Reverse Osmosis Systems

Orchids Limited is a dealer for Kent Marine Reverse Osmosis Systems. Kent Marine has a very high reputation for providing quality products and service. Their products have been in use for many years.

Rainwater - pure water - is what orchids need to perform at their best. Many municipal and private water systems suply water that is not suitable for orchids. Excess minerals and dissolved solids prevent plants from receiving the nutrients they need to thrive. Mineral buildup also becomes evident in the potting medium and on the leaves as a powdery coating or spotting.

Reverse osmosis is a way of filtering your hard or softened water to remove minerals which may damage your plants or prevent your plants from receiving nutrients when fertilized. These filters usually consist of a prefilter in the case of a CTA(cellulose filter), or a TFC(thin film filter). The TFC filter requires an extra carbon filter as well to remove chlorine which could damage it. The CTA filter is available in a 10 gallon or 20 gallon per day unit whereas the TFC filters are available in sizes from 10 gallons per day on up. Typically the water coming in the filter, depending on the hardness, may require softening first, using a salt type softener. Salt is more soluble than minerals and will easily be rejected by the reverse osmosis filter, whereas minerals can eventually clog the filter over time.

Raw water comes in through the yellow hose on the filter, passes through the carbon and sediment filters into the r.o. At the other end of the r.o. filter, the blue line is the good water coming out, and the orange line is the waste water which runs down the drain. The very best recovery rates are 3 gallons of waste water to 1 gallon of good water. Water is then collected in a storage tank, which can be a plastic garbage can. An additional float valve/solenoid is attached to the garbage can to monitor the level of the water. The float valve sends a signal to the solenoid(non-electric) in front of the r.o. system and shuts it down before it passes through the r.o. system. This prevents back pressure on the r.o. membranes which may cause damage.

Another way of storing water is a special pressure tank with low water and high water floats. These pressurized systems are much more expensive. Remember, the ratings on r.o. system filters are based on 77 degree Fahrenheit input water. It will certainly operate at colder temperatures, but not as efficiently and you will have less water output. At 55 degrees, for instance, a 50 gallon per day r.o. system will only produce 30-35 gallons.

Installing your R.O. filter

It is important to follow the directions closely (included in kit). The r.o. membrane itself, once operating, must be run and flushed out completely for a minimum of 24 hours to remove chemicals which prevent bacteria from growing in the membrane. If the membrane is to be shut off, moved, or stored for any period of time, it is important to keep the membrane moist at all times. Once it dries out, it will be ruined. Membranes properly filtered can last for 3 years or longer. Cleaning services are also available to restore your membrane.

Sediment and carbon filters need to be replaced depending on the parts per million of chlorine in your water and the amount of water you remove from it. The new carbon block type filters will remove chlorine from 25,000 gallons of water passing through them. The sediment filters need to be changed as they clog or as output is reduced. You can determine this by the amount of water you are getting out of it or when you can visibly see on the larger units that the sediment filter is clogged.

R.O. Water and fertilizer

This water is excellent for plants and as drinking water, but it has absolutely nothing in it. Almost all of the minerals and pollutants are removed, and as such, this water can be very corrosive. You will also strip nutrients away from the media your plants are growing in, so it is important to fertilize. You may want to fertilize every time you water with a weak solution of fertilizer (1/4 strength). Flush the media out at least once a month using straight r.o. water with no fertilizer. Another method is to fertilize at full strength every watering but flushing with clear water first to remove the salts from the prior fertilizing. Some growers simply charge their storage tank up with full strength fertilizer and as they use it to water the plants and the water becomes clear, they add more fertilizer. Watering from your storage tank can be accomplished either by hand watering cans or by using a small submersible pump or pressure tank system with an electric switch hooked up to a garden hose.