Homemade RO help

[plabarr]

Hey guys, I need a little help with my homemade RO. I have a Flotec 1HP pump feeding a Procon, rated for 330 gallons/hr., then a 4x40 Dow Filmtec XLE-4040. My problem is the membrane is rated to run at 100 psi and I know my Procon can get it there but it seems like the shallow well pump cant feed enough sap to keep up and it can't take the higher pressure needed to support the Procon. I can only run the system at about 80 psi. Is there anyone with a similar setup that can suggest a different shallow well pump to use?

[Clinkis]

A shallow well pump should easily keep up feeding a 330 gph procon. My RO is fed by 3/4 hp well pump into a 330 gph procon. As far as pressure goes your feedpump should be BEFORE your procon and thus lower pressure. After the procon and into the membrane in where you have the high pressure and you should be looking for 200-250 psi. Do you have a needle valve after membrane to build pressure? XLE 4040 can handle up to 500psi. They are just tested at 100psi.

[bowhunter]

I agree. It sounds like you don't have a needle valve after the membrane on the concentrate side only. Never put any restriction on the permeate side of the membrane. You should be able to generate all the pressure you need using a needle valve with the existing feed pump. If you can't generate pressure with the needle valve then something else is probably wrong, such as damaged o-rings, damaged membrane or some issue with the plumbing. The 100 psi is not meant as a maximum operating pressure...it's just used as a basis for sizing. You will need to run 200-250 psi on cold sap to get good performance.

[backyardboy]

I just finished my homemade RO. I have a 1/2 HP shallow well pump feeding my 330 Procon with 1/2 HP motor. I can get to about 160 easily. I have 4x40 MES membrane.

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[plabarr]

Thanks for the help guys, I do have a valve to restrict the concentrate so it must be something else. I'll be opening up the Procon to see if there is a bad seal. What size motor do you all run your Procon's with?

[wmick]

Seems Odd - I would expect that your shallow well pump could produce 80 psi all on its own... Most well pumps are capable of it at low flow.

Whats the history on your Procon? Is it new? Did you put the motor on it? Did it ever work properly for you?
There is not a lot that can go wrong with a Vane pump, beyond wear...
Vanes stuck in? Never heard of this happening but it could, I suppose..
Relief valve not working properly... Looks like the procons have a relief valve built in... is it possible that this is set too light or not seating?
Running in the wrong direction... (silly question... but are you absolutely positive, that you have the pump running the right direction?)

Do you have model numbers of your pumps? If so and you are willing to share them... we could look at some detailed specs... I looked up the Procon and there are a lot of variations... (models)

[Mark B]

Hey guys, I need a little help with my homemade RO. I have a Flotec 1HP pump feeding a Procon, rated for 330 gallons/hr., then a 4x40 Dow Filmtec XLE-4040. My problem is the membrane is rated to run at 100 psi and I know my Procon can get it there but it seems like the shallow well pump cant feed enough sap to keep up and it can't take the higher pressure needed to support the Procon. I can only run the system at about 80 psi. Is there anyone with a similar setup that can suggest a different shallow well pump to use?

I didn't see it mentioned. What sizes are your incoming and outgoing lines? inner diameter is going to affect flow rates/ pressure if you aren't sized big enough.

[Tweegs]

I run a half horse shallow well jet pump to a 330 GPH procon mounted to a 1 HP motor.
You can hear the 1 HP motor start to complain at around 225 psi, so I typically run at 200.
Really need at least a 1.5 HP motor.

That said, I use a micro-controller to monitor the RO.
Had a line of code commented out that monitors the high pressure side so I could map out the sensor.
Forgot to add that line back in when I was done, which meant no high pressure safety.
Rookie mistake that proved fatal for that 330 GPH procon.

Fired up the RO one morning on my way to work, set it for 150 psi and went on my merry way.
My wife came out about 6 hours later to start the boil and noticed she could only get 60 psi.
Not sure if the filter clogged or I sucked in a chunk of ice, but Procon’s don’t like being starved.
Destroyed that pump. Fortunately, I had a 240 GPH pump on the shelf and we were back up in no time.

From my experience then:
Your components should be adequate.
You should have a filter between the high and low pressure pumps.
Make sure the filter isn’t clogged.
The filter housings are directional, make sure you have it plumbed correctly.
If that checks out, you may have a bad impeller on the procon.

Procons will make a horrendous noise when starved.
No noise + no pressure= likely bad pump.

[wmick]

That said, I use a micro-controller to monitor the RO.
Had a line of code commented out that monitors the high pressure side so I could map out the sensor.
Forgot to add that line back in when I was done, which meant no high pressure safety.
Rookie mistake that proved fatal for that 330 GPH procon.
.

I hope to assemble an RO within the coming months... I have a lot to learn about them... (Basically everything, at this point)
I've done some PLC programming, but never touched an RO system yet.... I love the idea of using a controller to monitor the system..., as I work away from home.
If you are willing to share it, I'd love to see (copy) your code... and maybe prevent some rookie mistakes of my own.

[bowhunter]

You could have collapsed the filter into the ProCon pump inlet or the pump could be running backwards if the motor isn't wired correctly. I would also still be suspect of the membrane and the plumbing around the membrane if the pump looks ok.