RO cleaning?

[littlehermit0]

Could you post a photo of the instructions that say this?

I left it in another country, but all it said is "please disinfect the filter before using" or something

 

[Malum Argenteum]

There's no need to "disinfect". The filter isn't infected. Also, the RO membrane itself will get destroyed by chlorine, so using that very common disinfectant on the membrane would be a very bad idea.

The reason to discard the first gallon or so of water through the carbon prefilter is to rinse out the carbon fines, like you saw. Not all carbon prefilters need the first gallon discarded (good carbon blocks don't, since they have an interal sediment filter), but it isn't a bad idea to discard the first gallon in any case.

The reason to discard the first gallon or so of water through a new RO membrane is to rinse out the chemical that is put into that membrane to keep bacteria from attacking it while it is in storage.

 

[exnisstech]

if it's for potable water the lines have to be cleaned and the holding reservoir has to be cleaned periodically or you can get sick and die from drinking contaminted ro water

OMG Brandon really? Die? My family has been drinking RO water for 10 years and I've never cleaned anything. When the water starts to taste a little nasty I replace the pressure tank. That's about every 3 years.
I'm not going to debate with you but I don't want people thinking they are gonna die if they don't clean their ro system. geesh

 

[Malum Argenteum]

OMG Brandon really? Die? My family has been drinking RO water for 10 years and I've never cleaned anything. When the water starts to taste a little nasty I replace the pressure tank. That's about every 3 years.
I'm not going to debate with you but I don't want people thinking they are gonna die if they don't clean their to system. geesh

I couldn't find any mortality stats from drinking RO water in non-compromised populations, but Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is well documented to grow in RO storage tanks. This is both because the interior of storage tanks are not antibacterial (as are, say, copper lines that tap water tends to sit in before use), and because RO water is biologically unstable (has no 'good' bacteria in it, basically). Best practice is to use a UV sterilizer immediately before the tap if using RO for drinking water.

 

[exnisstech]

I couldn't find any mortality stats from drinking RO water in non-compromised populations, but Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is well documented to grow in RO storage tanks. This is both because the interior of storage tanks are not antibacterial (as are, say, copper lines that tap water tends to sit in before use), and because RO water is biologically unstable (has no 'good' bacteria in it, basically). Best practice is to use a UV sterilizer immediately before the tap if using RO for drinking water.

Good info to share for those concerned. Our immune systems must be up to par because we are able to handle everything our dirty RO water sends downs the tube. I'm not looking to live in a sterile environment.

 

[littlehermit0]

There's no need to "disinfect". The filter isn't infected. Also, the RO membrane itself will get destroyed by chlorine, so using that very common disinfectant on the membrane would be a very bad idea.

The reason to discard the first gallon or so of water through the carbon prefilter is to rinse out the carbon fines, like you saw. Not all carbon prefilters need the first gallon discarded (good carbon blocks don't, since they have an interal sediment filter), but it isn't a bad idea to discard the first gallon in any case.

The reason to discard the first gallon or so of water through a new RO membrane is to rinse out the chemical that is put into that membrane to keep bacteria from attacking it while it is in storage.

I really understand everything right now, so it's basically like a normal tank filter right? taking out the dirty thing, rinse the algae on strong pressure

 

[Garf]

I left it in another country, but all it said is "please disinfect the filter before using" or something

You need to discard the water from the new RO membrane for a while as the preservative on the film will mess up the DI resin. Yes, there probably is guidance about disinfecting lines to drinkable water, but that only applies after continued use.

 

[littlehermit0]

Good info to share for those concerned. Our immune systems must be up to par because we are able to handle everything our dirty RO water sends downs the tube. I'm not looking to live in a sterile environment.

I didn't even know RO water was drinkable but I'll never drink it anyway

 

[brandon429]

and to clean the lines, replace, clean the holding tank out like my service men used to do when I had a culligan subscription. There's a reason businesses that are accountable for potable water safety require you to allow the system to be serviced regularly, they don't want the liability from those who simply don't care, and never bothered to google anything on the matter.

Nissan tech: clearly food science is your strong point. don't confuse luck with safety planning for a family. someone would have to be clearly immunocompromised to have the full risk, but am I keeping tabs on who has the grandmother living with them, or a sick person? no, because people who care don't take risks like that with potable water, we do the right way.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

I really understand everything right now, so it's basically like a normal tank filter right? taking out the dirty thing, rinse the algae on strong pressure

No. You install the membrane into the housing, and make sure the prefilters are in place. Then, you turn on the water and run the first gallon of water down the drain. (So basically, you hook up the RO unit and simply don't use the first gallon of water that comes out of the unit.) The second and subsequent gallons of RO water are good to use in your tank.

If you rinse the RO membrane under tap water, (a) it won't get rinsed since the membrane flows water in from one end and out the other, and only under ~40psi+ of pressure, and (b) if you did manage to get tap water through the membrane, the chlorine in the tap water would damage the membrane.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Good info to share for those concerned. Our immune systems must be up to par because we are able to handle everything our dirty RO water sends downs the tube. I'm not looking to live in a sterile environment.

Yeah, it is a statistical risk. It isn't that you'll have a sterile environment (of course), but UV on the drinking water helps reduce the amount of opportunistic pathogens that get ingested. It is sort of like washing hands after using the bathroom -- not everyone does it, but there are some pretty good reasons to do it. :)

 

[lapin]

Exactly what I did lol, water passed through everything, the water was black at 1200 ppm tds then instantly dropped to 0006 ppm

The black was from charcoal dust. Normal.

 

[littlehermit0]

The black was from charcoal dust. Normal.

WAIT WHY DID MY TDS READ 110 PPM TODAY WHAT HAPPENED THE CANISTERS WEREN'T DIRTY IT'S NEW

 

[Garf]

WAIT WHY DID MY TDS READ 110 PPM TODAY WHAT HAPPENED THE CANISTERS WEREN'T DIRTY IT'S NEW

Probably TDS creep if it's just on start up. Check it after a few minutes of running.

 

[littlehermit0]

Probably TDS creep if it's just on start up. Check it after a few minutes of running.

It has been running for 1 hour now what should I do just leave it until the tds is good?

 

[Garf]

It has been running for 1 hour now what should I do just leave it until the tds is good?

Did you run the water from the new membrane to waste, as I suggested yesterday?

 

[littlehermit0]

Did you run the water from the new membrane to waste, as I suggested yesterday?

I did! It worked normally with the same parameters until I brought it to another country, plugged and boom tds raised in seconds!

 

[Garf]

I did! It worked normally with the same parameters until I brought it to another country, plugged and boom tds raised in seconds!

Are you sure you've plugged it into another country, the right way around? Lol

 

[littlehermit0]

Are you sure you've plugged it into another country, the right way around? Lol

Dunno what you mean but I plugged to the shower

 

[Garf]

Dunno what you mean but I plugged to the shower

I've not used your particular type of RO, but did you drain the water out of it, since the last time you used it. I don't see any taps on the pic of it that you posted.