Zero Loss Reverse Osmosis - Anyone Using One?
 

I am interested in buying a zero loss reverse osmosis water filter for
our kitchen. Watts seems to be the only one who makes one.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...Path=103*4715*

Anyone have any experience with these, pro or con? They operate
differently from regular reverse osmosis filters in that they have an
A/C powered pump as part of the system.

Dick

Dick wrote:
I am interested in buying a zero loss reverse osmosis water filter for
our kitchen. Watts seems to be the only one who makes one.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...Path=103*4715*

Or you could adapt any of the RO systems to dump the brine into the hot
water supply, as Watts does.
http://www.pure-earth.com/PDF/Zero-W...etrofit-WP.pdf

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:15:28 GMT, "Travis Jordan"
wrote:

Dick wrote:
I am interested in buying a zero loss reverse osmosis water filter for
our kitchen. Watts seems to be the only one who makes one.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...Path=103*4715*

Or you could adapt any of the RO systems to dump the brine into the hot
water supply, as Watts does.
http://www.pure-earth.com/PDF/Zero-W...etrofit-WP.pdf


Good find! I'm not yet sure just how this works, but I will study it
and see. Thanks.

Dick

Where does the Excess water go.

It isnt RO unless there is waste water

RO is usualy overkill in the USA, and it removes minerals, necessary
for Good health, I junked mine after full research

m Ransley wrote:
Where does the Excess water go.

It isnt RO unless there is waste water

RO is usualy overkill in the USA, and it removes minerals, necessary
for Good health, I junked mine after full research


The excess water goes into the hot water line. I considered this but
wondered if it might be corrosive for potable water lines and hot water
appliances.

I agree RO is usually overkill. It covers paranoia for people who are
mixing baby formula, etc., and the minority with real issues such as too
much sodium or arsenic. If one is on city water, it's worth noting that
RO removes fluoride. My familyis on a well with undetectable amounts of
fluoride, so it was a non-issue.

I do not believe the claim that removing minerals from water harms
health. One gets the vast majority of these from food, not water.
Imagine how much hard water one would need to drink to get adequate
calcium... There was however a study which linked reduced hardness to a
reduced recurrence of heart attacks in individuals (see
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3396141.stm). While I believe this
merits additional study, I don't think one should jump to conclusions
about health dangers of soft (or RO) water or supposed benefits of
drinking hard water.

Victor

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 15:15:43 -0600, (m Ransley)
wrote:

Where does the Excess water go.

It isnt RO unless there is waste water

RO is usualy overkill in the USA, and it removes minerals, necessary
for Good health, I junked mine after full research

The waste water is pumped into the hot water line. How it
accomplishes that I haven't figured out yet. Seems like swimming
against the tide.

The unit being considered reduces Arsenic(v), Cysts, Barium, Cadmium,
Chromium, Copper, Fluoride, Lead, Radium 226/228, Selenium, TDS, and
Turbidity. In addition, bad tastes and odors, such as chlorine, can be
virtually eliminated. I don't see anything on the list that my body
can't do without.

Note that reverse osmosis is the filtering system used by
manufacturers in creating the bottled water that seems to be as
prevalent as cel phones in our society.

Dick

Dick wrote:
The waste water is pumped into the hot water line. How it
accomplishes that I haven't figured out yet. Seems like swimming
against the tide.

That's why it has a pump. The brine flows into the hot water line,
displacing some of the water contained in the water heater tank into the
cold water line. Which of course then flows back into the inlet of the
RO system.

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 23:23:45 GMT, "Travis Jordan"
wrote:

Dick wrote:
The waste water is pumped into the hot water line. How it
accomplishes that I haven't figured out yet. Seems like swimming
against the tide.

That's why it has a pump. The brine flows into the hot water line,
displacing some of the water contained in the water heater tank into the
cold water line. Which of course then flows back into the inlet of the
RO system.


But what I don't understand is where does all that water go? If it
takes 4 gallons of waste for every 1 gallon of filtered water, I don't
see how you can stuff 4-gallons of water into a water heater that is
already full. There may be a little room, but 4-gallons? Maybe it
just puts a little at a time into the hot water tank when there is
room.

Everyone seems to refer to the waste water as brine. Where does all
this salt come from? Or is that just a term given to the waste water?

Yes where does it go, or does it go down the drain?

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:31:38 -0600, (m Ransley)
wrote:

Yes where does it go, or does it go down the drain?

It definitely doesn't go down the drain. That's why it's called "Zero
Waste."

Dick wrote:
But what I don't understand is where does all that water go? If it
takes 4 gallons of waste for every 1 gallon of filtered water, I don't
see how you can stuff 4-gallons of water into a water heater that is
already full. There may be a little room, but 4-gallons? Maybe it
just puts a little at a time into the hot water tank when there is
room.

The waste water flows in a loop. It is injected into the hot water line
under pressure and migrates back towards the water heater. Displaced
water flows out of the cold water inlet of the water heater through the
cold water line and back to the RO system. Of course, if you never use
any of the hot water (i.e. in a shower, to wash dishes, etc.) then
eventually the RO system will start to receive previously processed
waste water at it's inlet, and that will cause the RO membranes to have
a shortened life. But for most practical purposes the 'zero waste'
system should work fine.

Good point. We will also be installing an instant hot water tap, but
it will get its source of water from the reverse osmosis filter.


On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 16:30:20 -0500, (Greg) wrote:

Just be sure you don't cook or make coffee with the hot water

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 18:10:48 GMT, "Travis Jordan"
wrote:

The waste water flows in a loop. It is injected into the hot water line

Condensation :)


"Dick" LeadWinger wrote in message
...
On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 23:23:45 GMT, "Travis Jordan"
wrote:

Dick wrote:
The waste water is pumped into the hot water line. How it
accomplishes that I haven't figured out yet. Seems like swimming
against the tide.

That's why it has a pump. The brine flows into the hot water line,
displacing some of the water contained in the water heater tank into the
cold water line. Which of course then flows back into the inlet of the
RO system.


But what I don't understand is where does all that water go? If it
takes 4 gallons of waste for every 1 gallon of filtered water, I don't
see how you can stuff 4-gallons of water into a water heater that is
already full. There may be a little room, but 4-gallons? Maybe it
just puts a little at a time into the hot water tank when there is
room.

Everyone seems to refer to the waste water as brine. Where does all
this salt come from? Or is that just a term given to the waste water?