Whirlpool RO System?

[radmaximus]

Anyone have any experience with this brand RO system?

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...R25&lpage=none

I am looking into buying one, the box says it will do 20 gal. a day. Is this realistic, the other 2 brands I'm looking at, PUR and GE say they will do 7 and 10 gal. respectively, seems like quite a jump in output from one to the other. All 3 seem to be constructed about the same, all priced within $20 dollars of each other, $139 - $169, store pricing.

Any info would be appreciated!

Rad

[acidrain]

That unit has a lot of stuff you don't need...
If you're filling a bucket or tank, you don't need the pressurized storage tank. You also don't need the counter top dispenser. Both of those items are for permanent drinking water installations, and 20gal per day is very small.
For a very basic system that will fill a bucket or tank, this is all you really need: http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Portable-4st...QQcmdZViewItem
For a self filling system, I suggest stepping up to a system that has an automatic shut-off valve like this system, plus add an optional float valve. Get yourself a large plastic tank, install the float valve, and the system will automatically stop when the tank is full: http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-2-110GP...QQcmdZViewItem
Then you can add plumbing out from the bottom of the tank and use gravity to fill you rinse tanks. I use 1" PVC and a ball valve... the water rushes out so fast, it fills a 12gal tank in seconds.

[hvacman250]

I have this unit and love it. I made a wooden stand for the storage tank and mounted the faucet on top. I attached plastic hose from the faucet and ran it into a 25 gal Tupperware storage container. I keep 25 gal of RO water on hand at all times.

[radmaximus]

Thanks for the link acidrain, hadn't thought about looking on ebay, alot more output and alot less money.

Rad

[radmaximus]

Ended up purchasing an RO setup off EBAY, much better price and output. Not quite the output they said but better than the other units, and alot less money! Thanks again acidrain for reminding me about EBAY. Bought a 6 stage, 125gpd for $65 plus shipping off of there. Actual output more like 50gpd but I think I can improve that with a few mods...., but for now it will do the job!

[acidrain]

Originally Posted by radmaximus

Ended up purchasing an RO setup off EBAY, much better price and output. Not quite the output they said but better than the other units, and alot less money! Thanks again acidrain for reminding me about EBAY. Bought a 6 stage, 125gpd for $65 plus shipping off of there. Actual output more like 50gpd but I think I can improve that with a few mods...., but for now it will do the job!

That is the exact same setup I have. You made a very wise purchase!

[hvacman250]

I looked at some of these, but buying replacement cartridges scared me off. I couldnt find the replacements for these off-brand units. Thats why I bought one local and paid alittle more.

Acidrain,

have you had luck finding replacement cartridges?

[luminous]

Originally Posted by hvacman250

I looked at some of these, but buying replacement cartridges scared me off. I couldnt find the replacements for these off-brand units. Thats why I bought one local and paid alittle more.

My (limited) experience has been that most of these systems use the same "standard" sized 1.75" x 11.75" cartridge. I doubt you'll have any trouble finding replacements even for "off" brands. Ask the vendor what size cartridge it uses to be sure.

I'm using a 10GPD unit I bought from Caswell several years ago, but it's been upgraded with a 120GPD GE cartridge.
If you change the GPD rating you will also have to change the flow restrictor which is cheap and easy to do.

steve

[radmaximus]

Thanks Acidrain, how many gallons will yours do in a day? Mine seems like it is slowly breaking in and flowing more than it did at first, is that normal?

[acidrain]

I have not had to replace cartidges yet (we have pretty clean city water in Seattle... less than ~25 PPM), but like Luminous said, they all are the same dimensions, and should be interchangable.

Rad, I feed my 50gal storage tank with a float shut-off valve, and had to fiddle with the bypass flow valve a bit to get maximum flow.
Sometimes I'll use every bit of my stored water on late night runs, and by the next day, the tank is completely filled.
You'll find that more bypass water flowing over the mebrane will yield maximum RO water. Also, line pressure makes a big difference. They sell small pumps that incease pressure, and recirculate water for less waste. If you have low pressure (less that 60psi), you might check into those.