Water Factory Systems N4000 Series, N5000 Series, N4500 Series Installation, Operation And Maintenance Manual

Series N4000, N4500, N5000

Installation Operation and

Maintenance Manual

WATER FACTORY SYSTEMS

®

N4000, N4500, N5000

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Drinking Water Appliance

CUNO Incorporated

400 Research Parkway

Meriden, CT 06450

Tele: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

98-8807 0300

Introduction

This manual explains the installation and maintenance instructions for the water Factory Systems’
N4000, N54500, N5000 Series Reverse Osmosis (RO) Drinking Water Appliances. Please read each section
of this manual carefully. The specific model chosen should be appropriate for the local water conditions and
the customer’s needs. Check the Performance Data Sheet which specifies performance characteristics and
the conditions of use.

The Water Factory Systems’ undercounter RO drinking water appliances are designed to connect per­manently to a home plumbing system. To ensure the installation conforms to your state and local plumbing
codes, it is recommended that the installation be performed by a qualified specialist for RO drinking water
appliances or a licensed plumber. Failure to install as instructed will VOID the warranty.

Caution: The RO membrane cartridge is shipped with a preservative solution inside. Make sure to
flush it thoroughly as directed before first use.

Table Of Contents

Installation Instructions

A. Determine the appliance location
B. Prepare the area for installation
C. Prepare the appliance for installation
D. Install the feed water valve and tubing
E. Prefill and sanitize the storage tank
F. Install the drain connection
G. Install the faucet
H. Make the faucet mounting hole
I. Mount the faucet
J. Make initial tubing connections
K. Install purification assembly and storage tank
L. Make final tubing connections
M. Install the icemaker hookup (optional)
N. Start up the system
O. Flush system of preservative and check operation
P. Cleanup, paperwork, and customer orientation
Appendix for basement installations
Installation troubleshooting
Installation diagrams, (Figures 1-6)

Operation & Maintenance Instructions

Important water quality assurance requirements
Replacing the filter cartridges
Replacing the RO membrane cartridge
Sanitizing the RO appliance

© 1995, CUNO/Water Factory Systems. All material herein may not be produced or copied in any manner without the expresse written consent of the publisher.

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Installation Instructions

A. Determine System Location (Figure. 1&2)

The appliance can be located under a sink or
in a basement depending on space availability and
the customer’s preference. If a basement installation
is selected, additional tubing, hardware and fittings
may be needed and a hole will have to be made
from inside the cabinet, through the floor, to the
basement. Never install in an area of the home
where temperature is freezing as damage to the
system will result.

The exact placement of the various compo­nents of the appliance will vary from installation to
installation. The installer, in conjunction with the
customer, must decide on where to place the faucet,
tank and purification assembly by balancing the
homeowner’s convenience with ease of installation
and servicing.

Considerations for an icemaker or other
remote hookup should be predetermined, including
routing and any additional tools, fittings, and tubing
that may be required.

B. Prepare The Area For Installation

To save time it is often advised to call the
customer and request they clear under the sink prior
to arrival. Otherwise, remove supplies from under
the sink and stack them neatly away from the work­ing area. Arrange a light for the work area, if neces­sary.

If a basement installation is called for, deter­mine where components will be located and how
they will be mounted. Special mounting brackets
and hardware may be necessary to secure the sys­tem to a wall or ceiling joints.

Inspect cold water supply line and drain to
determine if any special fittings, in addition to what
is included in the kit, are required.

NOTE: It is a good idea at this time to check the
condition of the customer’s undercounter plumbing
for any existing or potential leaks. The customer
should be advised of any problem so there is no
misunderstanding of who is responsible.

C. Prepare The Appliance For Installation

Open shipping carton and remove compo­nents. Check that all installation parts are present
which includes the purification assembly, storage
tank, faucet, installation hardware and tubing.

Check that the air supply in the empty tank is

approximately 7 psi. Adjust if necessary.

If optional percent rejection monitor is selected,
probes should be installed at this time. Follow instruc­tions that come with the monitor.

The saddle tapping valve supplied is
designed for use with 3/8” to 1/2” O.D. soft copper
supply tubing (plain or chromed) and rigid metal
pipe (see below). Do not use with flexible ribbed
supply tubing which has too thin a wall thickness
and requires special hardware. Optional feed valves
can be specially ordered from the factory for this
purpose. Also refer to figure 6 on use of the “Push
In” plastic fit- tings.

