Portable Reverse Osmosis Water System?

[erstwild]

I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with portable (probably marine grade) reverse osmosis purification systems? I am hoping to find a really compact version with electric pump and hose to refill my water jerry can(s) from any water source I come across.

 

[grizzlyj]

I looked into one after being impressed with the concept as used by Blissmobil, but the cost, time and water wasted makes the system as a whole not very vehicle friendly IMHO. A Unimog camper couple in Aus used one when parked up at the beach for a while, pumped sea water into a big inflatable paddling pool at their vehicle then circulated that big volume through the RO unit to fill their tank. Maybe a unit like this?

12/20 LPH 12/24v Reverse Osmosis Watermaker - H2O on the Go

Our 12v reverse osmosis (RO) desalination watermaker is perfect size to throw in the car or boat to ensure you will have plenty of drinking water when needed, this system can be used to make potable water from both seawater and freshwater sources.

www.h2oonthego.com.au

 

[Joe917]

Drinking-Water Reverse Osmosis

Looking for the cleanest drinking water you can get in your RV on your travels? Browse our selection of RO drinking water systems for RVs today!

www.rvwaterfilterstore.com

no affiliation, I have purchased filters from them.

 

[mep1811]

Most of the systems I've seem are in the $500.00 plus range. I know a person with the Lifesaver Expedition Jerry can but he says it is very slow at making water. The marine market seems to have many different filter/UV systems but most seem to only make water at about 15.-2 gallons per minute.

Order UV Water Purifiers - UV Water Filter Systems| WaterSafePro

Order Water Purifier Systems, 12v or 120v, 3gpm, portable, emergency. $5 Shipping! WaterSafePro

watersafepro.com

 

[mep1811]

This looks like a simple effective system . This system used UV light and a filter.

DIY 4x4 Drinking Water Tank, Pump, Filter and Treat | The Road Chose Me

HOW-TO design, build and mount a drinking water tank, pump and filtration system to your 4x4 vehicle.

theroadchoseme.com

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

Yes UV filter will be faster. One thing to remember if using UV your solids filters must be prior to the UV. The higher the Total Dissolved Solids the less effective the UV system is. This also means any charcoal filter must be after UV.

Properly setup a UV system is just as effective as a RO system, without the slow speed and waste. The waste from an RO system is highly concentrated BIO waste. Meaning it is nasty to dispose back into a raw water source or on the ground.

 

[dreadlocks]

I've got a home RO system I got from: http://www.purewaterclub.com/

It fills a 55g drum in the basement and then a high pressure pump like what we've got in our RV's and a surge tank distributes it to the kitchen and fishtank.. I think if I was gonna do portable I'd do something simuliar, the biggest issue is gonna be how much energy that pump consumes.. it'd be something you'd run w/sun shining w/extra unused solar.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

Highly concentrated ?
Sounds like thats only qualified by opinion.

Here is just one paper I found rather quickly. There have been several sources on how toxic RO waste is. Just don't have time to do an in depth search right now.

Oxidation of organics in retentates from reverse osmosis wastewater reuse facilities - PubMed

The use of membrane processes for wastewater treatment and reuse is rapidly expanding. Organic, inorganic, and biological constituents are effectively removed by reverse osmosis (RO) membrane processes, but concentrate in membrane retentates Disposal of membrane concentrates is a growing...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[erstwild]

Hmm, good points all around! It does make me wonder if RO might be overkill?

Currently, I am thinking about something like this:

Katadyn Expedition High Capacity Water Filter

Updated model! Ideal for large groups. SKU #604375163898

www.highwaterfilters.com

to fill my 5 gallon jerry cans quickly and easily and then using high quality filtration water bottles to further filter (lead, benzene, etc.) for drinking water.

 

[grizzlyj]

If you want to make potable water from either sea water or brackish water then RO is maybe the only choice?
But if not Katadyn do a gravity filter for much less than that posh handpump if you could leave it set up to feed into a jerry can overnight?
But if since you mentioned a pump to start with why not have a standard cartridge filter housing with a suitable 12v pump? Katadyn Gravidyn filter cartridge for instance? UV would need a pre filter for not too clean water anyway?

 

[plh]

RO is going to be slow and you will need either city water pressure or a pump that can supply a constant 60 psi. I have a portable setup that I use for brewing (beer) that I hook to city water. Our municipality uses chloramine for disinfection and that will leave a plastic bandaide taste in beer. Before the RO I use a few filter cartridges including a 10 micron, 2 micron, 2 carbon filters and a doulton before it hits the RO. I can collect about 50 gallons of RO in 24 hours. I could get by with only the 2 carbon filters to remove the chloramine, our water is sourced from Lake Michigan - its great for Ambers and dark beers, but the profile is way off for pilsners and IPAs, so I build back the correct salts into the collected RO for each recipe brewed.

