the spare parts kit:

1 30981 Liquifram®, 0.8 SI, FlexipreneTM 1
2 30995 Uni-ValveTM Asm., Santoprene® 4
3 31565 Spring 1
4 31623 Seal, FlexipreneTM 1
5 10973 Shaft Seal (not shown)* 1