RO Filter - Sediment and Carbon Question

[Zalick]

It is my understanding that the purpose of the sediment filter is to protect the more expensive carbon filter and you should have a sediment filter rated equal to the carbon.

I use all Spectrapure filters. If the .5 micron sediment is the same cost as the .5 micron carbon, could I just use an extra .5 carbon in place of the sediment?

 

[Opus123]

I guess you could but the carbon filter's purpose is to remove chemicals and not debris. It would probably clog up a lot faster than a sediment filter.

 

[Zalick]

I guess you could but the carbon filter's purpose is to remove chemicals and not debris. It would probably clog up a lot faster than a sediment filter.

Thanks. That's kind of what I was thinking too but not sure. I figured maybe if they clogged at the same rate, then having the extra carbon would be better than the sediment since it would remove the chlorine too. Probably too good to be true or else that's how the units would come pre-installed.

 

[Zalick]

Update to my original question, instead of starting another thread.

I'm running the maxcap 180 2:1 with a booster pump to 70 psi at the membrane. The TDS of my tap is really low ~ 15. I must have higher suspended solids because my sediment filters clog up pretty quick, less than about 500 gallons or so. My tap has about 1.5ppm chloramine.

My carbons were having chlorine breakthrough pretty quick too. I'd guess about 2 months or 800 gallons.

These are all guesses as I haven't been keeping close track of how much water I'm actually making.

Due to the sediment filter and carbon seeming to clog quicker, I purchased a second canister with pressure gauge and I now have .2 Zetazorb prefilter -> 1 micron Chlorplus -> .5 carbon -> 70psi RO -> silica buster -> mixed bed semi-cond DI. This setup lasted about 2 months before the zeta lost 10% pressure and chlorine breakthrough again.

It seems that running 2 carbon is pointless since I test for chlorine every time and if there is breakthrough I switch out. Running 2 just makes it so I can switch out less freqently (but same total #). Is that correct?


Would it make more sense to use a 1 micron purtrex ($3.50) in the remote canister followed by the zeta? The 1 micron is much cheaper to filter out the suspended solids. So the system would look like:
1 micron -> .2 zeta -> .5 carbon -> ro -> di -> di


Thanks!