RO/DI Filters

Dana19620

New member
I will be ordering some filters from Bulk Reef Supply and need a few questions answered.

I have Kent Maxima Hi-S. It currently has 90gpd membrane.

Will the 75gpd or 150gpd membrane work?

Do you recommend the refillable Carbon and DI canisters?

Which is better, the 1 micron depth or 5 micron depth filer?

Thanks everyone :).

Dana
 
Both will work as long as you change the flow restrictor in your unit.

I would recommend both. green and easy.

depends on your water, i use the 1 mic for the sediment, i use the 5 mic carbon.

Wiz ;)
 
There's no need to purchase anything smaller than 5 Micron. The membrane's warranty specs for 5 minimum. Anything smaller is a waste of $$ and will degrade membrane performance through reduced pressure.

Go with Filmtec for the membrane, 75GPD is your best bang for the buck.

Refillable DI yes.
Refillable Carbon: NO - get a solid carbon block prefilter. Granulated Activated Carbon is not recommended for chlorine removal in RO applications.

HTH,
RandalB
 
are you getting in on the group order from BRS?
definitley use the refillable resin, it will save you $$$ and is very easy. also make sure to add a TDS meter to your cart. either inline or handheld, up to you. :D
 
Thanks guys. I have the TDS meters. I get a reading of between 0-9 when I run it.

I'll need some new filters though because last week I turned it on, left for a close friend's funeral and came home to a flooded basement (90 gpd, we were gone for 10 hours because we went to the house after - so 30 or so gallons hit the floor. The worse part is, I could have put it in the large sink basin and not had a flood - just wasn't thinking that day.
 
get some sort of holding tank or brute can and put it on a float switch (just in case you forget again) :)
float switch are $11 on BRS i think.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15435110#post15435110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RandalB
There's no need to purchase anything smaller than 5 Micron. The membrane's warranty specs for 5 minimum. Anything smaller is a waste of $$ and will degrade membrane performance through reduced pressure.

Go with Filmtec for the membrane, 75GPD is your best bang for the buck.

Refillable DI yes.
Refillable Carbon: NO - get a solid carbon block prefilter. Granulated Activated Carbon is not recommended for chlorine removal in RO applications.

HTH,
RandalB

So long as you're getting sufficient pressure at the RO membrane, wouldn't a 1 um sediment filter extend the life of the more expensive RO membrane by reducing the amount of stuff it has to filter out?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15435110#post15435110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RandalB
There's no need to purchase anything smaller than 5 Micron. The membrane's warranty specs for 5 minimum. Anything smaller is a waste of $$ and will degrade membrane performance through reduced pressure.


Since we're asking Randal questions. I run a 5mic then a 1 is that OK?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15437760#post15437760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by renisel
So long as you're getting sufficient pressure at the RO membrane, wouldn't a 1 um sediment filter extend the life of the more expensive RO membrane by reducing the amount of stuff it has to filter out?

According to the manufacturer, DOW filmtec, you don't need the 1micron at all. I've personally never seen a 1 Micron do anything but need to be replaced more often and I've maintained literally thousands of RO/DI units for people.

My water is horrible well water with a squirt of chlorine and I run a 25 Micron whole house filter (Catches the tadpoles..) a 10 Micron Sediment and 2x 5 Micron carbons. I make probably 100+ Gallons of water a week and my prefilters last about 3 months. I just replaced my first set of membranes after 3 years, and they still were working fine, I just had the unit apart a figured I might as well replace them.

HTH,
RandalB
 
I don't know if this helps, but I'm getting 70 psi going into the system.

Also, do all three filters get replaced at the same time or are there guidelines on when to replace each cartridge.

I'll have to get a float switch. Thanks.

Dana
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15438398#post15438398 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dana19620
I don't know if this helps, but I'm getting 70 psi going into the system.

Also, do all three filters get replaced at the same time or are there guidelines on when to replace each cartridge.

I'll have to get a float switch. Thanks.

Dana

Dana,
70 PSI is great and you'll see a trememdous increase in efficiency with a Filmtec membrane.

If you are referring to 3 prefilters, yes they should be replaced at the same time. If you are referring to 2x prefilters and 1x DI, no. Posting a pic of your RO unit would help make the determination.

RandalB
 
RO/DI Filters

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Randal,

How much better can it get than having the "go to" guy helping out :).

This is the RO/DI unit I have. The membrane is about a year old (according to the gentleman I purchased it from).

Which filters and change schedule would you recommend? When is it recommended to change the TDS?

Thanks again for your help.

Dana
 
Ain't no thing Dana,

The membrane should be good for another year or so. Replace the prefilters (First two Canisters)with 2x 5 Micron Carbon blocks every 6 months or so.

The DI (Last Canister) should be checked with a TDS meter and when the reading goes over 10, the DI resin should be replaced.

RandalB
 
Thanks for your input on my last question, Randal. I guess I'll just get the 5 um filters from now on.

As far as the placement of the TDS meter, I was recently told by someone that it's preferable to put it between the RO and the DI. The reason I was given (which this person had gotten from someone at BRS) was that if you let your pre-filters go too long and they're no longer doing their job, Cl ions can get through and punch holes in the RO membrane. The DI media will keep the TDS in your final output down for a while, but will exhaust quickly once this process begins. So, by the time your TDS meter is indicating you have a problem, your RO membrane and DI resin are pretty much shot. Therefore, if you put the TDS meter right after the RO, you will start to see a rise as soon as this problem begins ans you can change out your filters before the damage progresses too far.

Obviously, if you change the sediment and carbon filters often enough, this is a non-issue. But is that information correct? It seems to be a reasonable explanation for what happened recently with my RO/DI unit (sudden skyrocket from 0 to 15 ppm at the final output as the DI resin completely changed colors over the course of a week or two--and the sediment and carbon filters were definitely well past their expiration dates).
 
That's pretty accurate and the best placement for an inline. It can also let you know about several other problems including clogged prefilters and bacterial or biological fouling. If your RO side TDS goes up, there's a problem.

RandalB
 
I am big fan of the 40 To 5 Micron Progressive Sedement filter.40 microns on the out side of the filter....Then it progresses through the filter to 5 microns.Less clogging.Longer filter life.New product from BulkReefSuply...I like it.
 
Time for a new TDS meter Jeni...

Interesting product Mitch.. I'll have to look into those..

RandalB
 
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