RO suction distance?

[yards1520]

I am thinking about moving the feed tank for my RO outside to save more room in the sugarhouse. How far away can I put my tank from the RO? Could I put it 15-20 feet away at the same height as the ro and still be ok or would the RO have a hard time pulling from that distance?

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

this year I will be at the same footage, im just going to say make sure the feed tank is higher than the feed pump of the ro. Doesn't have to be but I would make it that way.

[Spanielslovesappin]

That distance is no problem BUT keep the bottom of the tank slighly higher than the RO suction to ensure trouble free operation. Also do not use a tiny hose as the suction line; use the same diameter as the inlet to the pump or one size bigger.

[Teuchtar]

Your RO will run better if you eliminate all chances of sucking air in at the feed pump. Mounting the tank too low, constricting the feed pipe (small diameter), using a soft pliable hose, etc, would be reasons to cause the RO feed pump to operate sub-atmosphere. Use a rigid or Tigerflex hose for suction, and make sure there's enough gravity head to allow the RO when running full-bore to never suck air. You can check for that condition by cracking open the feed hose right before the RO, make sure sap squirts out, and not air that's sucked in.
I suppose you could test for that condition before the RO runs, by allowing water from the tank to fill a bucket through your chosen hose. If it fills the bucket fast enough, it should be able to maintain positive pressure when the RO runs.
My own experience was that any time the RO feed pump has to suck on the feed tank hose, its pretty much a certainty that air will enter the RO sometime. A bad thing for the membranes.

[bowhunter]

I agree with fellow posters. To be safe I would position the bottom of the feed tank a minimum of 1 foot above the pump suction, make sure the piping or hose is no smaller in diameter than the pump suction connection. I would recommend solid piping as well. It will probably work without all these precautions but why take a chance.

[jcb]

I run mine that far with no problem, its just a little down to the R/O just so I can drain it