RO help!

[DannyBCorals]

Hello, my aquatic life RO machines new color changing cartridge already turned brown after a week of use! Is it supposed to do that?

 

[SDK]

Not unless it’s been running non stop the entire week...

How many gallons have you put through it? Are you checking with a TDS meter? How old are the other cartridges and RO membrane?

 

[DannyBCorals]

Not unless it’s been running non stop the entire week...

How many gallons have you put through it? Are you checking with a TDS meter? How old are the other cartridges and RO membrane?

The RO system in brand new, and I just do 5 gallons per day. I’d say a total of 50 gallons have ran threw it

 

[Jeto2004]

What is your water source? Well, city water? Could be high CO2 in source water that eats through your resin quickly.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

Did you flush the RO membrane? I am curious about your source water TDS as well.

 

[DannyBCorals]

Did you flush the RO membrane? I am curious about your source water TDS as well.

I sadly don’t have a TDS meter, and it is city water.

 

[Righteous]

You need to measure the TDS of the water coming out of your RO membrane, and the TDS coming out of your final DI stage.

My guess is that the TDS our of your RO is really high and burning out your DI very quickly. It should be in the single digits.

 

[Righteous]

I sadly don’t have a TDS meter, and it is city water.

You won’t be able to maintain your RO system without a TDS meter. It will also save you from spending more on replacing filters and resin all the time.

This one would work and connect between RO and DI and then on the final water output side:

Dual Inline TDS Meter DM-1

Why does BRS recommend this? Using a RODI system without a TDS meter is like driving a car without a speedometer and gas gauge. At some point you will end up in trouble. With RODI systems it is TDS that you will want to monitor for performance and filter quality. By using a dual TDS meter it...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Righteous]

double post

 

[lyscer]

I completely agree with Righteous. I had an issue with a bad membrane burning through my DI resin. Make sure to let the device run for 5 minutes or so before testing the TDS directly after the membrane.

Since you dont have a TDS meter, another test you could do that might give you a very small insight to if you have membrane issue would be to measure the waster line output and the output directly after the membrane (production). The production water should be somewhere between 1/3 and 1/6 of the waste water.

For instance I know that my waster water produces 600ml in 60 seconds. My production line directly after the membrane produces 150ml in 60 seconds. 150/600 = 1/4 so I know I'm in the range of the 1/3 to 1/6.... There are far superior methods to nail things down but you'll need a TDS meter.

 

[Jeto2004]

Yes, TDS before membrane and after membrane may let you know that the membrane is bad

 

[DannyBCorals]

I completely agree with Righteous. I had an issue with a bad membrane burning through my DI resin. Make sure to let the device run for 5 minutes or so before testing the TDS directly after the membrane.

Since you dont have a TDS meter, another test you could do that might give you a very small insight to if you have membrane issue would be to measure the waster line output and the output directly after the membrane (production). The production water should be somewhere between 1/3 and 1/6 of the waste water.

For instance I know that my waster water produces 600ml in 60 seconds. My production line directly after the membrane produces 150ml in 60 seconds. 150/600 = 1/4 so I know I'm in the range of the 1/3 to 1/6.... There are far superior methods to nail things down but you'll need a TDS meter.

Got it! I’ll look into getting one. And my waste water comes out in a jet! My clean water comes out in a slow dripping stream as you explained.

 

[Mykawl]

I bought tds meter off amazon for $10 works great afaik

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

I sadly don’t have a TDS meter, and it is city water.

Try to look up your local municipality water quality report in the mean time. It may give some insight to what is going on, and it will also allow you to make sure you are getting the best bang for buck out of your unit as well.

 

[Righteous]

Got it! I’ll look into getting one. And my waste water comes out in a jet! My clean water comes out in a slow dripping stream as you explained.

That’s not a good sign.

What’s your pressure read when running? It needs to be at least 50psi. Lower than that can cause the RO membrane to not run efficiently and use up your DI cartridge.

How old is your RO membrane? They should last a couple years at least as long as you change out the sediment filter and carbon filter about every 6 months. If you don’t, then that can also cause premature failure of the RO membrane.

And with that much waste water, I’d double check the flow restrictor that should be on the waste line. That provides back pressure to ensure the RO membrane is running efficiently.

 

[DannyBCorals]

That’s not a good sign.

What’s your pressure read when running? It needs to be at least 50psi. Lower than that can cause the RO membrane to not run efficiently and use up your DI cartridge.

How old is your RO membrane? They should last a couple years at least as long as you change out the sediment filter and carbon filter about every 6 months. If you don’t, then that can also cause premature failure of the RO membrane.

And with that much waste water, I’d double check the flow restrictor that should be on the waste line. That provides back pressure to ensure the RO membrane is running efficiently.

Got it! I’ll check my PSI meter in a few minutes when I’m home! I also have not restricted the valve for the waste water at all. I will if it’s not at 50psi

 

[Righteous]

The waste water flow restrictor should come preinstalled.

It usually looks like one of the following. It will look like the cylindrical cartridge one of it’s on the outside, or sometimes like that thin wire one, but that will be inside the waste water line.