Soft Copper Tubing Installations:
A) Turn off cold water valve under the sink, or main

valve for the house.
B) Before installing saddle tapping valve, make sure

piercing lance does not protrude beyond rubber gas­ket. See instructions on bag.

C) Assemble both halves of saddle tapping valve on
copper tubing.

D) For 3/8” O.D tubing, use bracket with side projec­tions to prevent distortion of tubing. Use “V” side of
bracket for all larger size tubing. Tighten screws
evenly and firmly - brackets should be parallel. Do
not deform tubing. See diagram.

E) To pierce soft copper tube, turn handle clockwise
until it is firmly seated. The valve is closed in this
position.

F) Turn on main supply valve to pressurize cold
water line. Check for leaks. With a wrench, tighten
nut/seal around valve stem.

G) Connect length of orange 1/4” tubing to the feed
water valve, using brass compression nut, insert,
and plastic sleeve. See diagram.

NOTE: For basement installations, a longer length
of feed water tubing may have to be used.

IMPORTANT: Some local plumbing codes may
prohibit the use of saddle-type valve connec­tions. Optional feed valve assemblies can be
specially ordered from you supplier. See page
11 for further information.

Rigid Metal Pipe Installations:
A) Turn off cold water supply valve and drain the

line to prevent spillage.

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B) Drill 3/16” hole at the desired location. To prevent
shock hazard, use a battery operated drill.

C) Turn valve handle clockwise to expose piercing
lance beyond the rubber gasket no more than 3/16”.

D) Assemble saddle valve on the supply pipe by
screwing the two halves together. Use the “V” side
of the bracket. Tighten screws evenly and firmly,
keeping the two sides of the bracket parallel.

E) Turn saddle valve handle clockwise to close
valve. With a wrench, tighten nut/seal around stem.

F) When you wish to open valve and supply cold
water to the unit, turn valve handle counterclockwise.

G) Connect appropriate length of 1/4” tubing to the
feed water valve, using brass compression nut,
insert, and plastic sleeve. See diagram.

NOTE: For basement installations, a longer length
of orange feed water tubing may have to be used.

E. Prefill And Sanitize The Storage Tank

Prefilling the tank is always recommended so there
is pressure to check for leaks and several gallons of
water to flush carbon post filter. Tanks are furnished
with a special disinfection capsule which sanitizes
the tank when it is filled with water. An instruction
tag will accompany the tank. It is important to use a
sanitizer when prefilling the tank so the solution can
sanitize the tubing, fittings, and faucet at the time of
installation and startups.

A) Insert free end of orange feed water tubing into
the “Push In” fitting on the storage tank.

B) Open feed water valve and tank and allow to fill
(about 3 minutes).

C) Turn off feed water valve and tank valve and set
tank aside (15 minutes minimum).

NOTE: If an alternative storage tank is used without
a disinfection capsule, it should be sanitized with
household bleach (5.25%). Use 1 ml bleach per gal­lon of tank capacity.

F. Install The Drain Connection (fig.4)

For Basement Installations See page 8
Undercounter Installations:

IMPORTANT: Before starting this procedure,
inspect the condition of the drain piping, espe­cially in older homes where the traps and tail­pieces can be deceptively thin and frail. If in
poor condition, it is wise to inform the customer
that the condition should be remedied.

IMPORTANT: Some local plumbing codes may
prohibit the use of saddle-type drain connec­tions. See page 11 for further information.

The drain saddle assembly is designed to fit
around a standard 1-1/2” O.D. drain pipe. For small­er (lavatory type) or larger (ABS pipe) drains, con­sult the factory for special drain saddles.

The drain saddles should always be installed
above (before) the trap and on the vertical or horizontal
tailpiece. Never install the drain saddle close to the
out- let of a garbage disposal or plugging of the RO
drain line may occur.

A) Position threaded half of drain saddle at selected
location and mark the spot through the opening.

B) Drill a 1/4” hole at the marked spot through one
side of drain tailpiece.

C) Position both halves of drain saddle on drain pipe
so threaded opening lines up with the hole in drain
pipe.

D) Use bolts and nuts to clamp drain saddle onto
drain pipe. Do not over tighten and make sure there
is equal space between saddle halves on each side.

