RO water, need help

[Dseg]

I just moved and my TDS from city water is 360. 360 from 160 at my old house. It is destroying my filters so fast. Does anyone have any advise for me? Right now i have the 5 stage spectrapure. It is 12 TDS coming out after the first 3 stages (right after membrane). It then is going into my Maxcap and silibuster at 12 TDS and will deplet both very fast.

[downbeach]

When was the last time you replaced your membrane? Did you check the water quality report for the area, to see if they were using Chloramine instead of Chlorine? If it's Chloramine, you will need to get a chloramine specific carbon block.

[Dseg]

My membrane was replaced 1 month ago. I do not see the information you are referring to in the water report.
cityofpsl.com/utility/pdf/2011-water-quality-report.pdf
I am in the green and am near water source number 4 on page 7.

[gone fishin]

I would contact spectrapure for some help

[on the spot]

I just moved and my TDS from city water is 360. 360 from 160 at my old house. It is destroying my filters so fast. Does anyone have any advise for me? Right now i have the 5 stage spectrapure. It is 12 TDS coming out after the first 3 stages (right after membrane). It then is going into my Maxcap and silibuster at 12 TDS and will deplet both very fast.

The membrane is removing 96 to 97% of the TDS. 12TDS won't blow through the DI as fast as you think. Faster than before, sure, but you are well within the "range" of normal.

[thegrun]

Our city tap water runs at about 420 TDS. I run double DI canister in line and switch the last canister to the first position as soon as the TDS goes up to 001 with the new canister of DI resin going to the last in line position. Yes you are going to use more DI resin and pre-filters than with your old city water.

[Mavrk]

May I ask what you are using for the first two stages?

[Dseg]

Our city tap water runs at about 420 TDS. I run double DI canister in line and switch the last canister to the first position as soon as the TDS goes up to 001 with the new canister of DI resin going to the last in line position. Yes you are going to use more DI resin and pre-filters than with your old city water.

What RO unit are you using? How many stages does it have?

The first two filters are carbon and sediment.

[Digitalelectric]

Haha welcome to Florida water my friend! In Jacksonville our water comes out of the tap at ~425. My 4 stage brings that down to 0. Yet I can still get hundreds of gallons out of my unit. Be sure you have the filters in the correct order. Ive noticed if you put them in the wrong order you kill the lifespan of the filters.

[Palting]

The membrane is removing 96 to 97% of the TDS. 12TDS won't blow through the DI as fast as you think. Faster than before, sure, but you are well within the "range" of normal.

This +1. Your unit is working fine. You just have a very high TDS tap water, and your membrane is doing it's job.

[Mavrk]

What RO unit are you using? How many stages does it have?

The first two filters are carbon and sediment.

I guess I should rephrase that question... Prepare for a longer response than I originally set out for:

The first stage is the sediment filter, but what micron is it filtering? Do you know the brand and type of carbon is in the second stage (micron size and/or chlorine removal rate)? If you are getting it from spectrapure, then I recommend the 0.5 micron sediment filter (or the 0.2 micron, but I would be worried about it clogging up without something in front of it).

Add to that the 0.5 micron / 20,000 gallon carbon filter (probably what you are using). Most of the time people are using the 1 micron sediment filter, but that makes your carbon do double duty (filtering the sediment from 0.5 to 1 micron in size). Your second stage is going to wear out a lot faster if it has to filter the sediment as well (plus carbon is porous and I imagine it would clog up with those small particles, but that is just an educated assumption I have).

All filters from the different companies are interchangeable, so sometimes you can save money and/or get better stuff that way. The spectrapure stuff is great, but can be pricey. You might be able to find the Matrikx +1 carbon filter for less. It is at least as good as the spectrapure one (might even be the same one relabeled). But for DI, the spectrapure is top of the line (not that there is anything wrong with the ones from other companies).

My final question is what is the PSI going to the system? If it is under 60, then you should get a pump. This might be the answer to your problem even more than the above long winded response.

In fact, I would recommend a pump anyway to get it up to 80-90 psi. It is much more efficient with the higher psi. You can shop around and find them for a pretty good price. Just make sure they have the transformer (plug) as well. You should also get a electronic solenoid (auto shutoff) if you have it hooked up to a float valve or something, but sometimes those are cheaper to get from a separate company.

Hope this is helpful.

