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Thread: Ro filters become less efficient, right?

  1. #1
    Homesteader RogueDiscus's Avatar
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    Default Ro filters become less efficient, right?

    Just checking. As RO filters become more clogged, before back-flushing, do they reject more water? That is, what they can't keep up with filtering gets thrown away, so you're really losing a lot more water, and maybe faster?

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    Default Re: Ro filters become less efficient, right?

    I have replaced membranes because there was a big increase in the waste-to-product ratio. I had put a valve on the waste line to throttle back the waste a little, and got lazy about flushing it. Usually you know the membrane is worn out when the TDS starts to climb, but I have seen an increase in waste water too.

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    Homesteader RogueDiscus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ro filters become less efficient, right?

    Thanks Dan. I'm on a low-flow well with a holding tank. if I run my RO filters too long without flushing, and don't check my holding tank, I wake up one morning with no water. The rate of water use just outpaces the well's refill rate.

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    Default Re: Ro filters become less efficient, right?

    My well sometimes shuts down too. It can run the ro continuously, but not when water is running for other things at the same time. I think what you are describing is a short term clogging that can be flushed out. Mine doesn't do that, its more of a slow build up that's permanent.

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    Default Re: Ro filters become less efficient, right?

    i go by pressure. follow manual for proper pressure. if that drops then its the membrane. however, igot a rise tds when my final di resin exhausts. in that case its not the membrane

  6. #6
    Registered Member Cosmo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ro filters become less efficient, right?

    Another way to track the condition of your membrane is with a TDS meter. When a membrane is new, your TDS should be somewhere below 10 (mine were always in the 3-4 range with the membranes I used). As the membranes clog up, the TDS will start to go up.
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