setting up an R/O D/I unit - help

[tomanero]

I have an airwaterice r/o-d/i unit I'm going to setup.
It will be tapped off the washing machine line and running in garage.
What do I need as far as barrels, top-offs, bulkheads, etc. and what's the best way to mix the salt?
Basically, how do I do this?

Thanks in advance for your input.

[LoneStar]

Well if you will need some sort of device to hold the water. Its up to you on what you wanna use. Some people use old 55g plastic jugs (sometimes sold on the side of the road). I use Brute trash cans made by Rubbermaid. Those things are pretty stout and do not bow out like cheaper cans. Plus you can buy dolly's for them too. That way you can roll the cans from the garage to where ever your tank is at. Just be carefull on what was kept in any used container; chemicals and what-not.

As for tapping into your water line for your washing machine, I'm going to leave that up to you since I do not know how yours is set up. But when you start running the water lines, you can buy the hose and fittings from Home Depot and Lowes. I do not know the OD/ID of the line but its a common size. I would buy some sort of float valve for your container too. I do not know how many times I have turned the water on to my ro/di unit and forgot to turn it off. :roll I'm sure others can attest to that too...... I'd also suggest getting a inline ball valve and place that from the water source and the unit. That way you can turn the water off manually and will not have to relly on the float valve to shut the water flow off everytime. The float valve would be a insurance when you fall asleep with the water still filtering.

For mixing saltwater, its just up to how lazy you wanna be. Depending on the type of barrel/trash can/holding container you buy, that may determine on how you can make a mixing station. I've seen people double stack barrels on a stand. The top barrel would hold fresh RO water and the one below would be for salt water mixed. I pump water into a trash can and then add salt there, throw a pump in it to mix, then wheel it to the tank and fill it up (when doing a water change).

Were you planning on hooking this up to do a auto-top off as well? Where is the tank located in relation to the garage? Mines in a different location so I use a different water storage device next to the tank, with a auto top off device (Tunze Osmolator).

I plan on getting one of these tanks to hold the auto top off water. Build an end table out of wood to hide this inside and set it next to the tank.
http://www.mytscstore.com/images/productImages/prod_200_by_200/2137324.jpg

http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=4&paID=1034&sonID=157&page=1&produ ctID=26942

[tomanero]

Thanks for the help.
I just picked up 2 - 55gallon drums this morning.
Was thinking of building a stand to stack them. (thanks, johnny)

I'm probably going to setup another smaller unit for auto top off.
I like that side sitting unit for the top off.
Again, thanks for the input.