MaxCap documentation question

[tonyespinoza]

on page 10, Fig B: Flow Restrictor Tables

what does "FR-90 (YELLOW or WHITE)" refer to in the upper table and what does "FR-180 (GREEN)" refer to in the lower table?

reason i'm asking is that i paid for a drop-shipped GPD180 system and the Flow Restrictor that i pulled from my system during setup has some yellow paint on it. shouldn't i have the green one if i'm to get 180 GPD? or is it possible to get a yellow FR on a MaxCap 180?

my one minute concentrate/product ratio post initialization was 675ml/225ml (2.7:1). so i'm assuming i should cut it down to 2.5" (which is half way between corresponding lengths for 233 and 213 Product ml./min.

does this sound right?

i bought this system (along with 3 LM3's!) because of your awesome support -- but the MaxCap documentation could really use some extra details (and pictures!) for the setup -- you could even post these to the web site to save on cost of goods if that's a concern.

-tE

[SpectraPure]

Although someone will get written up for installing the wrong flow restrictor, in your case - you got the one you need. It looks like you probably have low water pressure and are only making about 86 GPD, so you are correct in cutting the flow restrictor you have to 2.5 inches.

Thank you for the feedback and we will try to improve the documentation.

Scott
SpectraPure, Inc.

[tonyespinoza]

The pressure gauge says 60 -- does that seem low? From the manual it seemed to be well within the required range.

How can I make sure I've got the right system?

I've cut the tube down to 2.5", but it still took 2 hours to produce about 6.5 gal (which is just shy of the 90GPD rate!).

Thanks for any help!

-tE

[SpectraPure]

I made the wrong assumption about your pressure, it is good. What is the tap water temperature? Run the cold water into a glass and measure with a thermometer.

Scott
SpectraPure, Inc.

[tonyespinoza]

Temp of "product" water is 70 F.

Output per minute is currently running at 235 ml. (Pressure for some reason is down to 50 PSI.)

How can I verify if I have the 180GPD vs the 90GPD? What is the actual difference between the units?

-tE

[SpectraPure]

Sorry to put off your original question. One membrane is 90 GPD and 2 should be 180 GPD (with 60 psi and 77 degF). You are not that far off and should be doing better than 89 GPD.

Please run it for a couple of days and see if it gets better. If not, we'll have to do something about that. Either way, it's making good water, so don't hesitate to use it.

We have different-colored and -sized flow restrictors to match the different membrane sizes. If you had actually received the "green" one (for 180 real GPD), it would have been too big and wasted too much water for your particular situation of temperature and pressure that seems to only be making 89 GPD. Something's not quite right, but I'm not quite sure what it is, yet. Another factor that can affect production is the actual TDS of the tap water, if it is excessively high.

Keep in touch and we'll be sure you're happy.

Scott
SpectraPure, Inc.

[tonyespinoza]

Thanks Scott -

The water here is very good. The TDS meter on the left reads 22 in and 2 out. (Not sure if that correlates to the quality of my water or not!).

I'll run it some more tomorrow. In the mean time, I have now got a 29gal full so I'll get the salt mixing.

I'm sorry - what do you mean by "One membrane is 90 GPD and 2 should be 180 GPD (with 60 psi and 77 degF)."

Which membrane are you referring to? There's only one RO membrane on top of my system...

-tE

[SpectraPure]

Ah-Ha!

Now all is clear. You have a one-membrane 90 GPD system. It comes with the yellow FR-90 flow restrictor. It is doing exactly what it should be doing. If there is a mistake in what you ordered, please call our office, or contact the place you bought it from.

Scott
SpectraPure, Inc.

[tonyespinoza]

So - I put the water to use... i've got a heater in the tank and a powerhead mixing the saltwater. but now i can see that there are some very fine blue fibers that seem to have come from RO system in the tank. the fibers are clumping together into a 3-4" patty on the surface... I only used paper towels to clean the tank, so I know this didn't come from a towel or something like that...

I guess my mechanical filter will grab it once the saltwater is done mixing... just didn't expect to see it!

-tE

[tonyespinoza]

Yes, there is definitely a mistake! I bought it from TwoPartSolution.com (aka Aquatic Sales Solutions). I will ask Ryan to coordinate the exchange for me.

The unit does not say the model number anywhere, nor does the documentation mention the difference. I could have caught this much quicker if I had known the difference.

Thanks for your help.

-tE

[SpectraPure]

After sharing your questions and concerns around the office, I can assure you that there is NOTHING in our systems that could come off in the water as blue fibers.

Scott
SpectraPure, Inc.

[tonyespinoza]

Great - thanks for the response.