How to Install a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter | Ask This Old House
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey removes the impurities, VOCs, and excess minerals from water with a simple reverse osmosis water filter system.
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Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey heads on a house call to help a homeowner with a water issue. After the homeowner explains that she’s had a problem keeping aquarium fish alive, Richard surveys the plumbing system and comes up with a solution: a reverse osmosis water filter.
Difficulty: ⅖
Cost: Around $200
Time: 4 hours
Where to find it?
Richard installs a water filter ( OptimH2O® Reverse Osmosis + Claryum® [amzn.to/39RcZ4z]) under a sink. After turning off the cold water by turning the valve under the sink, he disconnects the cold-water line with a wrench. Richard then installs the brass "T" by hand screwing it to the cold-water line. The system comes with white ¼" and ⅜" tubing to connect the filtration cartridges and water tank to the water supply. Using a hand drill, Richard makes holes on the manifold to add mounting screws.
Richard removes an old sprayer hose from the sink to install a dedicated system faucet. He uses the ⅜" and ¼" red tubing to connect to the cartridges and the water tank. Richard positions the connector above the trap and drills a 7/32" hole into the drainpipe. He checks that all tubes are fully pushed in before turning the cold water supply back on.
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Tools:
Adjustable wrench [amzn.to/3GnzMkP]
Pencil or marker [amzn.to/3lFmjvb]
Screwdriver [amzn.to/3LKOhQA]
Drill [amzn.to/3wJ1g14]
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How to Install a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter | Ask This Old House
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For all we know they never properly cycled the tank and there's zero bacteria available to reduce ammonia. I'd like to think they tested for that before going assuming it's a pH issue. Not that it can't be, but fishkeeping often involves a lot of patience and prep before just buying fish, tossing them into a tank and wondering why they're dead in a day.
Agreed
A cheaper way might be just to buy the zerowater jug and see if this doesn’t work first. I’ve checked the pH balance through this and it works better than any other I found.
It probably won’t get rid of the dangerous toxins, but most everything else will be clear & clean.
Yeah especially if they been trying to keep angel fish, they need a bigger tank and really need at least a few of them. That looks like a five gallon, possibly 10. Way too small. Looks like it was a kit that you get from a local store. Those are generally not very good. Better to buy everything separately depending on what fish you want to keep.
You could be correct. I remember using a dozen goldfish to prime the initial setup of water and discarding them for the next batch of fish. After that the tank was siphon filtered and we only took about 20% of the water out at a time once a month and worked just fine.
They need something like Amquel/Prime, even if they are using RO water, to help detoxify ammonia, etc. Also, anyone keeping sensitive aquatic pets should check with their water company (assuming they don’t use well water exclusively) for which chemicals are added. Chloramines are becoming more popular due to their more stable nature, but they quickly destroy carbon filters and then begin killing beneficial bacteria in the aquariums. The dechlorinators listed above detoxify that as well.
How to Install a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter: Done in 1 minute, the other 7 minutes was just explaining the house and water tests. Got it!
Would have liked to see the resulting water tested too. Also, couldn't they have just adjusted the pH of the water before adding the fish instead of going the reverse osmosis route? Aren't you supposed to do that for tropical fish anyway?
One thing I would have done differently is install the RO system in the mechanical room and then run lines to the basement sink and the kitchen sink as well as any refrigerator icemaker‘s you have. This way you get the RO water at multiple locations throughout the house and just not one. I’ve had an RO system for over 30 years. One of the best investment a homeowner can make.
In this case, the RO system was just for one faucet, which is clearly in a wet bar in a secondary room of the house, not the primary kitchen nor in the bathrooms. They link the water after it's already gone through their existing filtration/treatment systems, they just need to treat the water in that room to make it compatible with the fish.
But how could any volume keep up with that? Say two fixtures are being used at the same time.
She also need to aerate the water first before she put the water into the aquarium. It's not the chlorine since it's well water, but because the dissolved oxygen level from the well water is very low.
Always awesome to see Richard explain plumbing!
We had a 10 gallon aquarium for years with a bottom under gravel filter. We changed the water every few months. We purchased 2.5 gallon carboys of drinking water and just dumped it into the tank. The fish loved it and lived forever. Much cheaper and less complicated. The drinking water had been run through an RO unit.
They sell reverse osmosis water in pet stores. We use that, mixed with 50% tap water... the water is also cheap, but sure it's more convenient if you have it from the tap
Yes, but did you get to star in a TOH video?
Ok this is crazy I just saw the older video of Richard installing an RO system!?
TOH team, thanks for detailed explanation of the RO system. Can you do another review on one of the newer tankless RO systems. Per their marketing, that saves lots of water and more efficient than the legacy 5 or 7-stage system. Thanks as always.
