Question about R.O. membrane units GPD?

[jimmyjoe]

Alright everybody I've had a R.O. unit now for probably 10 years now. Do the GPD membrane fifters ever have to be changed? I've got two sets of breeders that before seemed to be fertile, but now couldn't fertilize the lawn, so I'm wondering if it could be my R.O. unit. I've changed the micro-filter in it but not the membrane, is there something I forgot?......................................Jim in Ohio

[TURQ64]

If used regularly, membranes need to be changed around twice a year. Once they dry in storage, they are history. If stored after use, in a zip lock bag in the fridge..Yes, they do need to be changed......Gary

[Elite Aquaria]

The FILMTEC membranes I sell have a 3 year warranty (http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_0068/0901b803800686ef.pdf?filepath=liquidseps/pdfs/noreg/609-35010.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc). I would say 5 years is the max...

[Sean Buehrle]

Alright everybody I've had a R.O. unit now for probably 10 years now. Do the GPD membrane fifters ever have to be changed? I've got two sets of breeders that before seemed to be fertile, but now couldn't fertilize the lawn, so I'm wondering if it could be my R.O. unit. I've changed the micro-filter in it but not the membrane, is there something I forgot?......................................Jim in Ohio

Get a tds meter then you will know what your filter is doing. A ro filter without a tds meter is a guessing game.


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[TURQ64]

Most instructions say 20-30K gallons. I change around 1,000g a week at present, so...20 weeks....I have two units with Filmtec membranes...+1 on a TDS meter, both for the R/O and your tanks...

[jimmyjoe]

Thanks everyone for your replies, have a tds meter and believe I have to make a ratio to water change...........Jim in Ohio

[Rex82]

My 150gpd filmtec membrane runs 24/7. I find it needs changing once a year. it really depends on the feed water, how often it's backflushed etc. some people will have different criteria for changing thier membrane too. as the Tds starts to climb when the membrane is tapering off i add less tap to the ro water in my mix.

[TURQ64]

All three of my R/O units run pretty much continously....The TDS of my R/O waste is 889 today; really hard and that makes the membranes work harder.I'm a regular filter changing, backflushing kind of guy.

[jimg]

Get a tds meter then you will know what your filter is doing. A ro filter without a tds meter is a guessing game.


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+1 I get about 2 years out of mine max.

[LizStreithorst]

All three of my R/O units run pretty much continously....The TDS of my R/O waste is 889 today; really hard and that makes the membranes work harder.I'm a regular filter changing, backflushing kind of guy.

Holy moly you have hard water. I bet you're a filter changing, back flushing kind of guy. I'm lucky. I can use my RO waste for grow outs and adults. Strangely, I do my best breeding in pure RO. Conventional wisdom says that unconsituted RO is incompatable to life in Discus. Conventional wisdom is wrong.

[TURQ64]

I've always had my breeder's in straight R/O, with the exception of some of my years in the Bay Area....Never did side much on convention....Never was a rocket scientist,either..sort of a Discus bush pilot....Yep, the water here is straight out of hard rock aquafirs.....pegs my TDS meter out in the winter(it only reads to 1000) when it's colder and has more dissolved molecules....But, the only plus is, I've always advocated mixing minerals back, and the waste here is like bottled trace elements!