Did I kill my new RO membrane?

[fkshiu]

So I changed out all the filters on my RO/DI unit the other day including the 2.5 year old RO membrane.

Now I get barely a trickle out of the RO output (permeate).

I have 80-85 psi coming from the pipes, through the pre-filters and into the RO. I get about 60 psi coming out of the RO waste line (brine).

I've double and triple-checked everything including flushing the membrane making sure the membrane is properly seated.

The permeate water is being "reversed-osmosized" as the TDS is ~12 going in and ~2 coming out. The waste brine water is ~12 TDS.

Could it be that I didn't do a flush of the pre-filters before hooking up the membrane? But I've neglected to do this in the past and nothing came of it.

The membrane is an Applied Membranes 100 GPD.

Any ideas?

 

[jdieck]

Most likely you need to adjust or reinstall the flow restrictor on the waste line.
What is the ratio of waste to product volume? It should be between 4 or 5 of waste for each product.
Say 4 to 5 gallons of waste for 1 gal of product water. If the waste is too much check the restrictor.

 

[palawan]

With the new ro membrane you should have gotten the matching flow restrictor. Also, the carbon blocks should have been flushed before going into the membrane. Give BUCKEYE Field Supply a ring. He is very helpful and will steer you the right way.

 

[AZDesertRat]

What is your water temperature? Two things have a big effect on RO output, pressure and temperature. The applied membrane is rated at 65 psi and 77 degrees F. I much prefer the 75GPD Dow Filmtec as it gives you 75 GPD at 50 psi and 100 GPD at 65 psi at a slightly better efficiency.
You say you have 80-85 psi so pressure at least on the tap water side is good. You do need to flush the filters before hooking them up. Disconnect the 1/4" line going from the carbon block up to the membrane housing at the membrane housing end and flush it out at this point before hooking it to the membrane. If you still have 80 psi at this point you are good. Temperature or waste ratio could be your problem. Set the waste at 4:1 if it is higher than that and it should help even if you have cold water.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

How much water is being produce how quickly? i.e., you might want to measure it and see - you might be OK as is.

Russ