Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration and Misting System

[chamelisa]

Since building our greenhouse last summer, I have been saving for a water filtration and misting system. I asked Kevin Zamp (Summoner12) to help me with this project and I must say, he has been great through the entire process.

After researching different RO units, we decided to give this one a try:

www.FreeDrinkingWater.com

http://freedrinkingwater.com/ro-90-detail.htm

I built this table to provide a place to install the RO, hold the storage tank (a 14-gallon upgrade to the RO unit) and to install the Mist King misting pump.

I also installed a small stainless steel bar sink in the center which I use mainly for filling pitchers to fill drippers with RO water. It can be used for washing up too but it's just cold water. I haven't plumbed the sink so right now it drains into a paint bucket.

The RO Unit was installed underneath the table:

Reverse osmosis creates a lot of waste water but Kevin did a little more research and found this Zero Waste retrofit kit by Watts. It installs onto the RO unit and redirects the "brine" (waste water) back into the household water supply. The picture above shows it already installed. Kevin can best answer questions about this part because it was all a blur to me.

http://www.wattspremier.com/watts/showdetl.cfm?&DID=15&Product_ID=121&CATID=1

We assembled a hose bib block (I think that's what it's called) for the misting and clean-up hoses and the water hook-up for the swamp cooler. Everything is off the ground which is extremely helpful when cleaning.

Once we had the RO in place, we installed lines for the misting and one to direct the brine back into the water supply:

The picture just above is the brine line that needed to go up over the greenhouse door to reach the hose bib.

Here are the supply lines from the RO supply and the valves:

Next, we assembled PVC lines with Ts where misting nozzles would be installed.

We went with Mist King misting nozzles and pump for this project. After ordering, it took about one week to get here. By then, all of the lines were in place and ready. I think Kevin got worried that I'd go ahead and finish up the misting and take away all of his fun. But I was nice, I waited.

Here is the misting system in action:

I am really happy with the Mist King products. The mist that is produced is very fine and the water seems to float in the air for a long time. Maybe that's how RO water is, I really don't know. The pump is quiet and assembling was far easier than I expected because Marty uses "quick connect" components.

I'm using RO for the misters and also filling the drippers. My drippers are plastic pans with holes poked in them. Very simple. But I'm working on another idea for drippers which may just use 2 or 3 stage filtration rather than RO. I'm not sure if minerals in the water are as necessary when chameleons are supplemented. Still researching this issue.

Overall, not a cheap project at all!!! But I would say it's worth every penny. And because I couldn't have figured any of the RO out on my own, Kevin saved me a lot of time and probably prevented a few headaches too. Thanks Kevin!

 

[Debmonster]

I am speechless. Your "enclosure" is awesome! That would be a dream come true for me

Thanks for all the info too. I'm doing the whole RO and mist king deal too (only not at your level) The information was really helpful.

BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

[Chris Anderson]

Looks like an awesome system and setup, Elisa. I'm quite jealous of the entire setup you've got going. One of these days when I stop moving every few years, I'll have to set up a greenhouse setup like you've put together.

Chris

 

[ScottChoc]

That is amazing. Great work.

 

[chamelisa]

I am speechless. Your "enclosure" is awesome! That would be a dream come true for me

Thanks for all the info too. I'm doing the whole RO and mist king deal too (only not at your level) The information was really helpful.

BEAUTIFUL!!!

Thanks Debbie!

If you need any help with technical stuff or have questions about your new RO and how to get the most out of it, I recommend contacting Kevin. Throughout the process, we did a lot of brainstorming through email and by phone. He tuned the system to get the most out of it.

Those gears are always crankin' in his head. You can almost hear them!

 

[chamelisa]

Looks like an awesome system and setup, Elisa. I'm quite jealous of the entire setup you've got going. One of these days when I stop moving every few years, I'll have to set up a greenhouse setup like you've put together.

Chris

Thanks Chris! I'm grateful to have this set-up. It has been something I've dreamed about for years.

ScottChoc, thank you.

 

[Vegas Chad]

Who is jealous? I am! Looks really great!

 

[de cam]

WOW..........
Does anyone know if you can dial down on the fog maybe to closer to the grocery stores spray pattern? Also what size tubing does the Mistking head push on to?

 

[chamelisa]

WOW..........
Does anyone know if you can dial down on the fog maybe to closer to the grocery stores spray pattern? Also what size tubing does the Mistking head push on to?

I don't know what you mean about the spray pattern? More of a droplet type of spray? I think you might control this with pressure because when the pump is turned off but the valves are kept open, a heavier slow spray comes out of the nozzles. I have to turn the valves off to stop water from coming out of the misters.

I am pretty sure that MistKing sells different types of nozzles. The PVC lines were brought down to 1/4" openings in the Ts so the Mist King nozzles just click right in.

Hope that helps.

 

[alhickabee]

Amazing set-up and greenhouse!! I'm soo planning on building a green house someday, when I settle down in one place. Is this just a greenhouse or a chameleon house and if the latter, is it free range or do you have cages in there? Either way very cool set-up.

Kevin is a real stand-up guy and MistKing is an amazing product.

 

[chamelisa]

Amazing set-up and greenhouse!! I'm soo planning on building a green house someday, when I settle down in one place. Is this just a greenhouse or a chameleon house and if the latter, is it free range or do you have cages in there? Either way very cool set-up.

