Community Forums

RVRONINPA · 11-09-2007, 06:54 PM

Hi All
Just wanted to let you know that in gathering info for the library I have recieved all the info on the water filters and upgrades.If any of you need any info prior to the launching of the library on this or any thing else I may have gathered just let me know.. Thanks Ron

RVRONINPA · 11-09-2007, 06:54 PM

Hi All
Just wanted to let you know that in gathering info for the library I have recieved all the info on the water filters and upgrades.If any of you need any info prior to the launching of the library on this or any thing else I may have gathered just let me know.. Thanks Ron

EngineerMike · 11-10-2007, 11:02 AM

Ron- Time to launch. Once you have everthing from A for Alpine on down to V for Vagabond, you're good to go.

RVRONINPA · 11-10-2007, 02:11 PM

Thanks Mike......
I do have probally 60% of the info. Still working on the web site, and then organizing it all. I spend 2-3 hours after work most days working on it .....its coming....lol.... Thanks for the words of encouragment tho Take care. Ron

VAGABONDMAN · 11-11-2007, 05:24 PM

Ron,

If you wait for perfection, we'll never see the results!!

EngineerMike · 11-26-2007, 05:59 PM

I finished the installation & testing of the EMike version of the Vagabond whole house RO system today. It features:
~ single membrane
~ push-to-fill (stop when full) semi-automatic control
~ 110V pressure pump
~ flow meters for dialing down % reject water when necessary

I mounted the membrane to the basement ceiling, in the rear PS SmartBed compartment, right next to the frame rail. This space is made useless for anything else by the HWH tubing for the rear kitchen slide ram. The push button electric control, its solenoid assembly, and the 110V pump are mounted in the PS utility compartment, just forward of the electric dump valves. The pump is mounted in line, with a valved bypass, as is the solenoid. Flow meters & TDS comparator are mounted along the upper frame of this compartment's door, forward of the 110V outlet.

To operate I hook up the hose at the DS utility bay. With the Alpine's selector on "City Water" and the Vag diversion valve (mounted to a drain pipe just inside, top of the inverter hatch) turned to RO fill, you just push a button on the Vag control box. Vagabondman made me a control box with the push button to replace the lower float switch. Since my various camping spots require me to select some method for handling the reject water, I wanted a method of choosing when the fill starts, but not having to stand by and attend to the process for stopping as well. I choose the reject water outfall location, then its push-to-start, auto-stop.

When I camp where water pressure is low, I plug in the 110V pump, which runs the membrane pressure up over 100psi. Tank fills at 20 gallons per hour. For a half full tank, that's about 2.5 hours.

Upper float switch leaves about 5 empty gallons of tank volume above. If I'm going dry camping, I turn two bypass valves & fill the last 5 gallons in about 40 minutes, or run the pump and fill it in 15 minutes.

I found one issue, that I also had but never solved with the 06. While filling the tank with the RO, the house pump runs (tho slowly) when city pressure is below house pump pressure, sending water from the tank thru the RO system and sending some of it out as reject (note that w/city water off- city pressure is way below house pressure, so pump runs regularly; this also means that if City pressure is high, city water leaks into the tank unfiltered by the RO). In the 06 I had to turn the house pump off while running the RO. The culprit appears to the the cheap water filter bypass valve WRV uses. Pressure leaks thru that valve. I put a second check valve on the house side of the filter bypass valve, and the pump can now be on whether RO is filling or not.

Basil Shannon · 11-27-2007, 05:53 AM

Greetings from Santa Maria, California,

[quote]this also means that if City pressure is high, city water leaks into the tank unfiltered by the RO). (quote)

Thanks Mike. This may explain why I have tasted chlorine in our tank water a couple of times.

Who is the manufacturer and what is the part number of the 110v pressure pump you added?

EngineerMike · 11-27-2007, 10:00 AM

I knew some rabble rouser was going to ask that. Here, let me go check, hmmmm.......

OK, back again. Its a ShurFlo diaphragm type, Model 8005-932-260, 120V, 1.5 gpm, 0.7 amps. I hooked a pressure meter to it before assembling it into the coach plumbing and it puts out a static 125 psi or so. When flowing to the RO membrane (dynamic) I'm guessing it runs about 100 psi based on the boost in output. The pump is on the leg after all filters, controls, etc. (i.e. the last thing in the filtered water line just before the membrane), so only the line to and the membrane itself see the high pressure, not the coach plumbing.

My house water pressure today is about 70 psi, so although the pressure rating of the barb-compression plastic fittings on the filter-bypass valve are probably good to 200 psi, the internal valve body itself is not even good to 70 (actually not good to the 50's, since that's about what the house pump produces and it could produce leakage past this valve also). An in-line ball valve may be necessary to obviate the bypass valve leak, as the working room and tubing conditions to replace the valve "in-situ" is highly unattractive. If I come up w/a good solution to this leak I'll let you know.

halmallet · 11-27-2007, 11:24 AM

Ron I am looking into filters for my coach, anything you can send me will help Thanks halmallet@embarqmail.com

Ted III · 11-27-2007, 03:24 PM

RVRONINPA
You can easily pickup the 40% that you are short by picking E. Mike's brain. That is just info he spits out in his sleep. I hope that when you repeat all of his comments all abbreviations will be included. His information is absolutely invaluable. Coyote go back to bed.
Ted