Looking for recommendations. Going to be moving into house soon and planning garage brewery setup. So, RO setup to be mounted on wall next to brewstand and water supply. Was even thinking about going into a 30 gallon plastic tank w/ float valve to have the water on demand for 15 gallon batches. Thoughts?
I use a dual 75 gpd membrane with a booster pump and a 60 gallon storage tank. Definitely go with a pump unless you have high water pressure. Airwaterice.com had some nice affordable units. Bulkreefsupply.com is also really great. Change the prefilters every 6 months and flush the membranes every time you make water. They also make carbon blocks for chloramine. HTH!
I agree with the above recommendation. I have used both and airwaterice has the added benefit of being very customer service oriented. I have a booster pump as well...really helps with the output!
I am a big fan of www.ohiopurewater.com and have been a customer for years. I occasionally design and install systems under contract for NYSDEC, typically for customers who have compromised well water. Our systems are therefore not designed for brewing but the principle is the same. RO can get complex quickly and the cost can get out of hand. Storage volume is going to be your biggest cost relative to the system. Off the shelf units are really designed to be cheap and good for drinking a gallon or 2 per day, making coffee and little else. If you are using water intermittently, like once a week on brewday, you can lean towards a low production rate and invest money in the storage tank. Get as big a holding tank you can justify. You can never have enough RO but you can certainly have too little. If you have city water you should spend the extra money for a quality GAC filter. Carbon is fine for well water, won't hurt anything but not needed either (if you need carbon treatment on well water you have other problems that should be addressed, and carbon treatment is a whole other discussion). If you don't already have a sediment filter on your supply now is the time to put that in. We install a sediment filter, usually around 20u but sometimes even 50u is fine. Pro-tip, get a washable filter. Poly-Pleated paper. Get 2, you can wash and re-use many times. RO Membranes are expensive and you don't need them stuffed with sediment. Sediment filtration is cheap. I am a bit envious. Cheers.
Thanks guys. I am not mechanically inclined really. So I will pull this thread back up when working with a customer service rep at one of the businesses you all recommended. Really appreciate the help, cheers.
I have a friend with a system from Buckeye hydro that he is quite satisfied with. He has it set up with a float valve to auto shut off. He starts collecting water the night before for 10 gallon batches. I think his system tops out at about 20 gallons a day. I would like to get one but I've learned to do good things with my well water so it's not a high priority.
Maybe I'm missing something. Why a float valve? Many (most? all?) home (all?) RO systems have an automatic shutoff valve that is controlled by pressure in the tank. A clever design, actually. Thus, the system automatically tops off the tank as water is used. In that context, the tank is always 'full'. In the home, even with a home brewery, flow rate is not nearly as important as tank capacity. Even a 100GPD membrane will only deliver 4 gallons per hour, and only under ideal conditions. I use a 14 gal tank and it's more than adequate for 5 gallon batches of extract brew, but I don't think it's up to the task of a 10 gallon batch unless I collect water for a few days in advance of brew day (assuming I'm using 100% RO water). The 'standard' 3.2 gal tank bundled with most pre-packaged systems is all but useless in this application. 30 gallons would definitely be a wise choice.
The float valve I mentioned is temporarily attached to his HLT. There is no separate tank to have water at the ready. His HLT is his tank. He turns it on the previous day and has a pot of water ready to heat when he wakes up in the am.
Regarding float valves, they have a bad habit of not floating. The electric variety in particular. There is a contact inside that opens when the float raises but it can get lazy and not roll into place. So the float floats but the circuit remains closed and that's not good. The mechanical type seem to be more robust but they can be bulky. Never had a problem with the mechanical floats. If you aren't a DIY guy then best avoided. The closed tank systems with a 12V pressure booster are seamless. Closed tank is also more sanitary, An RV booster pump works quite well. You usually need to get the power supply separate. The big disadvantage is that an open holding tank is a lot less expensive than the same size pressure tank. Cheers.
The OP spoke of a "30 gallon plastic tank w/ float valve". That didn't sound like what you're describing here.
This is the float valve you need for a storage tank. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/ro-f...xabK8y94n2rqf87yjzXVkrIn7ePPdZAhoCPiEQAvD_BwE