E) Wrap Teflon®tape on thread of drain saddle
elbow and tighten into drain saddle. Orient elbow in
the direction of RO faucet location.

G. Install The Faucet (Fig.5)

Undercounter installations generally require that the
faucet is installed with the air gap module. In base­ment installations, the air gap module can be elimi­nated only if one is provided elsewhere in the drain
line.

IMPORTANT: The Uniform Plumbing Code dic­tates that there must be an air gap between the
RO line and the waste drain.

NOTE: An optional non-air gap faucet, which

requires a smaller (9/16”) hole, is available from the
factory to make basement installations easier.

A wide variety of RO faucet mounting situa­tions can be encountered, the most common being
stainless steel and ceramic on metal sinks. Consult
the factory for other materials encountered.

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Teflon is a registered trademark of E.I. Dupont.

The customer should be consulted before determin­ing faucet location. The faucet should be positioned
so that it empties into the sink and the spout swivels
freely for convenience.

If the sink already has a hole provided that
can accommodate the RO faucet, then no drilling is
required and you can proceed to the section on
mounting the faucet.

NOTE: With the customer’s permission, sprayers can

be disconnected to provide a suitable hole for the
RO faucet. A pipe cap or plug will be required to
seal the sprayer connection. A special kit which pro­vides a sprayer for the end of the kitchen faucet and
an assortment of caps and plugs are available.

H. Make The Faucet Mounting Hole

IMPORTANT: It is mandatory that safety glasses
be worn during sink hole drilling operations to
prevent eye injury.

Before starting the hole making operation, always
check below the sink so that nothing interferes with
mounting the faucet such as reinforcing ribs, support
brackets or cabinet construction.

Stainless steel sink, faucet with or without air
gap module:

Recommended tools:

• Center punch

• Variable speed drill and high speed drill bits

• Greenlee chassis punch 7/8” hole size (alternate 9/16”

size may be used for faucets without air gap module)

Procedure:
A) Center punch a small indent at the desired faucet

location.

B) Slowly drill required pilot hole for the chassis punch.
C) Set up the chassis punch per instructions and tighten

nut to cut the desired hole size.

D) Clean up sharp edges with a file if necessary.

Porcelain/Enamel/Ceramic on sheet metal or cast

iron base; faucet with or without air gap module:

Recommended Tools:

• Variable speed drill

• Relton porcelain cutter tool set 7/8” size (alternate

9/16” porcelain bit may be used for faucets without
air gap module)

• Plumber’s putty

It is important to understand what is involved

in this procedure. First, the glassy layer of porcelain
must be penetrated through to the base metal.
Second, a center disc of porcelain must be removed
while protecting the surrounding porcelain against
chipping or fracturing. Third, the base metal must be
drilled through to complete the hole.

Procedure:
A) Mark the center for the 7/8” hole
B) Form shallow putty dam around hole area and fill

with enough water to lubricate carbide drill bit.
C) Carefully drill pilot hole through porcelain/enamel

and base metal using carbide type pilot drill.

IMPORTANT: Always operate drill with light
pressure at slow speed (300-400 rpm)

D) Insert pilot tip of spring loaded porcelain cutter

into pilot hole.
E) Drill porcelain/enamel using spring-loaded porce-

lain cutter, making certain a complete ring has been
cut through the porcelain/enamel to the metal base.

F) Change to the metal cutter. With slow speed and
light pressure, cut away the inner porcelain/enamel
disc down to base metal. Make certain that the cut­ter does not touch outer rim of the cut porcelain/
enamel. Continue with this bit to cut through metal
until sink has been completely penetrated.

IMPORTANT: When using a porcelain cutter it is
critical to take precautions that it is always in a
sharpened condition. Dull cutters are known to
chip sinks.

I. Mount The Faucet (Fig. 5)

For basement Installations Without Air Gap
Module See Appendix

Undercounter Installation With Air Gap Module:
A) Familiarize yourself with all components shown in

the air gap faucet diagram.
B) Disassemble hardware from the threaded nipple,

except for chrome base plate and rubber washer.
NOTE: Rubber washer may be replaced with bead

of plumber’s putty for neater appearance.
C) Connect length of standard green 1/4” tubing to smaller

barb on air gap faucet. Push on firmly until it seats.

D) Connect length of black 3/8” tubing to larger barb

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