low pressure on ro

[smokinreefer]

hey guys,
i have had my ro filter for a short while now...it originally had a pressure of just under 60psi...but has recently dropped to a mere 30 psi. what could be causing this? the first filter is quite brown now...could it just be that it is clogged up?

any input would be appreciated. thanks

[StirCrazy]

the nice soft BC water seams to have a lot of algae in it.. this is what is plugging up your first filter.. to help prevent this you can buy another filter from home depot or whare ever and get a 5 or 10 micron first stage. this will catch the algae and prevent your 1 micron filter from plugging up fast.

Steve

[canadawest]

Hey Victor,

My RO unit has about 55psi of pressure going through it when the sediment and carbon filters are new. As they get clogged up the pressure drops. I usually replace both when the pressure drops below 30psi (about every 4-6 months for me).

I find when I buy the 1 micron filters I have to change them more often (every 3-4 months) than when I buy the 5-10 micron filters (4-6 months average life). So as a compromise I buy the 1 micron sediment filters as they are really cheap, and a 5 or 10 micron carbon block filter as it's the carbon filter that seems to affect the pressure more so than the sediment filter when clogged up.

This combination tends to give me around 6 months useful life before the pressure drops too low (clogged up) and peace of mind that I'm changing the carbon filter frequently enough to avoid chlorine damage to the expensive RO membrane. The other train of thought is that the 1 micron sediment filter should pick up most of the particulate before it even gets to the 5 or 10 micron carbon block filter, thus the carbon filter allows better flow for a longer period of time before getting clogged up.

Also to extend the life of my cartridges and reduce sediment I run my cold water line for 30 secs before running it through the RO/DI unit. This way most sediment (or whatever) is flushed through before getting into the unit.

Just my $0.02 worth.

[reefburnaby]

Hey Andrew.....


:D

- Victor.

[smokinreefer]

OK, sounds like a good plan andrew.
is there any way to clean the filter now?...
http://members.shaw.ca/smokinreefer/ro.jpg
the coloration you see is after only <100 gallons produced.

notice the psi of <40 from just under 60.

[StirCrazy]

Hey Victor,

I find when I buy the 1 micron filters I have to change them more often (every 3-4 months) than when I buy the 5-10 micron filters (4-6 months average life). So as a compromise I buy the 1 micron sediment filters as they are really cheap, and a 5 or 10 micron carbon block filter as it's the carbon filter that seems to affect the pressure more so than the sediment filter when clogged up.

This combination tends to give me around 6 months useful life before the pressure drops too low (clogged up) and peace of mind that I'm changing the carbon filter frequently enough to avoid chlorine damage to the expensive RO membrane. The other train of thought is that the 1 micron sediment filter should pick up most of the particulate before it even gets to the 5 or 10 micron carbon block filter, thus the carbon filter allows better flow for a longer period of time before getting clogged up.

Also to extend the life of my cartridges and reduce sediment I run my cold water line for 30 secs before running it through the RO/DI unit. This way most sediment (or whatever) is flushed through before getting into the unit.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Getting a larger carbon block isn't the way to go IMHO, by doing that you risk some water passing through with out being treated. the best way to take care of this is keep the small micron carbon block, have a 1 micron sediment infront of it, and then put a 10 micron sediment in front of that..

that Pic of your filters looks exactly like mine and the examples from 4 different drinking water RO installers.. the water in lower mainland and on the island is unusalyhigh in algae beause of out warm temps and the lack of filtering for it. a 10 micron sediment cartrage is 8.00 and would be a lot cheeper to replace than your carbon block. Sure the inital iunvestment includs a 30.00 filter housing and a niple to plumb them togeather but you also get a extra stage of filtrating also.

JMHO

Steve

[smokinreefer]

just to clarify...so the brown 1 i have is a 1 micron? and you recommend i place a 10 micron in front of that? 30-50 bux is peanuts, now that i've forked out the dough for the whole unit.

is there any way to rinse/clean that 1 micron cartridge? i assume i can get all the hardware i need from homedepot?

thanks.

