Help? RODI Unit problem

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prsnlty

Jackie
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I have a kent 4 stage RODO unit that I purchased about a year ago. I just replaced the 100gpd membrane and now no water flows though it :( I took it apart and checked everything and all seems fine. But the part below seems to be the problem. If I blow in any of the holes there seems to be no passage. Can anyone lend a hand figuring out my problem? The tank is past due for top off and I am seriously stressing out. Thank you.

uploadfromtaptalk1377883379212.jpg

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
What you have pictured is the autoshutoff valve.
Kent Marine Shut-off Valve
Kent gets a fortune for that one but any ASOV from any of the RO vendors will replace it for $10-$15 and you would hook it up like this drawing:
http://spectrapure.com/huds/ASO-SYS.pdf
http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/showproducts.asp?Category=203&Sub=109
ASO Valves
http://www.purelyh2o.com/index.php?...ategory_id=17&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=99

Please tell me you didn't buy a 100 GPD Dow Filmtec membrane. This is the worst possible choice for a reef RO/DI system since it is only 90% efficient versus the 75 GPD version which is 96-98% efficient. For every 2% efficiency you drop, you cut your DI resin life in half so a 6-8% difference is huge!
Also, did you buy a new matched flow restrictor to go with the membrane, membranes and restrictors need to be matched.
 
Last edited:
It had a 100gpd Aqua Ultra High Rejection membrane in it. I didn't know what it was until I changed it out for the replacement 100gpd which came from my LFS. The replacement is an Aquatic Life 100gpd and no I didn't know about a flow restricter. It didn't have one on it before unless it's built in to the shut-off that doesn't seem to be working. However, as a test I hooked up the water line directly and still no water is flowing. The unit is also still in the place it was before I changed the membrane. House water is 65psi.
uploadfromtaptalk1377890965848.jpg


Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
Also changed all canister media. I run my RO water into a 35g rubbermaid can and don't have a float system set up yet. Do I really need the auto shut off in this case? I will order a flow restricter now though.

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
Kent may use capillary tube flow restrictors in which case it will be inside the waste line. Disconnect the 1/4" waste line (red) from the membrane housing and look to see if it has a small piece of spaghetti size tubing with a flange on one end stuck inside the 1/4" tube. Or it could be built inside the 90 degree elbow on the waste line.
If its there your system should function even without an autshutoff valve in place as the restriction caused by the flow restrictor drives the treated water through the membrane. To test this, temporarily kink or valve off the red waste line and see if water starts coming out of the treated water line.
 
Yes it's in the waste line. I kinked off the red line and still nothing flowed. Also canisters 1 & 2 are full of water but the DI canister #3, has no water in it. I kinked the red line for only a couple of minutes, should I jave given it more time?

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
You should have seen water in the DI canister after a couple of minutes with the waste line kinked.
 
Yeah still no water after 20 minutes of being kinked and no evidence of any on the DI either. I tested the line going into the membrane and water flows. But not into the membrane. Realuzed that when I took the auto shut-off off the fitting on the cap did not fit to the water line so I put obe on that did. NOT realuzing it had a check valve inside it. This would be okay but it's in reverse order. Going to Lowes now... :/ I'll let you know if it works. Thank you :)

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
I replaced the flow restricter with a new 100g one. But it still blew out my new di in 30g of new water :( This didn't happen before the auto shutoff/restricter went south. I also feel like it's flowing too quickly through the new membrane to work properly :(

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
Deltec
Well if you're still there and listening.... I really could kick myself. Still have the same problem above, however I finally got instuctions from Kent about their shut-off and realized the guy I bought the unit from had it hooked up all wrong. It probably wasn't broke and I threw it away. :banghead: That's why the water wouldn't flow in the first place. ...


Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
Thats easy to do, been there myself! If you ever run into trouble or have questions on plumbing, Spectrapure has many many drawings and hook up diagrams on their website at the bottom of the page. They are generic enough to apply to about any RO or RO/DI on the market. If you decide to hook up a dual DI or ATO or add a drinking water kit, its all there in very easy to follow diagrams.
 
