RO waste removal

[JD'sReef]

So have any of you ever hooked up you RO waste line back up to your main water line? Basically I have a three gallon pressurized holding tank and think that if I hooked up a 6 gallon pressure tank to the mater main then every time I turn the the water on in your house the pressure would realease for the waste tank and flow through the main system.
This was just an Idea after a bottle of wine with the Brother so I am not sure if it can work but just woundering if you have ever heard or tried something to this extent. Ro's make a lot of wates.
Jay

 

[taikonaut]

In the summer, you can use the waste water to water your lawn. There are other more creative usage for the brine, such as use it for toilet flushing and washing clothing....

The main problem with your idea is that the brine output of the RO is not designed to have much back pressure. Attach a pressue tank to it will either make the RO more inefficient (more waste water), or make the filtered water more dirty. You need a pressure pump if you want to solve this problem, but the cost of electricty to run the pump pretty much will balance off the benefit of the cost of water, unless you have very cheap e-rate.

 

[JD'sReef]

Thanks Tailonaut,
So how do you set up a system to water your lawn or flush the toilet? Do you do this are is it more havock then anything?
Thanks
J.

 

[taikonaut]

I have reserviors out in the yard, and if I use them all, they can hold 1200 gal or so total.

If you have a "popular" toilet near your fish tank, drain the RO brine to the holding tank. It got a overflow, so excess water just drains out. Your creativity and imagination is the limit here.

 

[billyk]

I plumbed a 32 gal trash rubbermaid trash barrel to hadle the RO/DI waste water. It is elevated in a corner of my basement by the washing machine, I ran some 1/2" PVC from it to the wall by the washer. There is a valve and a few feet of flexible tube. I also added an overflow and plumbed it to the washer's drain pipe. My family will fill the washer with the RO/DI waste first, then use the city water. When it warms up I will add a spigot through the wall and use it for the gardens.
Works well and does not waste any water. Have not noticed a difference in my clothes after six months. BTW we use teh filtered water for drinking and cooking too.

 

[JD'sReef]

Thanks for the Ideas all,
Basically what it comes down to is a holding tank and an imagination. These all sound like good ideas and I like them. Wasting water is hard to take but my tank stays so clean.