Installation Overview

The pilot evaluation consisted of 20 units installed in each community. These were completed in both cases with in one week, with most of the units being installed with in two days. In both cases the installation was completed by a local independent water dealer/plumber. On average the installation of the RO unit took approximately 20 minutes. The average duration of time spent at each house however was 40 minutes as the homeowner wanted to discuss the program and learn about the RO unit that was being installed in the house.

During the installation it was discovered that one of the home owners at Michael's Ranch had installed a Watts Premier five stage RO unit 1 ½ years prior to the initiation of the project. This RO was left in place in order to provide some additional data regarding the longevity of the reduction capabilities on the RO units. The only modification to the unit was the change out of the faucet, as the original system had a standard faucet and not a monitor faucet as required by the safe drinking water act.

There was one house in Michael's Ranch that had a porcelain sink, and as such required a special drill bit in order to make the hole for the faucet. Due to availability constraints of the homeowner and the house being remodeled, the unit was not installed until half way through the test.

Issues addressed during installation:

• Water Systems preferred to use a local water professional to install and maintain the RO units.
• These water professionals or independent water dealers were bonded to the public water system for insurance and liability purposes.
• Drilling holes for auxiliary faucet t in t o porcelain sinks may take additional time due to the complexity of drilling in porcelain. In some cases a specialist may be needed to drill t his hole if t he individuals installing the RO units do not have the kit required to drill this hole.
• Special trips may be required for vacation homes as homeowners may not be present during scheduled community installation timeframe.
• Homes equipped with instant hot water dispensers or refrigerator water dispensers may require additional plumbing components in order to connect these appliances.

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