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Waste water


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  1. #1
    steve&mari - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    grandville mi
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    499

    Default Waste water

    How would ya use the waste water from ro/di for other uses do you set up a waste water tank or fun back into plumbing thank you trying to help a friend out

    Big Steve

  2. #2
    MizTanks - Reefkeeper
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    Oct 2009
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    U.P. of Michigan.
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    First Name
    Jamie
    Awards Photo of the Month - October 2012 Photo of the Month Post and Reply Award - Winner of the first PAR Contest. Monthly Giveaway Winner

    Default

    You could funnel it into a bucket and use it for watering plants~most I believe just run it down the drain.
    There's nothing like being a Reefer! www.upmmas.com

  3. #3
    AZDesertRat - Reefkeeper
    Subject Matter Expert
    Water Treatment

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    May 2010
    Location
    Phoenix AZ
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    376

    Default

    You could pipe it to a barrel or other holding tank. If you do so make sure you provide an air gap so there is no chance of backsiphoning back to the RO unit and it meets local and state plumbing codes.
    After looking at all the work involved plus pumps or manpower involved to save and use the waste I made the decision to buy a low waste RO/DI which runs at slightly less than 1:1 waste ratio so I save water and send what I do produce to the sanitary sewer where it gets treated and reused over and over.

  4. #4
    CR Member
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    Aug 2011
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    Clinton Twp.
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    126
    First Name
    Gary

    Default

    Never Drink or let your pets drink waste water. High concentrations of flouride, which cause brittle bones in all of us who have them.

  5. #5
    Tom@HaslettMI - Reefkeeper
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    Oct 2009
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    East Lansing, MI
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    Tom
    Awards Yugo Award - For helping with the CR Booth at MCES Monthly Giveaway Winner Monthly Giveaway Winner Photo of the Month Tank of the Month

    Default

    I collect some of mine and use it for house plant watering or the initial fill for the washing machine.

    HTH,
    Tom

  6. #6
    AZDesertRat - Reefkeeper
    Subject Matter Expert
    Water Treatment

    Join Date
    May 2010
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    Phoenix AZ
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    Default

    You would only have a high concentration of fluoride or anything else if it were present in the tap water to begin with.
    The waste or more accurately "brine" flow is only 20% to 25% higher TDS than the tap water TDS was to begin with so nothing is at toxic or unhealthful levels unless you were treating non potable water.
    The normal waste ratio is 4:1 or 4 gallons of brine to 1 gallon of treated water. The concentrated TDS from that 1 gallon of treated water is diluted in those 4 gallons of waste thus the 20 to 25% higher TDS. Really no big deal and safe to use as long as the source was safe to begin with.

  7. #7
    rmalone - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    grand blanc, mi
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    388

    Default

    I would watch using the waste water on sensitive plants like orchids, they generally prefer a very clean water to begin with. The washing machine is a great idea, though even for the amount of ro I make for my 180g, at most 100g/mo I just dump it.

  8. #8
    XSiVE - Reefkeeper
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    Jul 2010
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    Waterford
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    Ryan
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    Default

    Id love to do the washing machine idea, I'd just hate to accidentally over-flow it since my RO/DI is constantly on filling up my top-off tank/tub.

  9. #9
    AZDesertRat - Reefkeeper
    Subject Matter Expert
    Water Treatment

    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Phoenix AZ
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    376

    Default

    I learned a long time ago about flooding things.
    My first RO system was in the kitchen and I filled my buckets and jugs from the RO faucet and pressure tank, remember this was about 20 years ago and before the popularity of RO/DI and I didn't know anything about TDS creep in a pressure tank. I forgot and flooded the kitchen a couple times and boy was she mad! We had commercial carpet in the kitchen area and it really stunk when wet.....

    I bought a couple small digital kitchen timers, one even has a clip so I can wear it like a pager, so I can now set a timer if I am filling something and need to be reminded. Mostly I use the timers for the BBQ or for my homebrewing but they still come in handy for filling buckets or jugs too. You could do the same when filling the washer.
    One bad thing is the new front loaders can't be filled like that.

    I too send my waste to the drain and I don't feel guilty about it since it gets recycled and reused over and over. I also have an ultra low waste RO/DI system so I am only wasting about 0.67 gallons for every gallon I treat but it cost me to get to that point, may not be for everyone.

  10. #10
    rmalone - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    grand blanc, mi
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    Default

    Another option is to keep ALL of it in the basement and use a pump to move the water (either ro/di or brine) wherever you need it. A separate bucket for the waste/brine collection could have an overflow that dumps to a drain or sump, it's not a bad idea to have an overflow on the ro/di water container headed to the same drain/sump. It's a cheap way to avoid self inflicted floods.

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