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REVERSE OSMOSIS
Common Problems
The number one reason for low water flow from a reverse osmosis system is low air pressure in the holding tank.
The Problem: Low Volume and Poor Pressure
Little to No air pressure will result in very little water being pushed out of the holding tank. You will have a full and
heavy holding tank, but with out the air pressure, you'll never get much water out of the tank. Too much air pressure (
say over 10 psi on a small tank ) will result in good water flow but will severely limit the amount of water that can be
stored in the holding tank. So, it is recommended to put 8 psi of air in your under the sink reverse osmosis holding tank.
If you get water coming out of the air valve, then it is time to purchase a new holding tank.
To Check:
With all possible water drained from the holding tank, you want to get an air pressure reading of 8 PSI of air pressure.
There is a "tire" valve on your holding tank somewhere ( usually the bottom ). You really should use a special low
pressure air gauge. One that shows the air pressure in one pound increments starting with one pound. The average tire
gauge starts at 5 or 10 lbs. psi.
The Problem: Membrane Failure
There are two ways your membrane can fail. The first and most common is
for a hole to develop in the membrane which allows water to pass through
with out being filtered. Chlorine damaging the membrane is common if the
prefilter is not changed often enough. Normal wear and tear over time
also will cause this problem. I have seen membranes last for as little
as one year and as much as six years.
The second problem with membranes is clogging ( or "fouling" )
from high levels of dissolved minerals or from organic contaminants.
Both problems can be avoided by pretreatment ( softening and
dechlorinating the source water ), and most importantly by remembering
to change the prefilters regularly. Please note that your water does not
need to be softened first, but it does make the membranes job a lot
easier.
To Check:
Membrane performance is best checked with a T.D.S. ( Total Dissolved
Solids ) meter. A properly working membrane will show a 85% or better
difference between the incoming source water and the finished product
water. For example: Incoming TDS = 330 and After RO, TDS = 35. You can
buy a TDS meter for $ 30.00 or more to perform this test, OR you might
be able to find a "nice" water treatment dealer who will
test before and after samples, if brought to him. If you would
like to mail us the two samples ( we only need 1 oz ), we will email
your results for FREE.
Additional problems to be addressed in the future.
Please Email with any problems you are having now.
andrewcross@softenerparts.com
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