Undercounter RO System

[Rhyph]

All this talk of RO systems got me pondering about going ahead and adding an undercounter RO system in the kitchen. I have plenty of cabinet space below the sink to sacrifice for the unit and tank. We'd mostly want it for similar reasons as anyone else I suppose, safe, clean drinking water for dogs, humans, making ice cubes (low calorie dog snacks), and our Keurig.

My big question is surrounding the installation of the little faucet for it in the counter top. Is there any harm in drilling though the solid surface counter top or wisdom I should follow before I do so? I don't want to damage it in some way I'm not expecting. Causing a crack to form comes to mind.

 

[hoefler]

You can use a new spade bit or good hole saw. Cuts pretty easy.

 

[jbeletti]

I've used standard holes saws. The counter is easily drilled. I also taped off the area with blue masking tape and marked my drill spot on it. Have a vacuum cleaner ready and maybe even have an assistant vacuum while you drill. Be sure you are clear below the hole (sink flange, cabinet structure etc.).

 

[farside291]

We just bought the ispring 6 stage system and it has a small faucet that I have to mount as well. I am a little leery about drilling a hole in my counter top. But I suppose it will be no problem. I was more that a little concerned when I drilled a 4 inch hole for the dryer vent but that went fine with no problems. I am very anxious to install the ispring system.

 

[jbeletti]

We just bought the ispring 6 stage system and it has a small faucet that I have to mount as well. I am a little leery about drilling a hole in my counter top. But I suppose it will be no problem. I was more that a little concerned when I drilled a 4 inch hole for the dryer vent but that went fine with no problems. I am very anxious to install the ispring system.

Clearance below is your only issue. Once you ensure there is room for the faucet and lines and there is nothing but counter top where you will drill - drilling the hole is nearly like drilling a piece of plywood. tape it off, mark it and drill using a regular hole saw. No need to use a special/expensive solid surface hole saw. This material is very plastic-like. I've done it twice now.

 

[Rhyph]

Thanks for the guidance! Good to hear I shouldn't have to go through any extremes for making the hole for the faucet. I haven't looked under there yet to check clearances since it's at our covered storage facility at the moment, but hopefully it'll be an easy install. I'll grab pictures along the way once I get going on it.

 

[jimtoo]

Also before you start drilling with the hole saw, I think I remember that it is recommended that you run the drill in reverse to score the surface of the counter. This will prevent the surface from chipping. Then proceed to to drill the hole.

Jim M

 

[ncc1701e]

Looking at INSTALLING a RO system and will be watching for your installation results. Right now I am working on mounts to secure the filters and tank as we ramble down the SMOOTH highways in our great land.

 

[donr827]

Might check YouTube for to see if there is a video on installing the system.
Don

 

[Rhyph]

I haven't quite pulled the trigger on this yet, we've had a bit of an unexpected shift in our work schedules which has laid us up from travel until this month, and we'll be getting out more through the rest of the year. In fact we'll be on the road more than at home between July and November. So I'm about to buy a system this next week.

This also made me start thinking about that exact situation where, if we are in storage during some extended down times of even more than a week, how do you cope with the water sitting in the RO system? What if it is a month or more, etc? I can't imagine the water sitting in the unit (like this one w/tank) would be a good thing. Is it just a matter of flushing it out really well the next time we pull her out of storage? These systems don't lend themselves to being drained with any sort of ease once they are mounted.

Sure, you could spin the filters off and drain them out. That is not going to get the water out of the RO membrane, post filter, and tank. It also seems wasteful to think about having to throw away the filters after a period of rest. I currently only run a converted home-type carbon block filter canister arrangement on the in bound water line to the coach, never had any issues there, but I also don't mind buying and tossing those $7 (per filter in a pack of 2) from Home Depot every so often.

What does everyone else do in these period of storage situations with their RO systems?

 

[jbeletti]

Ryph - I too have wondered about this. I have a whole-coach RO system and worry about this a bit. I've been home about a week and won't get to any RV projects for another few days. I believe what I will do is drain the water from my tank, then flush the system by turning the RO system back on. This will force water through the filters and the RO membrane.

I was home a few weeks prior to this last time out and this is pretty much that same as I did then (drain and flush). We suffered no ill health affects.

 

[porthole]

I have drilled both countertops for additions (soap and a drink spigot).
Each time I located where I wanted the hole, then used a 1/16" drill bit.

This allows an underside check just to make sure you have you required above and below clearance.

Drill the hole and put a flashlight over it.

https://heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/11365-And-so-it-begins?p=258523&highlight=soap#post258523