ro/di in a small apt?

notyet · #1 11/20/2006, 11:52 AM

this might be a stupid question, but how do most of you that live in small apartments (only a kitchen sink and bathroom sink) deal with your ro/di unit?

do you keep it hooked up all the time? or do you only plumb it in when you need it?

Dubbin1 · #2 11/20/2006, 11:54 AM

You can buy an adapter that hooks up to your faucet so you can use it only when needed.

Sk8r · #3 11/20/2006, 12:02 PM

YOu may have to change the tap at the end of your kitchen sink faucet. This is easy done. Go to a plumbing supply house if you need help with it.

Easier to use the coldwater tap of a washingmachine if you have one in the apt. Use a Y connector to differentiate functions.

Shagsbeard · #4 11/20/2006, 12:09 PM

It's also easy to install one below your sink. Any plumber that charges more than $40 to do it is making pretty good money. If you have a handy friend that knows what he's doing, he'll do it for the better part of a sixpack during half time. (sorry that that came out as sexist as it did... but I'll stand by it).

Edit: While he's doing it... see if he can plumb the "waste" water into the back of your toilet. You can save a load of water by turning off the plumbing to your toliet and using bath water or water from your RO/DI to flush with.

notyet · #5 11/20/2006, 12:16 PM

thanks for your quick replies...

Dubbin: with that adapter would i then have the less than attractive ro/di unit sitting there next to my sink?

Shagsbeard: would i have to use a Y divider under the sink, and then just switch to the RO/Di side when i needed tank water and switch to the other side when i need regular water for dishes etc?

thanks again

J. Montgomery · #6 11/20/2006, 12:27 PM

I live in an apartment. I tapped the line underneath the sink in our "half bathroom" and I installed a shut-off ball valve right there at the plumbing. I also installed shut-off ball valves on every line going into and out of the RO/DI unit, and when I'm not using it I close off all the valves and store the RO/DI unit out of sight. My fiancee wouldn't let me leave it in plain sight, and the area underneath the kitchen sink was already packed with kitchen cleaning stuff. . . plus, she wasn't going to let me make water in the kitchen on a weekly basis.

At first I tried the hose adaptor and the faucet adaptors before I ended up tapping the plumbing. I don't recommend either of the adaptors.

Dubbin1 · #7 11/20/2006, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shagsbeard
It's also easy to install one below your sink. Any plumber that charges more than $40 to do it is making pretty good money. If you have a handy friend that knows what he's doing, he'll do it for the better part of a sixpack during half time. (sorry that that came out as sexist as it did... but I'll stand by it).

Edit: While he's doing it... see if he can plumb the "waste" water into the back of your toilet. You can save a load of water by turning off the plumbing to your toliet and using bath water or water from your RO/DI to flush with.

He lives in an apartment so that would not be a good idea. Plumbing to the back of the toilet is not going to save much water. Once the tank fills up then its just going to go down the drain. Plus its only going to fill it while the RO unit is working.

Dubbin1 · #8 11/20/2006, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by notyet
thanks for your quick replies...

Dubbin: with that adapter would i then have the less than attractive ro/di unit sitting there next to my sink?

No, you can still sit the RO/DI unit under the sink and only pull the line out when you need it.

divecj5 · #9 11/20/2006, 01:43 PM

I live in a small one bedroom apt and I just bought a faucet adapter from the place I got the RO/DI unit and just hook it up to the bathroom sink when I want to use it. I just end up leaving it in the bathroom under a shelf to the side when I'm not filling things up.

I didn't want to go cutting pipes or messing with all that since I'm not looking to loosing my security deposit or paying for damages