Lets Talk about Leak Testing

So I was wondering, what's the best way to leak test a newly plumbed system....Other than the obvious to simply add water.....Duh.

I guess what I'm asking is, Is it ok to just throw in plain old tap water and make sure everything is ok, or will that add metals and phosphates that will be difficult to remove later. On the flip side, if you test with salt or RODI water and you do have a small leak somewhere, you have to drain and start over.....Thats a lot of water wasted, Thanks for any input.

 

I have always used tap water for checking if a tank leaks etc and leave it standing or running if it is a sump system for a few days

you could use RODI and then once your happy nothing leaks add the salt
if you do have a leak, you can often just turn everything off, take out a little water
repair the leak, wait for curing of any joints fixed etc, and then top up and start again

 

I would just test with tap water and save your membranes and salt until you are ready to fill it. The small amount of metals in tap water should not pose any issue IMO. A lot of people still top off with tap water (I wouldn't personally) and the main issue is usually algae growth from phosphates.

 

I've always used tap for leak testing on a new and especially a used setup with no ill effects,matter of fact,I just tested the bulkheads we were discussing the other day with a 3 day tap water leak test on my front porch.

P.S. it passed the test

 

+1 to tap water if testing outside/wherever.

If you have the tank in the set location where you'd like it to remain and plumbing, etc are finished, I would leak test with RODI and follow Steve Wright's instructions.

 

Thanks for all the great input. Tap water is the way to go. It's good to know the simple things first rather then take the step forward and find out you shouldn't have...lol Thanks everyone.

 

I personally just leak tested with a "live batch". Not because I'm an expert just because that's how I roll

With PVC you can generally tell if a fitting is really loose, it's probably not watertight. I did a lot of dry fitting, and checking lengths and fitments of things, then when I got it to fit the way I wanted, I PVC cemented the parts I was sure I wanted to stay the same forever. I actually don't even have all of the plumbing cemented, but some of it fits together so well, that since it's not carrying any real pressure to speak of, it's not leaking.

That being said, I have a small water droplet type leak on both the drain and the return, on junctions that I *DID* use the cement on

 

Just to make sure everyone reads this right, you should always cement ALL of your return piping. Even if it feels very tight with no cement, there is no point in risking it! Drain/overflow lines are not as important, as they are not under pressure as mentioned.

And you should definitely not be having any of the cemented joints leaking. Something must be up with that...

 

Well, I've been testing all weekend and so far so good. I didn't want to risk anything, I sealed Every joint. With a bit of luck, and some skill with pvc, not one joint failed. ;D

@ Muddy, sorry about the small leaks you found. That can get frustrating, I know. Be sure and fix that up before moving forward.

 

I think it's because I painted the PVC, and it interfered with the solvent bonding process. No worries though, a little silicone caulk around those fittings and we'll see. Might take 2 or 3 rounds of it to get rid of the little droplet forming leak, but that's ok - I have a brand new tube