Fish should not be kept in pure RO water, they need minerals to properly osmoregulate. When keeping tropical fish its much better to find fish that will thrive in YOUR water. Fish will adapt to stable, consist water parameters. In the case of this homeowner, high ph and high hardness would be perfect for African Cichlids or Livebearing fish.
Exactly!
Guys the faucet is there so they can drink it as well lol; don’t think it’s ONLY for the fishies
It's probably ammonia that's killing the fish, not the minerals.
1st absolutely crucial rule of aquarium keeping is to establish the nitrogen cycle so that ammonia waste from the fish is detoxified by bacteria into nitrate, which won't kill the fish unless it is allowed to build up to toxic levels, don't get fish until it is established.
RO water without minerals is also bad for fish because they also need minerals.
Bacteria and plants will also naturally "soften" the water as they consume the minerals.
or just get fish that like hard water, like guppies, platies, swordtails, or mollies. (Livebearers).
Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a few Gallons from the store?? How often do you change the tank water??
love having richard here
Me too
Interesting but we didn't test-strip the RO water.
You must buy API Quick Start or Tetra Safe Start. Both have bacteria that when you introduce the bacteria in the aquarium water, the biological filter is immediately started. The bacteria consumes ammonia and nitrate, which are harmful to fish.
The reason the fish died is because the filter has not had enough time to be "seeded" with bacteria to remove the ammonia in the water which the fish produce from their waste. It takes 4 weeks to seed a filter. Buy hearty fish like Zebra Danio's to survive the 4 week period. I have a 30 gallon aquarium for a long time and learned the hard way that filters need time to accumulate enough bacteria to remove the ammonia. The other water problems can be fixed easily with chemical additives available at the fish store.
That’s a big upgrade for such a small tank. Also that tank is too small for that tank I think.
good to see this I will need to install one of these
Confused by his comment at the end. The filters will fill the tank in 1-3 hours, but he said the water won't be clean for 24 hours. What is happening with the water sitting in the tank between 1-3 hours and 24 hours?
did she use soap to clean the fish tank? soap sinks into the rubber between the glass connections
The aquarium does not look like a Nitrogen cycle has been completed. The aquarium needs it biological system to be alive and complete, Putting all new water in and adding fish is a situation doomed to fail. Do some research on the Nitrogen cycle before buying an aquarium and add fish. It takes several weeks before you can add fish.
That plumming is out of this world should belong in the muisuim
Where did you get that faucet? I love that it's a duel faucet.
So useful 🥊
Muriatic Acid?
TOH: Can you please also provide a link to the water test kit that was used in the video ?
Just get the API test kit. Don't use those quick strips, they're useless.
Now the fish is happy but what about the water they drink from the whole house filtration? Wasn’t it tested to be a bit hard and basic?
Nobody:
That lady: Yes
Interested to know what RO system this is?
I believe the RO system is described in the video’s description.
lol these fish better be grateful
Hey Richard! Cutting the sprayer will cause water to spray from the hose when the faucet is turned on. Someone inexperienced following your instructions is in for a surprise. You reassemble the sprayer under the sink.
Really small tank and poor filtration for an angel fish.
That angelfish was stressed. Observe gills. This woman is clueless about fish keeping.
Doesn’t reverse osmosis waste gallons of water just to make a “clean” gallon?
Usually 1 to 1
All that money spent on finishing the basement and installing the R/O system, but such a sad looking little fish tank. No thermostat on the heater, stick on thermometer, poor lighting, I'm guessing the HOB had a disposable carbon filter, almost no hiding spots to help the fish feel safe... the water parameters are not the only reason the fish are dying.
That's not how those test strips work... They're not super great, but at least read the instructions.
Why didn’t they send out a water sample for a more accurate reading? Also, if they liked the way the water tastes why not just buy water for the fish tank like distilled or spring water
All that money for pet fish!!!!WOW.
She not poor like you.
this is just throwing money at the problem. not actually finding a cause and a solution. install is legit but it wont necessarily be the solution
she wears the pants! did you see her about to let richard have it after telling her to get that fish to safety, before he got the hell outta there? haha. Kids we cant have fish! our water isnt good to keep them alive
Expensive solution for .25 cent fish
Another fish story.
Okay you isntalled your system. That'll be $500
Those reverse osmosis systems are for people who barely use any water.
Totally the opposite
No way I'm spending that amount of money to install an RO system, just so I can have fish. Sorry.
@J G u can't be serious. LOL
Undersink ro isn't expensive
We have it for clean water to drink. The RO filter is expensive though.
@@leehancock2782 When I priced them YEARS ago they were $1500.
@@johnc6539 it’s like $350 at Costco now and $100 (total) for the filters