Help with drip system starter kit plz...

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
davenmandy said:
Lol okay great thanks. I only have the 1 tank so flow shouldn't be an issue cuz i only want a 1gph drip. Gah i hate plumbing, it's always a puzzle. Going to spend an hour at the hardware store trying to figure it out one step at a time, from the compression fittings on, just wanted an idea for how big to aim for the compression fittings. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will fall in to place easy.

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IF you wanted to go super easy they should have whole house filters that have compression fittings to accept that dinky fridge line. Get a saddle valve run line to filter, compression valve after filter, and done. But then you can't fill tanks and loose the option of mixing hot and cold to aid in heating/cooling the tank.

The biggest problem I have with the "simple" setup is the fact you somehow find the ability to be content with ONE tank. Sounds an awful lot like denial of a fish problem...... Better to just accept you have the sickness and make it an adventure. :)

Just giving you a hard time.......
 
Lol believe me, I got the illness under control for the moment but I promise to go off my meds and go crazy as soon as i have the time.

So I thought of something, my washing machine is hooked up via a T in the water line threaded with the black appliance line going straight into it. What if i unscrewed that appliance line and inserted another T there? Double threaded would save me from having to actually tap the line. I'm concerned about 2 things, a) the level of flow from having 2 T's so close together, but my guess is that wouldn't be a problem really and b) any back siphon or water mixed from the washing machine with soap in it in the appliance line. Does your system get affected at all when you run the washing machine? Again i am assuming that the valve on the washing machines is good enough to prevent any of that, but just thought I'd ask your experience.

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davenmandy said:
Lol believe me, I got the illness under control for the moment but I promise to go off my meds and go crazy as soon as i have the time.

So I thought of something, my washing machine is hooked up via a T in the water line threaded with the black appliance line going straight into it. What if i unscrewed that appliance line and inserted another T there? Double threaded would save me from having to actually tap the line. I'm concerned about 2 things, a) the level of flow from having 2 T's so close together, but my guess is that wouldn't be a problem really and b) any back siphon or water mixed from the washing machine with soap in it in the appliance line. Does your system get affected at all when you run the washing machine? Again i am assuming that the valve on the washing machines is good enough to prevent any of that, but just thought I'd ask your experience.

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Sounds very similar to what I have going on in post #9 of this thread..... My washing machine is hooked to the bottom of the pvc, drip is hooked to the valves above where the washing machine hooks to. I've had this setup like this for years.......

Yes, the washing machine does affect the drip but not long enough to do anything.....
 
Ya for sure similar just doesn't have 2 T's right in a row from what I see. So does the washing machine drastically reduce the flow? If it's not bad I'll do it like that for sure if no risk of any soap getting in through back siphon, but tons of laundry gets done at my house, couple loads a day sometimes when I've slacked, so if you do notice a significant change I'll just tap it above elsewhere, cost is the same, just slightly more work. And obviously more permanent.

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I don't see how any soap or anything could end up in the drip with the water pressure......

I notice a reduction in flow when I'm filling tanks with the washer on, and temp fluctuates, but even with several drips going I don't think there's much of a reduction on the drip amount.

All you can do is give it go see whatcha think....
 
Ya, figured out a better way, doubled sink tap. It's all done but I must have used the wrong valves because there is way too much pressure 1gph was hard to get, hot tap barely cracked and it's over that. It's all done and works but needs some tweaking.

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Wish I could post pics. Can't figure out this pressure thing. Got the drip going sorta where I want it, but that's by virtue of BARELY opening the hot valve, can't open it any less. Can't turn on cold cuz flow is too much. I have boiler drain valves on there, maybe that's my mistake? Regulates flow enough for me to get close to 1 gph. I have a ball valve after the filter housing manifolds, but it's essentially useless because the first valve is what's controlling it. If I close the ball valve with any sort of pressure the fittings on the whole home filters start leaking. Kind of a moot point though because even if i attempt to stop the fittings from leaking the actual cartridge starts leaking. Can't imagine the pressure in the house is too much, the main valve is open all the way but I could have sworn it's supposed to be. The way the pressure is right now after 24 hours both filter housings are dry (not from leaking they just don't fill fast enough) but when they are dry it still doesn't effect the flow, bypasses somehow.

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I wonder if i toss the ball valve I'm before the filter housings will that help. Or one before and one after, would that help anything, or would the second ball valve only lessen the pressure if it was closed more than the first one? Heads kinda spinning.

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The filter housings shouldn't leak period.......

Possible to post a vid?

My head's spinning now too..... lol Sounds way more complicated then it should be lol.
 
So I fixed the fittings leaking. Just re did them all with more plumbers tape, and i put the ball valve in front of the filter housings so as not to create any back pressure. It helped for sure, I have no leaks and i have the drip where I want it and can even get it less, but i still can't open the valves before the appliance T more than a hair, only hot is barely on. I haven't messed with it enough to definitely say that I can't open it more, however I don't think the ball valve is enough to reduce the flow with more pressure. I think the problem is it's a 3/4" Ball valve (I have 1/2" line going to the tank but the housing fittings are all 3/4"), i think i will put another smaller one somewhere down the line, maybe right where it drips into the tank. Definitely more manageable at this point, I will keep working, I don't want to replace the valves before the appliance T but i feel i might have to with ball valves, which unfortunately means more fittings and plumbers tape.

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