Kevin is a real stand-up guy and MistKing is an amazing product.

I love your avatar picture. The colors are so pretty on that chameleon.

This is a green-chameleon-house. Inside are cages and chameleons are kept individually.

 

[Vegas Darci]

That greenhouse looks awesome! I love how neat and professional it looks. Hopefully Chad and I will be able to get one up here one of these days!

 

[summoner12]

WOW this is a REALLY nice setup!

 

[alhickabee]

I love your avatar picture. The colors are so pretty on that chameleon.

This is a green-chameleon-house. Inside are cages and chameleons are kept individually.

Thanks, Dante's a badass, he's one of Julie's (aka Julirs) babies from her last clutch of veileds. Can believe he's only ~7 months. Dante

Very cool, almost exactly what I've been dreaming about building someday. I wanna grow organic veggies and fruits myself someday. I've become semi-health freak since I quit cigs about 6 months ago.

 

[summoner12]

Thanks, Dante's a badass, he's one of Julie's (aka Julirs) babies from her last clutch of veileds. Can believe he's only ~7 months. Dante

Very cool, almost exactly what I've been dreaming about building someday. I wanna grow organic veggies and fruits myself someday. I've become semi-health freak since I quit cigs about 6 months ago.

I guess we were too off topic before.....

Glad you quit smoking, feels good huh?

Your picture is nice. I hope when you setup some RO it works out well for you.

 

[summoner12]

Zero Waste...

Here is how the RO system was setup prio to the Watts Zero Waste retrofit kit being installed.

This is how it ended up.

The idea with the kit is that your house water pressure entering the system, is lets say 60PSI (just about right for an RO membrane). If you take a pressure reading at the end of the system where the waste comes out a pressure drop will be realized. This will not be enough pressure to overcome the pipe pressure and make its way back into the house pipes. So a RO kit retailer provides a simple way for you to not see the waste water and just dumps the brine down the drain. You never see the wasted water until you get the water bill . With the zero waste kit installed the water enters the pre-filters under house pressure. Then as water is used a pressure switch turns on the pump and opens the solenoid valve. Water is then forced into the RO membrane with a potential of 100PSI. This will give you a better rejection ratio AND allow the brine output to surpass the household pipes pressure. So instead of the brine going down the drain you connect the brine line to the 'hot water line' or to a near by pipe that will provide a long journey back through the house back to the RO system.

The idea with this system is that you get the 'fresh' water from the cold water tap under the sink and the brine is pumped into the hot water tap. This forces the water to travel back through the hot water pipe system in the house, through the water heater and THEN it would make its way back to the 'fresh' water tap under your sink as it enters the cold water pipe system. The hope is that you would flush a toilet, wash your hands, run the washing machine, dishwasher or sprinkle the lawn with the brine in the water system.


In Elisa's case we got lucky. We weren't restricted to a kitchen sink. We had a water supply to the green house that was T'd off of the main house supply. It connected to the system just after going through the pressure regulator. We also had the guest house water supply near by that we could tap. This gave us ample pipe line before brine made it's way back to the system to be filtered again. With a family of four in the house, the brine is sure to be used up before re-filtration can happen.

Here is the basic layout of the property.

The line bridging the gap between the guest house and the greenhouse is the brine line. You can see the pipe achieving this function in this picture. It is the single pipe going over the green house door.

This is a bit off topic of the ZWRO system... But I like the pic a lot...

Don't those Mistking double nozzles look nice?!?

And what about this kick A$$ pump?!?! Produces a whopping 160PSI!

 

[Marty]

Wow, very nice setup. Next week I'll have the ZipDrip valves online. There's a lot of PVC in this system. If you have few drops coming from the nozzles once the misting is done, then that might be something to look into. Also, I now have the black collets so if you want to make all the nozzles 100% black, I'll gladly throw those in for you.

Is that a heater in your greenhouse?

 

[chamelisa]

Also, I now have the black collets so if you want to make all the nozzles 100% black, I'll gladly throw those in for you.

Is that a heater in your greenhouse?

Hey Marty,

That is actually a portable swamp cooler.

I don't mind the blue, but maybe it would look cleaner if they were black. Either way, still looks great.

Plumber is coming to convert a dual burner propane heater over to natural gas. It costs about $12 to $15 a day for propane!

 

[summoner12]

Hey Marty,

That is actually a portable swamp cooler.

I don't mind the blue, but maybe it would look cleaner if they were black. Either way, still looks great.

Plumber is coming to convert a dual burner propane heater over to natural gas. It costs about $12 to $15 a day for propane!

do you think they sell a zero waste kit for the heater?

 

[chamelisa]

do you think they sell a zero waste kit for the heater?

We're lucky that cold weather here doesn't last very long. I was going to wait until next fall to do the heater. But I was getting the tanks refilled for the um-teenth time at the Chevron when some guy asked me if I was a roofer. A roofer?! Do I look like a roofer?! LOL He said only roofers use propane for heaters. Then he told me how I can easily convert my heater. So then I got to thinking about the gas line that is next to that pipe where you hooked up the brine line. . . Then I called the plumber.

A roofer? Maybe I need more lotion on my hands.