Putting RO Filter System Offline

[Fish76]

For those that just setup their RO system temporarily to make water then take down the RO system, what do you do? Do you leave the water in the canisters? Or do you fully dissemble all canisters and let the filters dryout? What about the membrane? I have a BRS 150gpd sys which has a sediment filter, 5micron carbon filter and a 0.6micron carbon filter. If your suppose to let the filters dryout, does this reduce the lifespan of the filters?

 

[AZDesertRat]

Once the RO membrane has been used it needs to remain wetted from then on. It is best to use the system at least every 10-14 days so it stays fresh. Leave the water in the housings and place the system in a closet, under a cabinet or other out of the way climate controlled place out of direct lighting and where it won't get knocked over or damaged.

If you plan to leave it out of services for much more than that you should remove the RO membrane and the DI cartridge from their housings, place them in a zip loc or vacuum sealed seal a meal type bag with a little RO/DI or distilled water in it and place it in the back of the refrigerator so it stays cool but not frozen.

The sediment and carbon block filters can dry out with no problems. Try to make water in larger batches of several gallons at a time versus short filter runs which are hard on both the membrane and the DI.

 

[Fish76]

The sediment and carbon block filters can dry out with no problems.

Is it ok to also leave these wet till I use it again? Or just the membrane should be wet and the other filters have to be dried out? Thanks for the info btw :smile:.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Leave water in all of the housings if it is going to be used at least every 10-14 days. Make sure you store it inside and out of bright lighting though since algae can start growing if conditions are right.

 

[Fish76]

Ok, thanks a lot AZDeserRat for the info. I have another question (since I think you're pretty knowledgeable about these things). When I plan to have my system up permanently, I'll be tying in a RO tank for household use. What I see in a lot of setups is that once the water goes thru the RO membrane, it then goes thru some type of post-carbon filter and then to the drinking faucet. My BRS system doesn't have a post-carbon filter, it goes from the membrane straight out. For drinking water systems, I haven't seen one without a post-carbon, check out this pic link:

http://www.waterionizerstation.com/images/D/remin-filter-installation-chart.jpg

Are my carbon filters (5micron & 0.6mircron) before the membrane enough or do I need to buy another canister filter to do some type of post-carbon filtering?

 

[AquaFX Verified Sponsor]

For drinking water systems, water usually goes through the sediment, carbon, the membrane, and then a final carbon (taste and odor polisher).

[url]http://www.aquariumwaterfilters.com/Drinking-Water-Reverse-Osmosis-RO-s1840.htm
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