RO/DI supply water problems

[tosiek]

Looking for some guidance as someone might have dealt with this before and maybe know an easy way of fixing it.

I had a problem with dirty water running into my house for a while now. Not always bad but I had days when there was work done around the neighborhood for it to be terrible for a day or two. Now it turned into a constant. We had alot of work being done in the area as far as construction as greenpoint/williamsburg turned into the place to be.

My drinking water that comes into the building is undrinkable for the most part. Me and my wife just went through what we thought was a 2 week stomach bug/virus that we had that didn't go away until we stopped drinking filtered tap water from then house. Now we only buy bottled water to drink. Even better is my parents who live a block away have perfect 24-32ppm water coming in and their undersink filter is changed every 6 months with 0 red slime buildup. My TDS readings are anywhere from 49-120ppm. This is taken straight from the line that comes into the building and from my faucet so its not a problem with building piping.

I called 311 and left a complaint twice. Said its going to be passed along but nothing is going to probably happen until enough people complain. :irked:

So, I am now changing my 10 micron filter every 2 weeks because of red slime buildup, 5 micron every 3-4 weeks and my DI and 1 micron every month and a half to 2 months because my supply water is disgustingly dirty. Im scared to check my RO membrane after the 4 months its been in use. TDS is at 0 always but I see a huge drop in a week to week and a half on water produced.

I might be forced to start buying RO/DI water or making it elsewhere and lugging the containers and changing my auto top off if this keeps up. Im going to go broke on membranes and filters. I can add another filter before but its just going to be another filter I have to change and don't know how long its going to last or if its worth doing.

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[TimberTDI]

• Do your direct neighbors have the same problem? Your parents don't count because even though they are only a block away they are probably being fed off a different trunk line or are "upstream" of the problem.
• What color is the water when you fill up your bath? Also do the aerators on your faucets get clogged with grit?
• When was the most recent work done? Whenever new lines are put in they are pressure tested for leaks and are then supposed to flushed out with bleach before tying into main system.
• My first thought is that there is a crack in the pipe or a gasket is not seated correctly and there maybe contaminants being pulled into the line.

The best thing to do is check with all the neighbors on your block and complain as group, even contact the local news media.


Steven

 

[masterswimmer]

T,

Listen here bud. First and foremost, you must remove the DI resin from your drinking water filtration. RO water is what you want to use for drinking. RODI is unhealthy and under very specific circumstances can be fatal. (for instance, if you were running a marathon and your body was depleted of electrolytes and you rehydrated with RODI water, it could potentially kill you).

Next, you need to change your filters from the hobbyist grade 10" filters to the more demanding 20" type of filter sometimes called the 'Big Boy'. The sediment and carbon filters are available in the same micron and components, just larger for more capacity. You'll change them out much less frequently.

You should use 10m > 5m > carbon block 10m > carbon block 1m > RO Membrane > inline carbon filter for taste > UV Filter (if needed)

That's my recommendation without knowing if your water is potable or not. Seems like you should be having a coliform test done. This will determine if you've got the bacteria which could (highly likely) cause intestinal problems.

Hope this helps. LMK if you have any other Q's.
R

 

[Jimm0425]

While the coliform test could very well come up positive it does not mean that there is dangerous bacteria present in the water. The red slime is probably an iron bacteria. But check with a water quality lab and have the water tested for.ecoli and giardia to be sure. That area probably has some very old water main possibly cast iron. Nyc adds chlorine polyphospates flouride and sodium hydroxide to their water. Have you tried flushing your pipes and does it clear up?

Sent from my DROIDX using Reefs

 

[masterswimmer]

While the coliform test could very well come up positive it does not mean that there is dangerous bacteria present in the water. The red slime is probably an iron bacteria. But check with a water quality lab and have the water tested for.ecoli and giardia to be sure. That area probably has some very old water main possibly cast iron. Nyc adds chlorine polyphospates flouride and sodium hydroxide to their water. Have you tried flushing your pipes and does it clear up?

Sent from my DROIDX using Reefs

???? :Yikes:

Tony, if your coliform test comes back positive you should get yourself a UV filter in the RO filter. You posted in your original post:

My drinking water that comes into the building is undrinkable for the most part. Me and my wife just went through what we thought was a 2 week stomach bug/virus that we had that didn't go away until we stopped drinking filtered tap water from then house. Now we only buy bottled water to drink.

That is enough evidence for me, along with a positive coliform test to err on the side of caution and get the UV filter.

T, hope this helps

R