Do I need an RO/DI booster?

Reef.

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I’ll be surprised if it’s a 150 membrane, hope it is though as then he is getting a good result from his water pressure, but the 10-15 before the resin (if that is correct) is still high and will mean he needs to replace the resin more often.
 
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sreed07

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500 was on the membrane?

so are really low then, you are only just making 150galloms, when you should be producing 500. So yes a booster will help and it will only help get your 10-15 down to around 2 before the resin, the lower the number before the resin the longer the resin will last.
This is all that’s on it. Guessing a 100 if I can go by the model number
 

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Reef.

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This is all that’s on it. Guessing a 100 if I can go by the model number

Well that doesn’t look right? I’m no expert but shouldn’t the membrane be sealed?

100gpd but you are getting 150gpd?

something doesn’t add up.

I would keep a close eye on your TDS until we pin down what’s going on.
 

Eagle_Steve

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Yes 500 flow restrictor. Looks like possibly a 100 membrane based on the model number
If it’s a 100gpd membrane, that explains the lower than expected rejection rate. Usually 50-75 gpd uses a 500ml restrictor and 100-150 uses an 800ml restrictor.
 

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If it’s a 100gpd membrane, that explains the lower than expected rejection rate. Usually 50-75 gpd uses a 500ml restrictor and 100-150 uses an 800ml restrictor.

does the membrane look right to you? Maybe it’s a different type to what I’m used too but all of mine are sealed?
 
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sreed07

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So should I be concerned about my water quality at all? Like I said, I’m still new to this, but I regularly check my TDS after the DI. Just replaced the resin today
 

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Well that doesn’t look right? I’m no expert but shouldn’t the membrane be sealed?

100gpd but you are getting 150gpd?

something doesn’t add up.

I would keep a close eye on your TDS until we pin down what’s going on.
It looks like a normal membrane. That slides into the membrane housing. Here is one on my unopened Dow membranes.

5F4D06DF-42B0-40D9-96B6-0E0ABDF5537A.jpeg


62CBB656-CFD6-44AF-9587-DA646084837B.jpeg
 

Greg P

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Tap water is around 150. I’m not really sure where the gauge is reading the psi honestly. Waste is about a 1.5-1
Look where the gauge is connected to the plumbing and report back. Your current PSI may be enough.
A safe ratio for long-term membrane life is around 4:1 waste/product water.
1.5:1 gives you less waste, and will fill your bin faster, but in most cases will cause the membrane to fail within 1-2 years, vs a 4-5 year lifespan.
 

Eagle_Steve

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So should I be concerned about my water quality at all? Like I said, I’m still new to this, but I regularly check my TDS after the DI. Just replaced the resin today
Honestly 93% rejection rate is not bad. You will just eat up DI resin faster. The 500ml restrictor and 100gpd membrane doesn’t help either. The flow rate for waste out is too low. This is probably why you make a lot of water and have a less than optimal rejection rate. I bet a 75gpd membrane and you get more towards 97% rejection rate. The issue becomes more waste water is made. If you added a booster, it would help with the amount of waste water and rejection rate.
 

Reef.

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So should I be concerned about my water quality at all? Like I said, I’m still new to this, but I regularly check my TDS after the DI. Just replaced the resin today

as long as you are getting zero TDS at the end then you are good, the 10-15 TDS before the resin (the last of the three containers the water goes in before coming out as the finished product) just means your resin will exhaust faster than normal so you will be buying more sooner, watch for when your end water stops being zero then you need more resin, a boost will help get that figure down but as said as long as the end result is zero your water is good.
 
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sreed07

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Look where the gauge is connected to the plumbing and report back. Your current PSI may be enough.
A safe ratio for long-term membrane life is around 4:1 waste/product water.
1.5:1 gives you less waste, and will fill your bin faster, but in most cases will cause the membrane to fail within 1-2 years, vs a 4-5 year lifespan.
Looks like the gauge is right before membrane. Honestly after seeing other people write about how fast their resin goes, I thought I was doing pretty good
 

Reef.

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Honestly 93% rejection rate is not bad. You will just eat up DI resin faster. The 500ml restrictor and 100gpd membrane doesn’t help either. The flow rate for waste out is too low. This is probably why you make a lot of water and have a less than optimal rejection rate. I bet a 75gpd membrane and you get more towards 97% rejection rate. The issue becomes more waste water is made. If you added a booster, it would help with the amount of waste water and rejection rate.

yeah good point, matching the restritor to the membrane is important, they are only a couple of bucks worth buying the correct size.
 

Greg P

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Looks like the gauge is right before membrane. Honestly after seeing other people write about how fast their resin goes, I thought I was doing pretty good
OK, so you're on the borderline of low pressure,
I like my tapwater running around 60-65psi before my RO unit's filters (from the tap), and get about 55-60 after the membrane.
Maybe instead of adding a booster pump, consider turning up your house pressure.
There are risks, and a plumber should be consulted if you're not comfortable.
I manually turned up my house pressure, knowing the risks, by using a gauge on a faucet.
 

Reef.

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Thanks for the help guys. As long as I’m getting the 0 TDS end result I’m happy for now. My wife will divorce me I spend more on this hobby right now

to be fair you are getting an amazing rate out of the 100 membrane, so what you are loosing in resin you are making up for in a faster production rate, just the restritor might get the 10-15 down, the booster may not be needed, pick one up next time you place an order they are a few dollars, you risk ruining your membrane using the wrong size or shortening it’s life, so tell her you are really saving money :D :D
 

zalick

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Thanks for the help guys. As long as I’m getting the 0 TDS end result I’m happy for now. My wife will divorce me I spend more on this hobby right now
You can put a valve on the waste line and manually adjust it to set your waste water rate, instead of relying on a flow restrictor. Just am FYI.
 

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Where have you guys seen a standard size membrane rated above 100gpd at 50-60psi? To achieve 150 and 200gph every consumer system uses either TWO 75 or 100gpd membranes. It's a Melev reefs system which should be no different. Something is out of wack if ANY single membrane unit is producing that fast at 50psi that is concerningly fast even with a booster pump.
 

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