Ro/di problem

[Panthera]

Something is wrong with my Aquili ro-unit. Seems like the ro membrane is clogged, waste water is coming out ok but only a few tiny drops of pure water in a minute. The blue filter/cartridge is brand new and it looks ok. I pushed it inside the case as far as I could, I tried to lift it up a bit, I wiggled it around but no. If I take it out the water goes through the empty case just fine. I tried to connect the ro-membrane directly to my bathroom faucet, if the water pressure gets higher, the membrane overflows and starts to leak through the cap and still no pure water. How can I fix it?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Can you provide us with a picture of your equipment setup?

 

[Panthera]

Sure, is this good enough? Water is coming from the bathroom faucet and into the sediment filter->carbon block filter->ro-membrane...and then it just stops and never reaches the final filter.

 

[JoshH]

Deleted

 

[IlliniCoastie]

When was the last time you flushed the membrane?

 

[Crabs McJones]

How many gallon per day is this unit.

 

[Panthera]

Did it come prebuild? Or did you have to assemble it? Is the membrane new? If it's leaking from the cap when installed directly to the membrane housing then it's not 100% sealed. Double check the rubber O ring on the membrane housing they have a tendency to slip and prevent them from being screwed in far enough.

It did, if I remember correctly all I had to do was put the filter inside the ro-membrane and connect the last filter to the membrane. I don't know what the proper terms are, I hope it makes sense. I flushed the membrane when I first tried to use it. The whole unit is new and it has never worked. It's 50 gpd. I don't know the PSI.

I also tried to remove the last filter and the tubes but it didn't help, the water stays inside the membrane no matter what I do.

 

[JoshH]

Deleted

 

[Panthera]

Can you pull the membrane out and take a picture of it as Well?? ;Snaphappy Last picture, I promise

I'll take as many as you need. I checked the big o ring and I think it was as it should be.
If you're wondering about the dents, I made them, can't get the filter out without pliers.

 

[JoshH]

Deleted

 

[IlliniCoastie]

Is there a gap between the cap and the lip on the threads of the membrane housing? Or is this just a shadow?

I concur, you really have to push that thing in to seat it properly. Look at Bulk Reef Supply Youtube videos and see how much force they use to push the membranes into the canister. I even think they go as far as telling you to push it down as hard as you can and then push it down even harder to make sure it is seated.

 

[Panthera]

Oh you're right, there is a little gap. I pushed it as hard as I could, removed the O ring and put it back, tightened the cap as tight as I could and the gap is still visible. But the cap isn't leaking anymore and now I'm getting one drop of pure water every 5 seconds. I tried to turn up the faucet a bit more to increase the water flow, this time water started leaking out from the faucet adapter. The leaking stopped when I disconnected the ro membrane from the carbon filter. So the membrane is still the main culprit. I think.