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Flushing your RODI before every use?


Taylorhardy1

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So I've always turned my unit on and just let it just run down the drain for about an hour before I start collecting water in order to flush some of the water that's been sitting in the unit for the last week. Prior to a couple weeks ago, I just had my TDS meter reading just before the sediment filter, and then following the DI chamber. Well recently I was having some tank issues so I got a new tds meter to compare. Both read the same and I was able to rule that issue out. But since I have another 2 sensors i decided to move them around and see how the water filters after each chamber. I've noticed that post DI I always have 0tds, but for the first few minutes my unit runs after sitting for a few days, I see as high of TDS out of my sediment filter (newer filter) as I get directly from the tap. It backs down from around 55, to around 20 post sediment filter after about an hour though. Has anyone else noticed this? 

 

Final question. Is all 0TDS water the same? Am I being wasteful flushing my unit before each use?

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I always run the DI to a bucket until the TDS meter says it is 0 before directing to the barrel.  It starts off around 4 or 5 and usually drops to 0 after about a quart of DI.

Edited by cjmdh
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31 minutes ago, cjmdh said:

I always run the DI to a bucket until the TDS meter says it is 0 before directing to the barrel.  It starts off around 4 or 5 and usually drops to 0 after about a quart of DI.

Mine usually spits out 0tds immediately after turning it on, but I've always ran a gallon or more through it just to flush whatever might have become free floating. 

 

7 minutes ago, obrien.david.j said:

I think I'm lucky.   Out of the tap my TDS is around 15.  Occasionally 25.    And 0 out of DI, even right after turning on the unit.

I do run a booster-buddy on the system, so it auto flushes the membrane.  But that's not what you're asking about.

I've never seen anything other than 0 out of my DI, but the numbers before other stages fluctuate alot in the first gallon or so through it.

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1 hour ago, Taylorhardy1 said:

Mine usually spits out 0tds immediately after turning it on, but I've always ran a gallon or more through it just to flush whatever might have become free floating. 

Takes me a month or so get through 60 gallons of DI, so my RO/DI unit sits awhile before it gets used.

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4 hours ago, cjmdh said:

Takes me a month or so get through 60 gallons of DI, so my RO/DI unit sits awhile before it gets used.

Sheesh. Must have some pretty hard water or something? In my current place I replaced the filters just before I moved in 8 months ago and I'm still seeing great water production, and my DI resin hasn't changed color yet. Now that I think about it I'm probably around 750g or more produced. Might be about time to change everything out again, but I think I'll run with it till I start seeing higher numbers.

1 hour ago, Higher Thinking said:

Flushing for an hour seems wild. I guess whatever works for ya. My top off is hooked directly to the RODI so it turns on countless times throughout the day. I've never actually tested the water as it arrives at the sump. Now I'm curious. 

I got in a habit of it because my original RO buddy would only spit out quality water after about an hour of running. Hadnt thought to see what it would move like till recently. In your case I imagine the water stays consistent since its regularly turning through.

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You only time i flush is when i start to make water and flush the membrane itself (manual flush).  If your not flushing your membrane and just letting the water that goes through your RODI system get flushed down the toilet, well, you are just wastinf water. 

The increased tds you are seeing post sediment filter is just a flush of sediment that comes off the filter when water starts flowing.  

You want pain?  I go through 10-15 gallons of top off water a day and blow through an entire catridge of anion resin every 150 gallons of water. 

Not so bad though, i just recharge it with lye.  I have like 3 gallons of the stuff so only have to recharge twice a year. 

But anyways... flush membrane a couple minutes and then make water..  o tds is o tds. 

Cheers

 

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