RO Reclaim of Reject Water

[BillClinton]

I know this topic has been on the forum before. It convinced me that I should start reclaiming the RO reject. I have a very small equipment room and the only place to put another tank is on a platform above some other equipment. It has to be a sturdy steel platform to hold the weight of all this water. A local welding/fabrication company has quoted me $1,200 to build such a steel platform. My question is this: For those of you who have started reclaiming and reusing your RO reject, how much have you saved on your water/sewer bills? My total utility bill averages about $1,400. I want to do this project, but didn't think it would cost so much. Any idea how long it would take me to recoup such a large investment? Advice is appreciated.

 

[CleanStreak]

Not sure how much I actually save - I don't have a flow meter on my RO. Might be a good idea though. I put my reject right into the first tank of the reclaim system.

 

[Red Baron]

I have $700 total in my system includign 300 gal pancake poly tank at 6' tall custom-welded steel platform, hoses, ball valve, etc.

It looks like I've saving around $250/mo on water bills. No brainer.

 

[pitzerwm]

In the library there are two articles about doing this and how.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Well...
I was intrigued by this project, but I also suspected that it wouldnt really save me much. So I bought an inexpensive water meter, and for the last 5 months I've measured exactly how much water my RO unit rejects. I dont have the numbers handy at the moment, but if memory serves my current estimate is that I'd save about $90 per year. IF I were able to reuse 100% of the rejected water.

If I had an automatic, I'm sure the savings would be worthwhile. But at the moment, I'm not doing this project. If I had more time on my hands, sure, I'd probably do it... but not now.

 

[dclark3344]

I think you would almost have to have an automatic to really make the savings worth while. I just made a platform out of some 4 inch c-channel. I put holes in it and anchored it to the walls and floor (4 legs) then I ran a beam on each wall which I welded to the legs and anchored to the walls then I ran beams across the room (welded to the beam on the wall) standing on edge with 16 inch centers. I then layed some 1 inch tongue and groove plywood on it and lots of storage and a place for my tank that is gravity fed into each auto rinse tank, with the float set about 5 inches above the normal float. I just used cheap tank floats that you can get from the farm supply houses. This way when the under carriage comes on the RO reject starts refilling the tank and continues to come on long before the city water comes on.

 

[MEP001]

It sounds like the guy you asked to make the platform is wanting to go severe overkill. I've seen many types, simple 2" x 5/16 angle legs and square frame with a 300 gallon tank on top to basically a wooden deck bolted to the walls in a corner. It shouldn't cost you anything near $1200. Waxman uses a "disposable" tank he picked up for almost nothing. You could even put something on the roof, just remember that if it's white poly it needs to be protected from sunlight.

You would eventually recoup the money spent even if you don't have an auto, but keep in mind the TDS of the reject is much higher. Using it in your SS will reduce the effectiveness of your soap, or increase the spotting by the regular rinse. Reusing it on the high-pressure pass on a touchless auto won't affect the quality of the wash. You're also making much more RO (and wasting much more reject water) feeding an auto with spot-free.

 

[Waxman]

Yep, I used a tote and even posted some pics here of my setup.

Maybe you could also make your own stand w/some 6x6 roughcut lumber. I've seen those used to hold up overpasses around here when they were working on the concrete supports.

 

[BillClinton]

A tote won't fit through my equipment room door. I'm going to have to plumb together 3 55 gallon drums, which will make the platform big. It is going to be 4 x 8 with only 4 legs and 9 feet in the air. There is just no other place in the equipment room. I'm currently trying to get the welding/fabricating company to do if for less. How much money did you save/month on your water bill Waxman?

 

[Dean Taylor]

If ref to CleanStreak's Comment:

Putting RO reject to the reclaim tank will help dilute the reclaim water but you really aren't saving anything because a gallon in = a gallon out in reclaim tanks.

It's best to capture the RO water, repressurize it and send it back to the wash processes. It costs a few bucks upfront but can lead to huge long term savings.

 

[Waxman]

$150-250/mo. savings, depending upon volume, season, etc. Haven't had it a full year yet so hard to do a comparison.

But it made sense for me because my whole project was $500. Every time my tote fills up and drains down when I wash cars, I'm using 150 gallons of water I was previously sending right to the sewer.

 

[Greg Pack]

Water/sewer here is fast approaching 1.5 cents per gallon. Savings is easily .25 per car washed in the IBA.

 

[Red Baron]

$150-250/mo. savings, depending upon volume, season, etc. Haven't had it a full year yet so hard to do a comparison.

But it made sense for me because my whole project was $500. Every time my tote fills up and drains down when I wash cars, I'm using 150 gallons of water I was previously sending right to the sewer.

You can often get 275 gal totes for free or just $10 ea at your local farm chemical/co-op supply store. They get Roundup and other chems in them and the totes are in their way after empty. Get the reusable type with metal cage and hard plastic bottle/tank. The bladder type similar to a wine box are no good.

 

[BayWatch]

I have read thru the older posts and can not find any info regarding the use of RO reject water with chemicals. I am thinking of plumbing it into some of the soaps. This is for a tunnel application. I have heard agruements for both sides from various people here locally, just wanted to know if anyone here has tried this. I dont plan on using this for any waxes/protectants, just soaps. I am planning on having 1500 gallons of RO reject storage and booster pump, 511 hydro, flojets... Also the water into the RO is from the water softener. I have tested the reject and it is soft water and the TDS should be displayed in scientific notation.