Pure water is the key to health. To remove all unwanted impurities from it, various filtration systems are used. One of the most popular systems that can provide the highest quality water treatment is reverse osmosis. Do it yourself with your own hands to install such a system. All the intricacies of this process will be discussed later.
System description
Today, many different filters are used to purify water. But reverse osmosis is the most effective of them. This system allows you to remove almost all impurities from the water. At the same time, connecting a reverse osmosis filter with your own hands will not be difficult even for a person who is very far from plumbing work.
Reverse osmosis is a process in which a stream of water is divided into two parts. Each of them has an unequal density. The first stream has a high degree of purity, and the second contains a large amount of contaminants. To accomplish this, a special membrane is provided in the system. Very small holes were made in it, the size of which is only 0.0001 microns. Only water molecules can pass through it.
To prevent the membrane from clogging very quickly, a few more prefilters are provided in the system. The stream, after preliminary cleaning, is freed from chlorine, suspended particles, organics, etc. These are larger fractions.
The membrane is the final filter, which performs the most delicate cleaning. The stream is divided into two parts. Polluted water is discharged into the sewer. Net flow enters the storage tank. It is needed to increase the comfort of using the system. The fact is that the flow of water passes through the membrane rather slowly. She is not able to ensure the flow of a sufficient amount of fluid in flow mode.
It is worth noting that the pores of the membrane are 4,000 times smaller than bacteria, and also 200 times smaller than viruses. Therefore, only water and oxygen molecules can pass through them. To prevent large particles of contaminants from clogging the pores of the membrane, 3 filters with different fillers are used in the system. It depends on the impurities contained in the water in the area. Most often, one of the prefilters has a carbon filler. Other cleaners can be made of various artificial and natural materials. The holes through which the fluid passes in such pre-treatment systems are 5 and 1 microns.
To install a reverse osmosis system with your own hands, you will need to consider the manufacturer's instructions. All actions are performed according to a specific technique.
Contents of delivery
To install do-it-yourself reverse osmosis for an aquarium or for domestic consumption, you will need to familiarize yourself with the scope of delivery. It includes everything you need to install the system. Depending on the model, the list of components may vary, but most often it includes the following components:
- membrane;
- pre-flasks installed in the unit;
- postfilter;
- tap for purified water;
- mineralizer;
- a key for replacing filters in flasks;
- membrane replacement key;
- mounting plate for crane installation;
- tees for connecting system elements;
- flexible hoses for water.
It is necessary to determine what kind of performance the system should have. You may need to install additional modules. So, for example, the mineralizer is not supplied in every set. The fact is that water after such a serious cleaning has a rather unusual taste. Useful minerals that a person needs for normal health are also removed from it. To make up the natural composition of the liquid, a mineralizer is installed. It fills water with essential minerals.
Connecting reverse osmosis with your own hands does not cause much difficulty if all the necessary steps are performed in sequence. It should be noted that usually all elements of the system have standard sizes, which allows you to replace without difficulty if necessary. It is worth acquiring just such a reverse osmosis. For systems with non-standard component sizes, it is difficult to choose the right elements.
The principle of the system
To assemble a reverse osmosis filter with your own hands, you will need to consider the principle of the system. First, a hose is connected to the water pipe, which will supply water to the pre-filters. Here, mechanical and chemical pollution of a certain size is delayed. The prepared stream is fed to the membrane, through which it passes with a certain speed.
Two hoses extend from the membrane body. One is for dirty water (connected to the sewer system), and the second is for clean (enters the storage tank). It is impossible to dispense with a special container into which the filtered stream will flow.
A conventional membrane is able to let through up to 7 liters of fluid per hour. This is not enough for domestic needs. The presence of a storage tank in the system completely solves this problem. After it, a stream of water is supplied to the tap, but more often a few additional elements are installed in the system.
In most modern systems, after the storage tank, a post-filter, mineralizer, and other additional devices are installed. You can choose a kit with two valves on the tap. Purified water will come through one of them, and enriched with minerals through the other. For cooking, it is sufficient to use water in which additional minerals are not present.
Performing the installation of reverse osmosis with your own hands, you should clearly understand the principle of operation of this system.
Place for installation
If you want to mount reverse osmosis for the aquarium yourself or a system for domestic use, you will need to choose the right place for installation.
If you plan to use water for cooking, for drinking purposes, reverse osmosis is installed in the kitchen under the sink. Its size is usually quite compact. A tap for drinking water is installed on the sink, for which it will be necessary to drill an additional hole.
It is convenient if all elements of the system are close to each other. The efficiency of the system depends largely on the length of the hoses for moving water.
Before assembling reverse osmosis with your own hands, you will need to check all the elements of the kit for compliance with the incoming parameters. At the same time, the packaging of each component of the system is not disclosed, otherwise it will be difficult to make a return.
During this process, the pressure in the membrane, the inlet water temperature, and the flow pressure are checked. The manufacturer's instructions indicate what these indicators should be.
It is also worth considering that the system will need to be installed away from heating objects. Reverse osmosis should not be exposed to direct sunlight. First you need to shut off the water (cold and hot). Next, the valve is opened, which allows you to relieve pressure in the system. Then it is closed again. Next, the cartridges and membrane, as well as their own hands, will need to be disinfected.
Installing a tap for drinking water
How to do reverse osmosis with your own hands? After preliminary manipulations, you will need to install a faucet for drinking water on the sink. On some models of sinks, an extra hole is already provided. If it is not, you will need to make a seat for the crane yourself.
Particular care must be taken if the surface of the sink is enameled. Otherwise, chips may appear on the surface. The crane is mounted on a flat horizontal surface. The diameter of the hole should be approximately 4 cm. You need to make sure that there is enough space under the sink, which allows you to fix the faucet correctly. This is important so that the tubes can be brought to the system without kinks.
