IN PROGRESS PROJECT THREAD
Last updated: 24-Oct-2021 @ 14:24 Central
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Rather than buying bottled water for us and the dogs to drink and buying distilled water for our CPAP humidifiers, I'll be installing a Whole-Coach Filtration system (thread link) and a small Reverse Osmosis (RO) system. The 3-stage filtration system will cleanup the incoming water for general use (dishes, laundry, bathing) and it will also be the first step in cleanup ahead of the RO system.
The RO system will have it's own filtration system onboard with the first 3-stages being redundant with the whole-coach system. Then it gets more complicated in terms of what happens to the water. Here's the system I ordered and will be installing later this fall: iSpring RCC1UP-AK 100GPD Under Sink 7-Stage Reverse Osmosis RO Drinking Filtration System and Ultimate Water Softener with Alkaline Remineralization, Booster Pump and UV Ultraviolet Filter (Amazon link to product).
Here's an image the sort of depicts the water path and what happens at the various stages...
SYSTEM MOUNTING AND LOCATION
My plan is to make a framework out of Trex or similar composite decking board, then mount the RO system back-to-back with the 3-stage whole-coach filtration system onto this framework. The combined system will sit in a plastic tray. I'm considering plumbing a drain in this tray to the ground. My current plan is to have this system behind the utility wall on the door-side, right behind the Spray Port. I haven't settled on how I'll redo the wall there but for now, I've removed the wall to give me room to work. Step 1 will be to tidy up the wiring back there. That will give me more room and make the area look nicer.
TREATED WATER PATH
General use water from the output of the Whole-Coach filtration system will be spit with one leg feeding the whole coach and the other leg feeding the RO system water input. The product water from the RO system will be teed with one leg feeding an included 3.2 gallon pressure tank (with 2.5 gallon holding capacity) and the other leg splitting off to feed a drinking water faucet at the kitchen sink and the ice maker line for making some nice clean ice.
EFFICIENCY
This system is a middle of the road efficiency setup, providing 1 part product to 3 parts waste. So for every gallon of great drinking water I produce with it, I will waste (as brine) 3 gallons of water. Not great but not horrible compared to other systems. In a past coach, I achieved a 1:1 ratio with a bigger setup.
BRINE DISCHARGE
The RO system comes with a saddle valve for 1-1/2" pipe. Normally, brine water is sent to and stored in a gray water tank, then discharged when you drain said gray water tank. Generally speaking, I keep my gray tanks open and the coach connected to the sewer system unless I'm accumulating gray water to chase through the sewer hose after dumping my black tank. However, there are times where I may not connected to a sewer system (say, an overnight stay enroute) and where I may be producing RO water. In this case, depending on how much RO water we're using and producing, I may want to discharge the brine (waste product) water from the RO system to the ground. After all, it's just fresh water that's been filtered, yet it's heavy with mineral content. To accomplish this, I will be repurposing an external water heater bypass valve to use as my brine director. In one position, brine water goes into a gray tank and in another position, brine water goes on the ground through a 1/4" discharge tube. I've used this method in the past with great success.
COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
I'll continue to document my build as it progresses. I'll pick this project back up later in November. As this post will get fairly long and will include inline images, should you have questions or comments, kindly click the Reply button but don't click the Quote button. Clicking Quote will make your reply include my entire long post. When that happens a number of times in a thread, the thread gets a bit messy
I do look forward to your comments and questions!
Last updated: 24-Oct-2021 @ 14:24 Central
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Rather than buying bottled water for us and the dogs to drink and buying distilled water for our CPAP humidifiers, I'll be installing a Whole-Coach Filtration system (thread link) and a small Reverse Osmosis (RO) system. The 3-stage filtration system will cleanup the incoming water for general use (dishes, laundry, bathing) and it will also be the first step in cleanup ahead of the RO system.
The RO system will have it's own filtration system onboard with the first 3-stages being redundant with the whole-coach system. Then it gets more complicated in terms of what happens to the water. Here's the system I ordered and will be installing later this fall: iSpring RCC1UP-AK 100GPD Under Sink 7-Stage Reverse Osmosis RO Drinking Filtration System and Ultimate Water Softener with Alkaline Remineralization, Booster Pump and UV Ultraviolet Filter (Amazon link to product).
Here's an image the sort of depicts the water path and what happens at the various stages...
SYSTEM MOUNTING AND LOCATION
My plan is to make a framework out of Trex or similar composite decking board, then mount the RO system back-to-back with the 3-stage whole-coach filtration system onto this framework. The combined system will sit in a plastic tray. I'm considering plumbing a drain in this tray to the ground. My current plan is to have this system behind the utility wall on the door-side, right behind the Spray Port. I haven't settled on how I'll redo the wall there but for now, I've removed the wall to give me room to work. Step 1 will be to tidy up the wiring back there. That will give me more room and make the area look nicer.
TREATED WATER PATH
General use water from the output of the Whole-Coach filtration system will be spit with one leg feeding the whole coach and the other leg feeding the RO system water input. The product water from the RO system will be teed with one leg feeding an included 3.2 gallon pressure tank (with 2.5 gallon holding capacity) and the other leg splitting off to feed a drinking water faucet at the kitchen sink and the ice maker line for making some nice clean ice.
EFFICIENCY
This system is a middle of the road efficiency setup, providing 1 part product to 3 parts waste. So for every gallon of great drinking water I produce with it, I will waste (as brine) 3 gallons of water. Not great but not horrible compared to other systems. In a past coach, I achieved a 1:1 ratio with a bigger setup.
BRINE DISCHARGE
The RO system comes with a saddle valve for 1-1/2" pipe. Normally, brine water is sent to and stored in a gray water tank, then discharged when you drain said gray water tank. Generally speaking, I keep my gray tanks open and the coach connected to the sewer system unless I'm accumulating gray water to chase through the sewer hose after dumping my black tank. However, there are times where I may not connected to a sewer system (say, an overnight stay enroute) and where I may be producing RO water. In this case, depending on how much RO water we're using and producing, I may want to discharge the brine (waste product) water from the RO system to the ground. After all, it's just fresh water that's been filtered, yet it's heavy with mineral content. To accomplish this, I will be repurposing an external water heater bypass valve to use as my brine director. In one position, brine water goes into a gray tank and in another position, brine water goes on the ground through a 1/4" discharge tube. I've used this method in the past with great success.
COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
I'll continue to document my build as it progresses. I'll pick this project back up later in November. As this post will get fairly long and will include inline images, should you have questions or comments, kindly click the Reply button but don't click the Quote button. Clicking Quote will make your reply include my entire long post. When that happens a number of times in a thread, the thread gets a bit messy
I do look forward to your comments and questions!
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