There are three kinds of pumps we use; the booster pump, delivery pump and the permeate pump.

The booster pump does exactly that; boosts pressure going into your system.

The delivery pump also does what it says; delivers water to multiple sources or helps with long distances.

The permeate pump is a useful pump if you have a drinking water system. It is an energy recovery device (ERD).

The booster and delivery pumps can be used on all systems with the right conditions. The permeate pump can be used only on units that have a pressurized storage tank.

Why is a permeate pump good for drinking water units?

A Reverse Osmosis drinking water system requires pretty strong water pressure (at least 35 psi) to force water through the R.O. membrane, while flushing the bad elements to the drain. The lower the water pressure, the less "good" water you get and the more "waste" water you produce. The average membrane rating is based on a constant feed water pressure of (50) psi using 77 degree water. The average "real life" application provides much less favorable conditions than this.

The end result is that your R.O. system is drastically under-performing. To make matters worse, the pressure tank that stores your R.O. water compounds this problem. When full, the R.O. tank has an internal pressure of about close to (60)% of your tap water . This pressure is fighting the inlet water pressure. The inlet water pressure is trying to force water through the membrane and into the tank. Even if you have strong water pressure of 60 psi; as the tank gets close to full, the actual pressure on the membrane is only 20 psi.

The permeate pump helps with this problem.

In typical R.O. systems, increased tank pressure causes decreased pressure across the membrane. This decreased pressure causes a substantial decline in system performance and efficiency. A Permeate Pump enhanced R.O. maintains full pressure across its R.O. membrane, even as tank pressure reaches its maximum levels. This reduced back pressure from the storage tank ensures both better water quality (maximum TDS reduction), longer filter life and extended membrane life. In typical R.O. systems, increased tank pressure results in decreased recovery rates. A Permeate Pump enhanced RO system, by automatically minimizing back-pressure, accelerates recovery rates (and reduces tank refill times) by up to 65%.

The permeate pump also reduces waste water:

In typical R.O. systems, several gallons of wasted tap water (discharged to drain) are required to create a single gallon of purified R.O. water. A Permeate Pump enhanced R.O. system, will reduce waste water by up to 80%, helping to conserve an important natural resource while significantly increasing component life. It can be argued that the permeate pump will easily pay for itself saving the wasted expense of changing out filters prematurely and conserving water.

The normal ratio (3-4 gallons of waste per 1 gallon of pure) is based on no back pressure from the tank. Back pressure slows the system down. When you have a nearly full tank, the waste ratio exceeds the norm by quite a bit. The production slows, but the waste remains constant. So the effect is a much higher ratio.

The permeate pump requires no electrical power. It works by taking advantage of the flow of water produced by the waste water to decrease the back-pressure in the line going to the RO storage tank. In short, it nearly draws the water off of the RO membrane into the tank. As a result the pump can increase production by as much as 400% while decreasing waste water by as much as 80%.

The permeate pump only works on units that have pressurized storage tanks. The have no effect on atmospheric tanks. This is because the work with the pressure on both sides. Since an empty tank has no back-pressure, the pump does nothing.

The application of an Ultra Violet unit post membrane is purely redundant sterilization. However the application of a UV unit as a pre filter can lead to enhanced performance and longer membrane life.

Why? Bacteria that have had their DNA scrambled cannot replicate inside the system filters or membrane.

Food and energy are available to bacteria in a water system. Especially in systems with clear housings so popular with reefkeepers.

Light provided energy and the sediments and dirt trapped by the filters provide food. Remember all UV systems should only be used on spakling water, water that has been filtered to five microns. Any sediments or particles in the water larger than five micron can shield bacteria from the UV rays.