[Dseg]

I guess I should rephrase that question... Prepare for a longer response than I originally set out for:

The first stage is the sediment filter, but what micron is it filtering? Do you know the brand and type of carbon is in the second stage (micron size and/or chlorine removal rate)? If you are getting it from spectrapure, then I recommend the 0.5 micron sediment filter (or the 0.2 micron, but I would be worried about it clogging up without something in front of it).

Add to that the 0.5 micron / 20,000 gallon carbon filter (probably what you are using). Most of the time people are using the 1 micron sediment filter, but that makes your carbon do double duty (filtering the sediment from 0.5 to 1 micron in size). Your second stage is going to wear out a lot faster if it has to filter the sediment as well (plus carbon is porous and I imagine it would clog up with those small particles, but that is just an educated assumption I have).

All filters from the different companies are interchangeable, so sometimes you can save money and/or get better stuff that way. The spectrapure stuff is great, but can be pricey. You might be able to find the Matrikx +1 carbon filter for less. It is at least as good as the spectrapure one (might even be the same one relabeled). But for DI, the spectrapure is top of the line (not that there is anything wrong with the ones from other companies).

My final question is what is the PSI going to the system? If it is under 60, then you should get a pump. This might be the answer to your problem even more than the above long winded response.

In fact, I would recommend a pump anyway to get it up to 80-90 psi. It is much more efficient with the higher psi. You can shop around and find them for a pretty good price. Just make sure they have the transformer (plug) as well. You should also get a electronic solenoid (auto shutoff) if you have it hooked up to a float valve or something, but sometimes those are cheaper to get from a separate company.

Hope this is helpful.

I have been buying all spectrapure filters (0.5 filter too). It is getting really expense with how fast they wear out. My preassure is at 50 psi

[sawcreatives]

I wouldn't be too concerned about 12. If it was in the 50's, then yes, I'd change it.

[Steve175]

Make sure that when you change the SI and DI you flush each (with no filter downstream) to waste for 10-15 min before installing the 2nd filter downstream. New SI and DI flush out a lot lf sediment and can wipe out a downstream filter quickly.

[Mavrk]

I have been buying all spectrapure filters (0.5 filter too). It is getting really expense with how fast they wear out. My preassure is at 50 psi

If you have one of the spectraselect Spectrapure membrane, then it should be giving you a 98% rejection rate. They guarantee it. So you should be getting about 7 or 8 after the membrane. If not, then it can be as low as 96%. The ppm doubles with every 2% rejection rate. So you could see up to 14. If you have the select one, then I would ask spectrapure about your readings.

A pump would get you about another 2 ppm (about 0.5%). Which would be nice if you were getting the 98% or 99% production rate. So the extra money for the select might be worth it for you. Also, doing longer RO runs will help (at least 10 gallons). This helps the membrane to flush better. But all the spectrapure membranes are already flushed I believe, so that might not matter.

Another option would to add a second membrane to the system (as a piggyback to the first). This might be the best option. Also it might be worth a try to use the 0.2 micron sediment filter instead of the 0.5, but the second membrane should really make a difference if you don't mind spending the cash to do it. But like I said above, maybe the select membrane might solve your problem too.

I have recently modified my old system (not spetrapure, but still one of the sponsors) to be more like what you have. I did not splurge on the more expensive RO membrane or the 0.2 micron sediment filter, but did upgrade to the 0.5 micron sediment filter and the same two DI you are using. I also upgraded my carbon block to a 0.5 micron filter (again I did not splurge for the spectrapure, but I am not sure if it is any different). My next step one of these days is to add a second membrane (I already have a booster pump). It is amazing what a difference all these small changes can make.

It is also amazing that I can ramble on so long. Sorry for another long post :hmm3:

[Mavrk]

Another option would to add a second membrane to the system (as a piggyback to the first). This might be the best option.

I can no longer edit my post, but I made a mistake in the above. A second membrane will only increase the GPD produced. In return, it will slightly increase the TDS. So this is opposite of what you want to do in your case.

One thing to check is that the waste water ratio is 4:1. If not, then you need to trim your restrictor according to Spetrapure's instructions (since that is who you are using). An improper waste ratio will clog up your membrane fast and also can result in higher TDS.

[Mavrk]

I also want to add that the 0.2 micron carbon is not going to help TDS either. Only help protect the upstream filters. So it looks like either a booster and/or the guaranteed 98% membrane is the way to go. But you should still make sure you have the 4:1 waste as mentioned above.

[Dseg]

Thanks a lot. The filters work but they deplete fast.

[rwessels]

I have a newer SpectraPure unit and I am getting a TDS of 5 after my membrane with the source water over 500. I would look into the membrane....