Extra tank or another r.o. system

I have been using water from my under the sink r.o. drinking water for watering my plants and it just isn't enough water at any one point in time to fill up my reservoirs... I'm wondering what people who may have been in this situation think, should I run a hose from my r.o. system to a new larger tank in my basement or just set up a dedicated r.o. system in my basement with a larger tank for my plants? I'm not sure if there's complications I'm not considering on adding another tank or not... Im a little concerned about setting up the waste drain in my basement though, going to have to run that hose pretty high up unless I get one that has a straddle for fairly large pvc... Not looking at it at the moment to see what size. Need lots more r.o. water, any suggestions?

Not sure if this has the volume you need. Portable, no tank.

Works great for my small grows.

RO Buddie
https://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-Changing-Deionization-Cartridge/dp/B00204CQF6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=ro+buddy&qid=1592211275&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySUlTWkRGQjM1VVNTJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTkzOTAzSzJRVFNFRVJWM01TJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4ODM2MDhEMFVCOEEwSlpBT0cmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

I might have to get a larger tank for it but that looks like a pretty decent deal, I don't think my drinking water one has a deionization system and I paid quite a bit more for it. I'm guessing I would need additional pre-filtering though since it says that is needed in New York city due to high sediment levels I'm sure their city water isn't close to my well waters levels out here in the country, might give it a try though. Don't have time to completely look it over...

Thanks for the reply man.

I am big on a tank. Having extra water stored is good. If the filter needs changing you have a stash to use in the meantime so it's not a big issue. I honestly have multiple tanks and my backup storage tank is a 300 gallon vertical, that was the biggest I could fit through 36 inch openings lol. I set it up on some cement blocks and have a 2 inch output on it. I can fill a 5 gallon bucket in 5 seconds, 10 if I don't splash lol. Pop a float valve on it and have a spigot on the bottom, elevate it on cement blocks so you can easily fill a 5 gallon bucket or connect a hose...

Funny thing is I have found I can grow just fine with my tap water here, but I still have the 300 gallon of RO stashed for whatever and whenever. Sure saved me time and money messing with the RO filter. I was growing for nearly 8 years here and never even tried the tap water. It's about 170 - 180 PPM. I would still want RO if I was using DWC. And I will stress thats my tap water, not everybodys. lol I don't need to use calmag anymore, just some epsom salt for the magnesium.

Also a permeate booster pump is something that you want if you are filling a pressure tank or a gravity tank with a float valve.

This is just an example, get one thats sized for your RO filters output.



It uses the pressure of the brine/waste water to boost the pressure of your clean water output. This greatly reduces waste and increases fill rates when there is a back pressure encountered like a pressure tank or a partially closed float vale on a nearly full tank. Normally you get excessive rejection (brine/waste) and it takes a while to get that last bit of water while the float valve is starting to close and provide resistance to flow. With a pressure tank you are fighting an increasing resistance as the tank fills and this pump will dramatically increase the fill rate of your pressure tank.

This uses no electricity. It is not the same thing as, nor a replacement for, an input pressure booster pump.

These little gems are gold when it comes to reducing waste water significantly.

You simply splice it into the clean water output on one side and on the other you splice it into the brine (drain) line.

I always run a check valve on my RO filters clean water output.

Hell yeah I'll look into that permeate pump, maybe I can pick one up at the hardware store on the way home today.

Last time I tested my tap water it was around 380ppm and when I sent it into a lab to get tested it had really high levels of nitrates. I'm growing in coco coir pretty sure I've read that above 200ppm is a no no.

Just installed it, this thing's a lot louder than I expected lol

TravisG13 said:

Just installed it, this thing's a lot louder than I expected lol

View attachment 4606870

Click to expand...

It does make that pulsating sound as it does it's magic. Really increases output against back pressure though, entirely worth it. Plus I can tell when a tank is nearly full because it changes it's rhythm.