View Full Version : osmosis unit making noise when off
Statman
06-07-2008, 9:09 PM
Today my dad and I hooked up my RO unit. We couldnt figure out a way to turn it off other than by turning the unit which intersects with the water line (sorry i dont know what this is called, seen in pic# 3) and my dad didnt think it would be good to keep opening and closing that, so we added a valve to turn off and on (pic# 4). We had it on for several hours today as instructed, then when i turned it off every 30 seconds or so it made a very loud grinding noise for a secod or two. After watching it for a bit it appears the object in pic# 1 is vibrating, and causing the noise. Any ideas?
1.http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/statman26/ozmo1.jpg
2.http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/statman26/ozmo2.jpg
3.http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/statman26/ozmo3.jpg
4.http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/statman26/ozmo4.jpg
ChangDriX
06-07-2008, 11:22 PM
did you get this off of ebay by chance?
Statman
06-07-2008, 11:23 PM
yeah
ChangDriX
06-07-2008, 11:32 PM
sorry to be off topic bro, i was just wondering im in the market now for a ro unit and i saw this one today...besides the noise how are the TDS readings?
Statman
06-07-2008, 11:52 PM
couldnt tell ya, dont have any way to test it.
does anyone have any ideas what this noise is? im going to be turning it off for the night and id rather not wake to find it broken in the morning..
The item in pic #1 is the auto-shutoff valve. If it's shaking / vibrating and not turning off, there's likely either some air (most likely) or a dirt particle causing your problem. Tapping / shaking it should help clear any air, as well as tilting it more up and down while trying to clear the air (with the outflow from the valve facing up). For the auto-shutoff valve to work, it does require a manual shutoff valve on the end of tubing after the DI cartridge to create back pressure. Is the metal valve in pic #4 after the DI cartridge? If so, and it's not plastic lined on the inside, I would recommend changing it out for a plastic valve (readily available at places like Lowe's in the plumbing aisle). Running DI water through any kind of metal fitting or tubing kind of defeats the purpose of RO/DI purification, as the highly purified DI water can pull metal ions out of the metal fittings / tubing. The ions pulled from a single valve or fitting might not seem significant, but why spend all that money on a RO/DI unit and waste 4+ gallons of water for every 1 gallon of product water made to have purified water, only to be putting metals back into the water after it's filtered? Considering the toxicity of metals for marine invertebrates and the tendancy for metals to accumulate in a tank over time, the RO/DI water contacting any metal isn't the best idea over the long haul.
Statman
06-08-2008, 9:09 AM
I tried shaking and tapping it, it didnt seem to improve at all. now that its ran all night the noise has become more frequent, its basically every 2 seconds now it shakes an makes the noise. also, even though the valve on the waste tube is turned off, when it shakes it sends a blast of water through.
edit: i also really have no idea how this all works, the instructions were lacking. do i always have the waste valve open, or closed? even when its closed it seems to constantly have water running out so im really lost.
fsn77
06-08-2008, 11:51 AM
You do not want a valve on the waste line, only the product water line coming out of the DI resin chamber. The waste line needs to flow freely. That said, something is causing your auto-shutoff valve to not close properly. I've heard that some people have needed to disassemble the auto-shutoff valve on a new RO/DI unit due to some plastic shavings clogging it up and preventing it from closing. This could be what's happening in your case.
For a more details you may want to try these links:
Installation Instructions (http://www.melevsreef.com/rodi_install.html) (possibly better than the ones you received; even though they aren't for your specific unit, it should give you a better idea what's going on)
RO/DI Troubleshooting (http://www.melevsreef.com/rodi_help.html).
Keep posting if none of that proves helpful... Good luck!
Statman
06-08-2008, 5:18 PM
the waste line valve was built into the unit, you can see it in pic two its the orange tube going straight down. so since its already there, just keep it open at all times?
Strange... I haven't know RO/DI units to come with any valve on the waste line, unless it was a RO membrane flushing kit. But, that doesn't appear to be a membrane flushing kit. The only other reason I can think of is that it's there for storage purposes, as in to help make sure water stays inside the unit if you were frequently disconnecting the unit and moving it (the RO membrane needs to be stored wet once it has become wet).
Do you still have the link to the listing you bought it from? Maybe I can find some additional clues there to help get this figured out.
Statman
06-08-2008, 8:10 PM
here is the auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110241651197
Statman
06-08-2008, 8:15 PM
im sure you figured it out but i meant you can see the valve in pic 1, not 2 ;]
also i figured out a way to make the noise stop. if i turn the waste open or closed, and it starts to grin, opening the blue line (clean water) for 3 or so seconds and then shutting it off makes the noise go away.
also, by leaving the waste line open all the time a steady stream of water continually is coming out. is this natural? how is this going to affect my water bill having a continual stream running non stop?
Ok, the valve on the waste line is "membrane washing" add-on, just doesn't look like the membrane flushing kits I'm use to seeing. Here's what the listing says about it:
position "close" to force the water to go through the membrane
position "open" to allow all water to pass over the membrane and washes it off
From those two statements, you want it to be closed nearly all of the time (as in 99% of the time -- only open it to flush / wash off the membrane). With it closed, water should only come out the waste line while the auto-shutoff valve is open, which should only be when water is coming out of the product water line / out of the DI cartridge. If the unit is not operating in that manner, it would seem the problem would lie in the auto-shutoff valve not being able to close properly.
You do not want water coming out the waste line 24/7 (which should only happen if that membrane washer is left open). It'll burn up your pre-filter cartridges much faster and shoot your water bill totals through the roof.
As a side note, the last stage carbon (after the DI chamber) is intended for drinking water, not so much for tank water.
Statman
06-09-2008, 2:17 AM
should i not have it runningthrough that filter then, will it be bad for the tank?
and thank you so much for all your help so far
You're welcome!
I don't know if it's necessarily bad for the tank, but depending on the quality of the carbon, it could be adding phosphates back into the water (which would be bad). Even if you decide to keep using it, I would just choose to not ever replace it once the time comes. I'd just remove it at that point and bypass it all together.
Statman
06-09-2008, 10:55 AM
ive definately determined thanks to you that my auto shut off is not working properly. ive emailed the company that i bought it from so hopefully they will come through.
BuckeyeFldSup
07-29-2008, 6:08 AM
That ebay system is a retrofitted drinking water system.
The most common problem with auto shut off valves (ASOV) is that water is leaking from the system somewhere. Typically is is from the end of the DI tube (through whatever sort of valve you have there) or through the check valve. In your system, the check valve is located in the elbow fitting in the purified water ("permeate" port in the RO membrane housing). That said, we used the brand of ASOV's you have for a short while years ago, and changed because too many of them were faulty.
Some other comments on your rbay system:
The water is as pure as your system can make it after it goes through the DI stage. Remove the horizontal GAC stage that comes after the DI.
Placing a DI stage in a horizontal position is a fundamental configuration error common to these retrofitted drinking water systems sold on ebay. Remove the DI stage from its clips and orient it vertically with bottom-up flow. Check to see if the resin in that little DI housing is packed tightly in the housing. If it isn't, call the vendot and tell him to send you more resin. You want the DI resin cation and anion beads mixed and packed tightly so they stay that way.
You should think hard about getting a pressure gauge add-on kit and a tds meter. Without those two your are flying blind in terms of knowing how the system is operating.
The valve on your waste line is a flush valve/flow restrictor combo.
Russ @ Buckeye Field Supply