RO question Vancouver peeps

[Timbits]

Hey guys

So im just wondering how often you guys change your filters
1. Sediment
2. Carbon
3. Di resin
4. Membrane

I just replaced sediment and the color changed to super orange just after couple weeks and maybe 200g

Does this happen to u guys too?
Do I need to change it every 2 weeks then? That doesn't seem right...

[gregzz4]

After 6 months use, I just changed my 1 micron sediment and 5 micron carbon
I still don't use my DI as my RO membrane gives me a constant 0 TDS output after a 5 min flush

For our water, I feel a sediment change every 3-6 months and carbon every 6 months is adequate, unless you don't mind changing more often
I watch my incoming and post RO water pressure, then base the filters on that
I hope to get a few years out of my membrane with this schedule and may not ever need my DI

I've never seen my sediment turn orange - it could be specific to your building's plumbing ... mine was a darker color last change and is still white right now ( 2 weeks in and half your usage )

With all the rain we've had lately, it's possible your water is dirty due to water shed turbidity, but we should be on the same water shed

[Rogue951]

I'm by nanaimo skytrain station and noticed that since summer my sediment is turning orange too really quickly for whatever reason. they are doing a huge amount of construction on kingsway so that may be to blame. I also noticed in the last couple days the tap water smells a bit different. I'm putting that off to the heavy rains we're getting.
Our water always goes weird after a heavy rain. Esp when we haven't had any rain most of summer.

[Tom R]

It will dependent on the amount of water you put through the system.

My rule of thumb is

1. Sediment every 3 months
2. Carbon every 6 months
3. Di resin when the colour changes
4. Membrane every 3 to 4 years

Tom R

[jostafew]

I've never changed any of the 4 stages of my RO DI in the past 3 years or so that I've been reefing. I measure 15-20ppm coming out of the tap (pretty good!) and have never measured anything but 0ppm out the other end of the filter so I've never had a reason to change. FYI I've got a 75gpd RO/DI supplying water for a system with total volume of approx. 100gal. I make on average about 20gal / month in makeup water plus a few extra gallons here and there for WC.

[mike31154]

Water throughput as opposed to monthly or date driven regimen is the key. I keep track of water through my RODI with an Excel spreadsheet. Also have two pressure gauges to keep track of difference between input pressure & pressure after pre stages, before RO membrane. Aside from visual indication if your system has clear housings, the pressure differential is a reliable way of determining the condition of sediment filters.

Throughput info also provides an indication of when the carbon filter is nearing exhaustion. It would be a waste to change my 20,000 gallon 0.5 micron carbon filter every 6 months if I'm only putting 500 gallons thru the system during that time. Need to be aware that throughput calculation includes the waste water & any flushing as well as the half gallon dumped out at the start of production to get the TDS down to a reasonable number. So thruput formula would be gallons produced x 4 (assuming 4 waste to 1 good ratio) + gallons produced. In this scenario, 10 gallons of RO or RODI water produced would mean total thruput of 50 gallons.

You guys & gals on the west coast are fortunate to have relatively low TDS out of the tap. Here in the Okanagan, my tap TDS is over 200. Even so, I'm still on the original RO membrane & just recently changed out my carbon block after running the system since April 2009 having put just over 15,000 gallons thru. Could have pushed on for another 5,000 gallons, but preferred to err on the safe side. That's three and a half years on the same carbon filter. A swimming pool test strip kit comes in handy to check for chlorine after the carbon block if you really want to be sure the carbon filter is still good.

I run two sediment filters, a 5 micron followed by a 1 micron. The 5 micron needs changing every 200 gallons or so, the 1 micron is good for much longer. Time of year also has an impact as well as water temperature, run off & if the city happens to be flushing the lines in your neighbourhood. One pro about our water source out of Kalamalka Lake is that it's quite consistent.

[Bryan]

I have 2 standard filter canisters, one with a 5 micron filter and carbon combo and the second cartridge is a color changing mixed bed resin. I typically need to change both every 5-6 months for my 125 gallon. Vancouver water is very soft, typically 10-15 ppm so a DI cartridge lasts a long time.