DI resin question, Crumbletop chime in on it please!

Mikeyjer

Mikeyjer

New member
Ok, I bought my RO/DI system right before everyone did the group order with airwaterice. I've been making water around 15g or so a week. Water coming out from RO is running at 0-3 tds and coming out from DI at 0 tds. I bought the Extreme 150gpd. The DI resin started changing color about a month after usage, but now the water is running really slow and the DI resin's coloring really browned out and the tds is running around 1-2 coming out from DI. I find a little odd that the DI resin only lasted a short period of time. Let me know what you guys think, I probably would give'em a call first thing in the morning to see if there's something wrong with it or it's running normal......I personally think it's because of the clear housing that's making it exhaust so quick....I might be wrong.....:confused:
 
Definitely give them a call.

Have you tried backflushing your membrane?

Sounds like it could possibly be your prefilters... but I'm not completely up to snuff with RO/DI. :)

Also, FWIW, AirWaterIce (notice it didn't censor it? ;) ) is now a sponsor again, so they have a forum. But I don't think Don has a ton of time to answer on there... so you may be best off with a call.

Let us know!

Brandon
 
Do you have a pressure gauge with that system? If so, where is it reading the pressure? You can use a pressure gauge to tell if the pre-filters are blocked by measuring the pressure where the water enters the first stage, and also just before the RO.

On the DI resin, what is the post RO TDS? The DI may be exhausted, but it also may be that you are making small batches at a time and there is "tds creep". When making smaller batches, the first few gallons of water can have a little blip up in the TDS, so you can also try measuring the TDS right when the unit starts, and then again after it has made a few gallons.

RE the DI resin changing colors, sometimes that is just the resettling of the mixed bed beads, so it is best to go off of the TDS.

I'd give AWI a call, or post in their forum. Something doesn't seem right.
 
Why would you buy the "Extreme 150gpd"? I don' t believe I've ever read where it was suggested to get anything more than the 75GPD Filmtec membrane. There is much more waste water on anything over the 75GPD membrane from what I understand.

Basically what I believe you are running into is that enough of the resin has been eaten up so that the 150GPD RO membrane is too much. Unless the DI resin is totally exhausted, I think if you slow down the output... you'll get 0 TDS again.
 
Last edited:
The "extreme" uses a 150 gpd membrane that has 98% rejection so it is similar in rejection characteristics to the 75gpd filmtec that is most commonly recommended. The speed of water output from the membrane doesn't matter as far as the DI is concerned. If the DI can handle say 2000 gallons with an input TDS of 3ppm (I'm making these numbers up), then it doesn't matter how fast the 2000 gallons run through. The slowdown seems more likely to be related to input filters/water pressure/or the restrictor thingy that sits before the membrane.
 
The pressure gauge is running at 75-80 psi so it's doing pretty good. The tds level after RO is running at 0-3 tds and after DI is running at 0-1 tds. The water coming out into the bucket is running really slow, this happened when the DI resin really turned brown brown.....IT didn't take that long after I've had it to turn brown, now it's really brown. I think I've had it running around July or August. I personally don't think it could have exhausted this quick. I forgot to call them today, I'll give'em a call tomorrow.....

Ryan, slow output of what? You can't slow down output at the waste water area because they told me not to do that, it would mess up the system. I can't really slow down the output of the DI water cause it's already slow enough....lol......I'm actually wasting MORE water now to make good water, let's say IF I was wasting 3g to make 1 g of good water, it's at 4-1 or more right now.......
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11401013#post11401013 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NeveSSL


Have you tried backflushing your membrane?


Brandon
Click to expand...

ok maybe i overlooked my manual...but how do you do this?
 
Michael -- try seeing what the flow is from RO only. If it is way faster than the stuff coming out of the DI, then maybe something is somehow clogging the DI. If it is slow as well, then the problem may be on the other side of the membrane. I'd send air water ice an email about this and see what they say.
 
Well, they called me today assuring me it is ok to use, but just watch the tds levels. They say sometimes when you don't use it days at a time, it can dry out and turn color on you. I guess that's what happened......We'll see.....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11408479#post11408479 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mikeyjer
The pressure gauge is running at 75-80 psi so it's doing pretty good. The tds level after RO is running at 0-3 tds and after DI is running at 0-1 tds. The water coming out into the bucket is running really slow, this happened when the DI resin really turned brown brown.....IT didn't take that long after I've had it to turn brown, now it's really brown.
Click to expand...

Did your cartridge turn bown in the lower half or the upper half?

Russ
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11402036#post11402036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crumbletop
The speed of water output from the membrane doesn't matter as far as the DI is concerned. If the DI can handle say 2000 gallons with an input TDS of 3ppm (I'm making these numbers up), then it doesn't matter how fast the 2000 gallons run through.
Click to expand...

The permeate flow rate from a 75 and from a 150 gpd are both appropriately low and can be handled by a standard 10 inch DI cartridge. I wouldn't say however that the flow rate through resin doesn't matter - actually contact time/residence time is a critical factor with deionization. That's why we don't route pressurized water from RO storage tanks though a standard 10 inch DI cartridge.

Russ
 
Thanks, Russ. I meant that in the context of the post I was answering, which was the flow from the 150 gpd isn't too fast.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11439759#post11439759 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BuckeyeFS
Did your cartridge turn bown in the lower half or the upper half?

Russ
Click to expand...

The whole thing!
 
Didn't see your post above re water draining out of it - that usually looks a lot different that the color change that happens when the resin exhausts.

What's the tds of your DI water?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11442981#post11442981 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BuckeyeFS
Didn't see your post above re water draining out of it - that usually looks a lot different that the color change that happens when the resin exhausts.

What's the tds of your DI water?
Click to expand...

0-1
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mr31415
RO unit: DI resin depletes quickly
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
Mr31415
Mr31415
Dogs442
NEED HELP WITH RO/DI SYSTEM
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
griss
griss
Raptor72
Another RO/DI setup question(s)
Replies
19
Views
1K
griss
griss
mrpet
Major Algae problems help !!
Replies
16
Views
840
Timfish
Timfish
Mr31415
5 stage generic RO/DI unit - valve and drain question
Replies
5
Views
661
griss
griss
Back
Top