After drilling a hole, you need to remove the chips, thoroughly clean all surfaces. Metal particles remaining on the surface may rust, leaving ugly marks on the sink.
Before installation, a special decorative pad, a rubber washer, is put on the bottom of the crane. This will make the joint airtight. Next, the base of the tap is inserted into the hole. Then, on the other hand, a rubber washer is put on it, and then a plastic washer. A metal ring is fixed on them. The entire structure is tightened with a nut. Screw the fitting onto the bottom base. Inside it is a rubber gasket.
Connection to a water supply system, insert into the sewerage
Do-it-yourself reverse osmosis will need to be connected to the water supply. For this, the water supply must be shut off. For connection, a special adapter is used in the form of an adapter. It is most convenient to mount it at the junction of the water pipe and the flexible connection for a conventional mixer.
Before this, you need to substitute a basin here. The remains of water will merge into it. Next, the flexible eyeliner will need to be disconnected from the pipe. The adapter must have a rubber seal. The adapter is screwed onto the eyeliner from two sides. Fixation is carried out with a wrench.
The adapter will need to unscrew the ball valve nut. This is necessary in order to put it on a plastic tube. The latter is pulled onto a ball valve. The nut must be tightened by hand so as not to overtighten the fitting. A tow or teflon tape is wound onto an external thread to increase tightness.
Next, you need to crash into the sewage system to discharge dirty water. For this, a drainage clamp is used. It is necessary to crash into the sewer at the level of a siphon. Above it, in a horizontal or vertical section, you will need to drill a hole with a diameter of 7 mm. Do not install a drain clamp on an uneven, rounded section.
It should be noted that it is almost impossible to achieve tightness of joints. On the bracket you will need to stick rubber or purchase special fasteners. It already provides for the presence of this softening element. After that, fix the clamp by tightening the screws. A black tube is inserted into this fitting. It is pre-lubricated with silicone and equipped with a tight, but not tightly tightened nut.
Storage tank valve, filter unit
By installing reverse osmosis with your own hands, you will need to properly mount the storage tank. It will need to be mounted on a special stand or on brackets. If there is not enough space under the sink, you will need to put the tank next to it, for example, on a cabinet in the kitchen.
Next, a plastic tap is attached to the threaded connection of the tank. On the thread you need to wind the fum tape. The crane is screwed on it until it stops by hand. A tool for this is not necessary. A plastic tube will need to be inserted into the valve fitting. The second end is connected to the post filter.
Next, you need to use a manometer to check the pressure in the tank. Then, if necessary, you need to slightly increase it.
By installing reverse osmosis with your own hands, you will need to proceed to installing the filtration unit. It is worth considering that the tubes supplied by the manufacturer have a length of 1.5 m. Moreover, they should not be stretched, have kinks. You can hang the unit on the inner wall of the cabinet.
The ball valve must be freely accessible. Pre-filters are fixed to the bar. It can be hung on the wall of the cabinet under the sink. This place should be easily accessible. In this case, replacing the reverse osmosis filters with your own hands will not cause problems. The location of each filter in the block cannot be changed. Otherwise, the system will not work correctly.
Filling, washing the unit
Before operating the system, you will need to fill it with water. To do this, it is necessary to shut off the valve on the tank, as well as the corresponding valves on the pipeline. Then you need to open the tap, which was previously installed to supply purified water. A ball valve also opens, through which water is supplied to the filter.
In the first 10 minutes, air leaves the system. When water appears, its pressure will be very small. This is due to a shut-off valve on the tank. It should remain closed for now. You will need to wait until the water rinses the entire system. When a certain amount of water is drained, the tap can be shut off.
Then they wait another 10 minutes. At this time, you need to check the system for leaks. If they are, you will need to tighten such connections. If the system is working properly, you can open the valve on the tank. So, do-it-yourself flushing of the reverse osmosis membrane, as well as its other elements. The tank is filled in a few hours. Then the system is washed again. You can’t drink the water that was first drawn into the tank. Water can only be used when it is typed a second time.
Pump
In order for the system to function correctly, in some cases it is necessary to install a pump for reverse osmosis with your own hands. This is necessary if the pressure in the water supply lines does not exceed 2.8 atm. Otherwise, reverse osmosis will not be durable. It is best to pick up the pump from the same manufacturer as the system. The instructions indicate a detailed connection diagram.
The pump is installed without fail paired with a sensor that monitors the pressure in the water supply. He is responsible for turning the pump on and off in the event of a change in the water supply. The sensor is installed in front of the drive. To do this, you need to break the tube. If the water quality in front of the pump is poor, an additional coarse filter of the main type must be installed.
If, however, pressure surges up to 3-4 atm are possible in the system, a special valve is installed before the pump to prevent leaks. It will reduce the pressure to the desired value.
Do not repair the pump for reverse osmosis with your own hands. This can lead to failure of the entire system. This work must be entrusted to professionals.
Service
So that the water supplied by reverse osmosis is always clean, you need to change the filters and membrane in a timely manner. From the water meter, you can determine how much water has been purified by the system. Most often, filters will need to be changed every 3-6 months (depending on water flow).
The membrane, depending on the characteristics specified by the manufacturer, is changed every 1-5 years. This procedure is performed if a precipitate appears in the membrane block, the water quality deteriorates, and the pressure decreases. If the system has not been used for several weeks, the membrane will need to be disinfected.
To replace the system elements, you will need to shut off the water and open the tap. Having relieved pressure, unscrew flasks (the key is delivered in a set). Old cartridges get out. Flasks need to be washed. Next, the same new cartridges are installed.