Before buying a water treatment plant — what to ask
Short answer: Establish your water analysis and your actual requirement before speaking to anyone. Then ask every supplier the same questions, so you are comparing like with like. Most disappointing purchases come from an incomplete specification rather than a bad supplier.
Establish these first
- Water analysis — TDS, hardness, iron, pH, turbidity, chlorine. See our water testing guide
- Daily requirement in litres, including peak days
- Available running hours
- Raw water supply rate — can the borewell actually deliver the feed flow?
- End use — drinking, boiler, process, packaged
- Space available, including headroom and room to service
- Power available
Questions to ask every supplier
About capacity
- Is the quoted LPH at my feed TDS and temperature, or at test conditions?
- What recovery is assumed?
- What feed flow does that imply?
Membrane output falls with higher TDS and lower temperature. A plant quoted at test conditions may deliver noticeably less on your water in winter.
About pre-treatment
- Is the pre-treatment sized on feed flow or on plant output?
- What happens to the iron in my water?
- Is there dechlorination, and how?
- Is a softener included, or is antiscalant expected to handle the hardness?
About what is included
- Are pressure gauges and rotameters included?
- Is a TDS meter on feed as well as permeate?
- Are level switches on the dosing tanks included?
- Are the tanks included, or supplied separately?
- Is installation and commissioning included?
About running cost
- What is the expected chemical consumption per month?
- What is the reject water quantity?
- What is the connected load and expected power consumption?
- How often will cartridges need changing on my water?
- What is the expected membrane life?
About support
- What is the warranty on each component?
- Are spares available locally?
- Who does the commissioning, and is operator training included?
- What does an AMC cover and cost?
What a good quotation contains
| Item | Should specify |
|---|---|
| Plant capacity | LPH at stated feed TDS and temperature |
| Recovery | Percentage, and resulting feed flow |
| Membranes | Type, size and quantity |
| Pre-treatment | Each stage, with sizing |
| Pumps | Make, model, HP |
| Instruments | Listed individually |
| Dosing systems | Pumps, tanks, accessories |
| Scope | What the buyer must provide |
A quotation that says only "1,000 LPH RO plant" with a price cannot be compared with anything.
Common ways buyers get caught out
- Capacity quoted at test conditions — actual output on your water is lower
- Pre-treatment sized on output — chokes as soon as the plant runs
- Instruments omitted — cheaper quotation, undiagnosable plant
- No softener where hardness is high — antiscalant alone cannot cope
- Raw water supply not checked — plant cannot get enough feed
- No space allowed for servicing — membranes cannot be withdrawn
- Running cost not discussed — chemical and reject water are ongoing costs
Space and layout
- Headroom for top mount vessels — see our mounting guide
- Clear space at one end of membrane housings to withdraw elements
- Access to gauges and dosing tanks without moving anything
- Drainage for reject and backwash
- Ventilation where chemicals are stored
Plan for the reject water
An RO plant produces a substantial reject stream. Decide before installation where it goes:
- Drain, if permitted
- Gardening, if TDS allows
- Floor washing or flushing
- A separate storage tank for secondary use
See our recovery and reject guide.
What to send us for a quotation
- Water analysis, or at minimum TDS and hardness
- Daily requirement and running hours
- Raw water source and its supply rate
- End use
- Space available
Our plant calculators will give you an indicative sizing before you even ask.
Get a properly specified quotation
Send your water analysis, requirement and space available, and we will provide a detailed itemised quotation.
💬 WhatsApp par poochhein 📞 9910646957Frequently asked questions
What should I establish before ordering a water treatment plant?
Your water analysis, daily requirement including peak days, available running hours, raw water supply rate, end use, and space available. Most disappointing purchases come from an incomplete specification rather than a bad supplier.
Why does the raw water supply rate matter?
A plant making seven hundred and fifty LPH at sixty five percent recovery needs about eleven hundred and fifty LPH of feed. If the borewell only gives eight hundred, the plant will never reach its rated output.
What should I ask about quoted capacity?
Whether the LPH is at your feed TDS and temperature or at test conditions. Membrane output falls with higher TDS and lower temperature, so a plant quoted at test conditions may deliver noticeably less on your water in winter.
Which items are most often left out of quotations?
Instruments — pressure gauges, rotameters, TDS meters on feed as well as permeate, and level switches on dosing tanks. A plant without them looks cheaper but cannot be diagnosed when something goes wrong.
What should a good quotation specify?
Capacity at stated feed conditions, recovery and resulting feed flow, membrane type and quantity, each pre-treatment stage with sizing, pump models, instruments listed individually, and what the buyer must provide.