RO filter water pressure.

[gonewild]

Update....
After all the above attempts to find the problem Hydrologic customer service sent me 2 new membranes to compare to the one that must be faulty. The new membrane made no difference. Output water is still 105 ppm. So the problem is not a faulty membrane.

The only untested part of the system was the membrane housing so I ordered a replacement from Amazon. Replacing the old housing with a new housing made no difference.
Customer service is out of ideas. Nor can they explain why my old used membrane yields 50 ppm water and the new membranes yield 105 ppm.
So even though they said there is nothing unusual shown in my well water analysis I must conclude the problem is with my well water chemistry.

Luckily I have found an unconventional solution.

 

[PeteM]

Update....
After all the above attempts to find the problem Hydrologic customer service sent me 2 new membranes to compare to the one that must be faulty. The new membrane made no difference. Output water is still 105 ppm. So the problem is not a faulty membrane.

The only untested part of the system was the membrane housing so I ordered a replacement from Amazon. Replacing the old housing with a new housing made no difference.
Customer service is out of ideas. Nor can they explain why my old used membrane yields 50 ppm water and the new membranes yield 105 ppm.
So even though they said there is nothing unusual shown in my well water analysis I must conclude the problem is with my well water chemistry.

Luckily I have found an unconventional solution.

What’s the unconventional solution? Return it for another system?

 

[gonewild]

What’s the unconventional solution? Return it for another system?

I can't return it since I've been using more than 6 months. And returning it is too conventional.
My solution was to add the new membrane housing and membrane sequentially online.

Created a re filter. Plugged the product output from the the main units original membrane into the inlet of the new second housing so it filters the already filtered water. Output product water from new focusing run the the storage tank
Kept the original discharge line running to the drain. Ran a second discharge line to the drain from the new housing.
So I end up with one filtered water line and two drain lines.
The original membrane pushing 50 ppm water through the second membrane yields filtered water at 10 ppm.

 

[PeteM]

I can't return it since I've been using more than 6 months. And returning it is too conventional.
My solution was to add the new membrane housing and membrane sequentially online.

Created a re filter. Plugged the product output from the the main units original membrane into the inlet of the new second housing so it filters the already filtered water. Output product water from new focusing run the the storage tank
Kept the original discharge line running to the drain. Ran a second discharge line to the drain from the new housing.
So I end up with one filtered water line and two drain lines.
The original membrane pushing 50 ppm water through the second membrane yields filtered water at 10 ppm.

I was going to suggest get a whole house filter installed to process the water first and knock down the initial load, may also change the water chemistry… also a good investment for all your appliances and plumbing. But I think you are on well water.. not sure how that works.

 

[gonewild]

I was going to suggest get a whole house filter installed to process the water first and knock down the initial load, may also change the water chemistry… also a good investment for all your appliances and plumbing. But I think you are on well water.. not sure how that works.

Yes we are on well water with a high TDS.
I don't know anything about a whole house filter. Is that a water softener?

 

[PeteM]

Yes we are on well water with a high TDS.
I don't know anything about a whole house filter. Is that a water softener?

I don’t know how that works for well water.

I use a very generic ispring system, 3 stages, one sediments and two carbon. It’s connected durectly onto the incoming line from the city before it hits anything in my house. Mainly just to knock the load down and protect the appliances from the debris in the city water but manages to take out much of their additives.. I also filter again with zero water filter for drinking in the kitchen. But I live in Baltimore.. utilities can be suspicious at times.

 

[gonewild]

I don’t know how that works for well water.

I use a very generic ispring system, 3 stages, one sediments and two carbon. It’s connected durectly onto the incoming line from the city before it hits anything in my house. Mainly just to knock the load down and protect the appliances from the debris in the city water but manages to take out much of their additives.. I also filter again with zero water filter for drinking in the kitchen. But I live in Baltimore.. utilities can be suspicious at times.

That wouldn't work on our well water unfortunately.

 

[tomp]

That wouldn't work on our well water unfortunately.

Lance,
I previously lived alongside the Napa river which is tidal. Our little community well had a TDS of approximately 1800 ppm. You can imagine how unhappy my first batch of orchids were with that water.
I had to install a treatment system which consisted of an Iron Filter, a Water Softener, and a HIGH PRESSURE R/O set with a 150 gal storage tank. The RO water portion had a pressure set which delivered 70 psi. The house had softened water, the sinks and greenhouse had R/O water of < 100 ppm TDS. Worked well but cost a few pretty pennys.
Tom

 

[MorandiWine]

What about getting a booster pump?

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/1-4-aquatec-8800-booster-pump-kit-bundle.html

Tyler

 

[gonewild]

What about getting a booster pump?

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/1-4-aquatec-8800-booster-pump-kit-bundle.html

Tyler

I have installed a booster pump. That's how I got the ppm down to 50 ppm from 150ppm using the same old membrane. Tomorrow I'll install a psi switch and pressure tank so I can lower the pressure down from 90 psi.

 

[Ray]

Why lower the pressure?

 

[gonewild]

Why lower the pressure?

Only because the pressure gage on the unit shows 90 psi in the red so I assumed higher pressure might damage the membrane.

And the pressure cut off switch I ordered cuts at 80 psi.
I ran it for 2 days at 90 psi and there were no issues.

 

[Ray]

They probably built in a safety factor. Every residential membrane I've seen specifies 100 psi max.