USCG CWO Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Can I just reverse water direction through the RO/DI system and flush the RO membrane? I won't have DI and prefliters hooked up of course. I have burnt through 2 DI charges since September and my TDS in is only 96. It is now 1 out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskerduck Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I dont think you can, it would be nice if you could. Not sure what water system you are on or where they get the water but down here in the boonies we had an algae outbreak in our water supply which is sort of city water pumped around a portion of the Willamette Valley between Amity, Sheridan, Dallas, The stuff was pretty aggressive on toilets and such where you could physically see it in the tanks and the water was actually warm for 6 months. The guy from Perrydale Water ( thats what its called because thats where the main pumps are) said that it wasnt localized to this water system but a large part of NW Oregon. Im having the same troubles as you, mine actually runs as advertised and rapidly slows throughout the month, within a month Im making 20 gal a day on a 100 gal per day system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 You could install a RO flush kit for about $10 http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ro_di_add-ons.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 So while reasearching this it seems even with a flush kit you are not acually flushing the membrane. You are just bypassing the restrictor plate and running a larger amount of water through the system. I guess to possibly dislodge particulate matter caught up in the system. Well I just ordered a new membrane, DI resin and new prefilters. I will bleach my system and then reinstall everything. I am thinking this is a huge part of my diatom/dino fight right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciao Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I'm curious, how many TDS are you getting on the RO/DI water coming out with the current filters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 1-2 TDS currently. I refilled both DI cartridges and replaced the prefilters in September. The RO membrane is 15 mo old. Since September my prefilters are a solid red and the DI went from Blue to pale gold. It took a year to get to that condition the first time. Anyone else burning through RO/DI filters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciao Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Is the color change on the filters and DI resin an indicator? My resin came already gold colored Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Is the color change on the filters and DI resin an indicator? My resin came already gold colored The red on the prefilter is all the crap it is taking out, and my resin came from BRS it goes from Brillant Blue to brown when exhausted. So somehow or another I burnt through a years worth of filters in 4 months. Trust me I am not making that much water. I have a 90 gallon main display and a 40 gallon frag tank. My water bill would be through the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciao Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 At what TDS reading do most people here switch out their filters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 I have been lead to believe anything more than zero is bad. I could be misinformed though. With the issues I am having I am trying to narrow down what is wrong. So for me anything more than zero is too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Depending on who you ask, you'll get a variety of opinions on this. Some folks will change their filters out if they are getting anything above 0 TDS. Some folks don't even use a filter if their tapwater TDS is below a certain level (I have even heard of folks who say under 200 is no prob, but I wouldn't go there). Personally, I like to be safe so I stick with 0 TDS, but my tap water is pretty clean to begin with, so filters last me a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kshack Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 The pre-filters are there to protect the membrane. Change them every 6-12 mo. Your membrane is rated somewhere between 90-98%, depending on how many GPD your unit is. 100 GPD are usually around 90%. So with a tap water of around 100 TDS, you should have between 2-10 TDS going to the DI section. If you have 10, you will burn up DI 5 times faster than if you have 2. To see of your membrane needs replacing, check to TDS output after the membrane-before the DI. If it is the proper % of the input TDS, you will gain nothing by replacing. If it is high, it is possibly why you are burning through DI and replacing will save your DI. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 I guess it is time to upgrade from a single (2 inputs) inline meter to a dual (4 inputs) inline meter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kshack Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Not really. Your TDS at the tap will be somewhat constant. For Vancouver it is around 100-120, I think. After the pre-filters the number will not change. You will remove sediment and chlorine, but the TDS number is the same. After membrane you will see a 90-98% drop in TDS...need one here. After DI, you should see drop to 0, or close to that...need another here. So two should be enough for your situation. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 So move the 1st input from before the prefilters to after the RO membrane, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kshack Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Yes. If you have two inputs..one after the membrane, other after the DI. Make mental note of the "before pre-filter" before changing so you have a general idea of TDS entering the house. Vancouver uses well water, so this number will not change significantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye Field Supply Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Kshack - good advice! Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwcoralfarm Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Just think back to before you had a Ro/Di, I myself used to use tapwater with no real problems. So in the respect I find it hard to see 1-2 tds as being that bad, especially when coming in from my well I am measuring 350+. It is all what you want though. As far as flushing the membrane goes, do you have this hooked up to a ATO. If you do and you just let that run then you are only getting a steady pressure through and all the junk will build up. What I have done is I installed a shutoff going in to the filter, so that way when my auto top off reservoir is full I can shut it off and the increased pressure when i turn it back on is enough to flush the membranes. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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