 

[Alloy]

Hmm, good points all around! It does make me wonder if RO might be overkill?

Currently, I am thinking about something like this:

Katadyn Expedition High Capacity Water Filter

Updated model! Ideal for large groups. SKU #604375163898

www.highwaterfilters.com

to fill my 5 gallon jerry cans quickly and easily and then using high quality filtration water bottles to further filter (lead, benzene, etc.) for drinking water.

I have a Katadyn (does not remove heavy metals) but I use 2 gravity feed Sawyer( carrys a spare filter) Squeeze set ups now.

My system for lake water (further out on the lake the water is better) is the same for the Katadyn or the Sawyers. Water goes through 10 micron and 1 micron filter bags beforehand. I made the gravity setups before Sawyer had one.

1-Gallon Gravity Water Filtration System

A lightweight, robust solution for filtering large quantities of water in as little as 7 minutes, Sawyer’s 1-Gallon Gravity System with dual-threaded MINI filter is ideal for backpacking, backcountry camping, and emergency preparedness. With threads on both sides, you can screw the push/pull cap...

sawyer.com

10 micron

Amazon.com: Nylon 10 Micron 7"x16" Filter Bag NMO (Monofilament Mesh) Size 1: Industrial & Scientific

Amazon.com: Nylon 10 Micron 7"x16" Filter Bag NMO (Monofilament Mesh) Size 1: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

1 micron

Amazon.com: Pentek BP-420-1 Polypropylene 1 Micron, 4.5" x 20", Single Unit, White : Industrial & Scientific

Amazon.com: Pentek BP-420-1 Polypropylene 1 Micron, 4.5" x 20", Single Unit, White : Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

RO when not in use needs to be drained sanitized or bacteria/virus grows through the filters. I know many RO system installed on boats that people take bottled water because it is easier/cheaper than maintaining the RO system.

RO water needs to be treated if it is being stored.

 

[chaselpgrohman5713]

I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with portable (probably marine grade) reverse osmosis purification systems? I am hoping to find a really compact version with electric pump and hose to refill my water jerry can(s) from any water source I come across.

I’ve looked into portable RO systems myself, and they can be quite handy for situations like yours. A compact marine-grade unit with an electric pump sounds like a great choice—check out models designed for boats or RVs as they often fit the bill for portability and durability. Or I think you should have a watch on another RO System. A Waterdrop WD-CTF-01 might be a good choice

 

[DirtWhiskey]

RO water tastes bad and has its own waste stream you have to deal with. Remember water wants to have minerals in it. RO removes everything so water will want to re-minaralize itself. Yes you can use re-minaralizing filters but that adds xomplexity. So it will take minerals from whatever it touches. It will corrode brass and copper fittings for example. Bio fowling has been mentioned.

Outside of espresso machines and beer making and industrial processes, I've never understood the RO craze. The water tastes "empty" to me. I run cocktail bars and we make/break down our own fancy clear block ice in a Clinebell machine. We are nerdy about water. We run sediment filters into a dual wash back activated carbon and catalytic carbon tanks. Catalytic is for the chloramine in the muni supply. Our water tastes really good and our ice is clear.

IMHO RO is not practical or even desirable for vehicle use. My scheme is: sediment then back-flushable hollow membrane filter to tank. Small dose of chlorine into tank. Carbon filter at sink or other drinking POU. This keeps the bio nasties tamped down in the tanks. At some point I want to add UV into the mix post filter for viral loads.

I keep alum or aluminum hydroxy chloride (AHC) for flocculation should I need to pull a small 5g load of brackish or muddy water into the tank in a pinch, an old river runners trick. Scoop up river water with a 5 gallon bucket, add your diluted alum or AHC, stir good and wait 20 minutes then filter clear water off the top. Has come in really handy on the Colorado Plateau. I've used alum, which is available at most grocery stores in powdered form in the canning section for jellies, for decades to great effect. I get my AHC from THIS GUY. A little goes a loooong way.

 

[emulous74]

They now have “tankless” RO systems, with flow rates of 1.2 gallons a minute but they are well over the 1k price ladder. They do require electricity. I bought one for my cabin but haven’t installed it yet. One of the brands is Waterdrop. Their X16 model is the one with the highest flow rate.