Case History

CKS Replaces Ball Check in RO Water System

A flexible circuit manufacturer in Chandler, Arizona was having a problem with backflow from a large reverse osmosis water storage tank.

In this application, water is fed from a degassifier (removes air bubbles) into a 1 hp, 30-50 GPM pump. The pump is used to push the RO water approximately 30 feet up a 2″ vertical pipeline into a large storage tank. To prevent backflow and siphoning when the pump was off, a check valve was installed 8 feet high on the vertical pipeline.

Unfortunately, a ball-type check valve was specified. According to Joe Ujvari, Ryan Herco, Tempe, “The typical ball check would never create a positive seal on the vertical column up to the top of the storage tank”. He explains that the lack of a positive seal would cause water to back up and flood the reservoir coming out of the degassifier.

When the electronics firm called Joe in to troubleshoot the system, he turned to Plast-O-Matic’s Series CKS Check Valve. Designed with a special PFA encapsulated spring (not a “coated” spring), the CKS provides a bubble-tight seal without compromising the ultrapure requirements of the application. Unlike ball-type check valves, the CKS does not require backflow to close. It automatically seals bubble-tight in the absense of inlet pressure – no backpressure is required.