Thank you, that's good to know :)

I shouldn't be going through the di this fast though, right? The ro unit is hooked up to house water (well water with iron filter tank and salt softner system). Culligan checked the tap tds a week ago when servicing to be .008

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
Tidal Gardens
What is your tap water TDS straight from the well, TDS after the softener, RO only TDS and RO/DI TDS? These numbers are used to calculate your RO rejection rate or removal efficiency. What is your pressure available to the RO membrane and your water temperature? What is your exact measured waste ratio? How old is the membrane and what model and size membrane is it? Do you know if you have Co2 in your water or if not do you know your alkalinity and pH to calculate the Co2?

Often well water is hard on DI due to Co2 in the water and you may need to build a simple Co2 degassing chamber using some PVC pipe, an aquarium air pump and air stone.

I find Culigans TDS number very suspect. First off TDS meters do not measure in decimals other than a couple of higher end meters that measure in tenths like the HM Digital COM-100 which I use myself. Even a TDS of 8 is highly suspicious since well water contains minerals from the aquifer and is usually in the hundreds or thousands. Around Arizona wells vary between say 400 and 1600 TDS. in some very clean parts of the country it may be as low as 50-75 but a TDS of 8 would eat your plumbing and pipes since it would be so agressive, trying to attract everything it can to get back to its natural "dirty" state. If you don't have a TDS meter maybe you can borrow one from a friend or they are only $20-$25 for a good temperature compensated version like the TDS-3, TDS-4TM or AP-1 from places like Buckeye Field Supply, Spectrapure and PurelyH2o.

I have a softener on my tap water in Phoenix and it actually raises the TDS slightly from the incoming tap water since the ion exchange rate is not exactly 1:1 when removing calcium and magnesium and replcaing it with sodium or potassium. My TDS averages around 550.
 
Wow, that's a lot. .. after your questions I'm finding him suspect also. There is a well water testing service that the county offers here. I will check into it and have them come out. I do know my well water is not very good (@ the well). The previous owner had a uv unit installed (bulb is blown now), iron tank and softner system put in the house.

The ro membrane is brand new as was the di and other media. It is an aquatic life 100g. Di is BRS color changing di. And I have changed the old flow restricter out to the one you gave me the link to. House water pressure is 65psi. Tap water temperature is about 78°. House Alk is 10 dkh. Well alk is 11 dkh and temp 76°. That's about all I know.

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Doesn't sound like Co2 is your issue. Have you measured the waste ratio to see that is is close to 4:1 waste to good and the membrane stays clean? What is the pressure at the membrane? RO membranes need a minimum of 40 psi to be at all efficient and often a domestic well pressure switch is set at 35 psi +/- . Just for kicks, use a measuring cup and measure the flows from the treated line and the waste line for exactly one minute and tell us how many mL or ounces each is. If the RO oembrane is not seated properly in the housing uou may be bypassing the membrane which would lead to higher than normal flow and high TDS since it is not treating all the flow. You really need a handheld TDS meter to do any troubleshooting or a RO and RO/DI system since TDs is about all we have to go on besides pressure and flow.
 
You're right! 2.5 cups vs 2.5 cups :/ So the membrane isn't seated right? It wouldn't go in any further.

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula
 
BRS
Something is definitely wrong. You should be seeing a couple of ounces of treated water, no more than 8 oz maximum. Do you have any photos of your system and its plumbing arrangement? Also the membrane will go in further than you think with a little finesse. It helps to apply a little food grade silicone grease on the seals and O rings or if you don't have that a very very thin layer of Vaseline or similar, just wipe a film on with your finger. Sounds like either your membrane is not seated correctly or the housing may have a hairline crack allowing flow to bypass it. What brand system do you have and what membrane did it have in it originally? Some systems such as Whirlpool, Sears and some Watts Premiers among others use a different RO membrane that is not compatible with the standard Dow Filmtec TW-30 1812 configuration. The seals and O rings are different.

Also are you sure you installed the flow restrictor on the waste line? Photos of everything would really help and TDS readings would seal the deal.
 
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