[StirCrazy]

yes, the 1 micron sediments tend to be a little more expensive and large stuff like Algae can plug them up real fast.

go to HD or Canuck rubber, and see what the cost of the 5 micron cartrages and the 10 micron cartrages are. if they are the same I would use the 5 micron size.

buy the filter housing and put it inline with your unit. this way you can change the % or 10 micron filter when it starts plugging for cheep.. this will protect your 1 micron filter and make it last a lot longer. I am installing a 5 micron on mine when I change out my 1 micron sediment filter for a new one.

by starting with a 5 micron filter you can see how long it lasts and also see how much makes it through to your 1 micron, if it only lasts 6 months and your 1 micron is fairly clean you can decide then if you want to go for the 10 micron for longer life..

here is the housing at canadian tire

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortments/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=394459&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=171675&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=407991&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=1049593&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=1049601&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1049601&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=166971&bmUID=1036460047834

the other way is to put a cheeper brand of 1 micron sediment filter in line also and change that one out canuck rubber has a 1 micron sediment for 6.99 and they rate the life at 2 to 4 months.

here is the 5 micron filter I am installing
http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortments/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1049601&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=394483&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=166971&bmUID=1036460355470&assortment=primary

as for cleaning your old filter.. I doubt it.. once they plug they are toast.

Steve

[smokinreefer]

OMG....OK i am new to this ro thing...
i didnt really know which membrane was what and i thought the 1 micron was the hefty$$ one, but the 1 micron is relatively cheap.

though for a little more invested, as suggested to me, adding a 5 micron should extend the life of the following filters and save you some money in the long run.

thanks for all the info...atleast now i am an educated ro idiot!! :lol:

[ruck'n'reefer]

Just following the thread. Do you guys know your TDS readings (at the different stages)? Do you check the pressure at all stages?

How did Victor get in on this? :wink:

[canadawest]

Victor got dragged into this by me Ruck'n. As you can see it was very late when I posted, and my brain registered "Victor" when I saw the handle "smokinreefer" when I know dang well that it's Shao that holds the intellectual property rights to that handle. :?

Oh well, I'm sure that Victor was dying to participate in a new thread, so I just pre-empted his arrival. Think of it as a special lead-in just for him! :lol:

And to answer your questions, no I have never tested TDS at the different stages, but why would you? I don't suspect that TDS reading would change much (if at all) after the sediment or the carbon filters as neither would reduce metals much (which affect TDS readings the most).

And I have a built in pressure meter (just like in Shao's pic) so I am not able to test pressure at each stage.

[smokinreefer]

just an update, maybe it will help someone down the line....
having my pressure drop down to near 15...i realize it is time to change something. i had already tested all the lines and removed a badly kinked liine, but no change.
figuring it was the discolored 1 micron sediment filter...i replaced it. still no change. it was the carbon filter, second in line that was clogged up.
so i replaced that and all is well, back to 60 psi.

is it common for the carbon filter to get clogged first?
it just doesnt make sense to me...
the first filter is a 1 micron sediment filter, and the second is a 2 micron carbon filter...it only seems logical that the particles going through the first filter are 1 micron or less, so theoretically, shouldnt it take quite a bit longer for the 2 micron carbon filter, that is second in line, to get clogged up?

[StirCrazy]

are you positive the first filter was a 1 micron? maby a larger one got put there by mistake. or maby your carbon block is a 1 micron instwead of a 2 .. lots of things could be going on as it is pretty hard to tell with out the actualy package unless the size is on your cartrages.. if it is then ignore all that I jhave said :wink:

Steve

[canadawest]

Hey Shao, the quick answer to your question, yes! I find the pressure is almost entirely affected by my carbon filter. I've also had the same experience when my pressure drops. I change the filthy sediment filter thinking it's the cause, but even with a brand new one in place the pressure is still low. Change the carbon block and viola, full pressure again.