RO membrane flushing

[Nor'easter Reefer]

So I flush my membrane religiously. Minute or so before I start making water, and then a minute or 2, or a day after I get done making water(I always forget to turn it off and come down and get angry...) that said, my houses drinking water is trash, so i've contemplated hooking into my Ro/DI system(minus the DI part) and installing a tank under the sink. That said, I'd have to give up my flushing habit to an extent. Who here would actually be worried about that?

 

[Reef.]

So I flush my membrane religiously. Minute or so before I start making water, and then a minute or 2, or a day after I get done making water(I always forget to turn it off and come down and get angry...) that said, my houses drinking water is trash, so i've contemplated hooking into my Ro/DI system(minus the DI part) and installing a tank under the sink. That said, I'd have to give up my flushing habit to an extent. Who here would actually be worried about that?

A lot of people have auto setups so don’t flush…and not sure if true or not but I seem to remember reading its debatable whether flushing is even beneficial?…think one side of the membrane may get “flushed” but the inside doesn’t?

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I lot of people have auto setups so don’t flush…and not sure if true or not but I seem to remember reading its debatable whether flashing is even beneficial?

If its even just a minimal benefit, the savings on bottled water and sediment/charcoal filters because I forgot to shut the flush valve would be huge enough to abandon my flushing habit

 

[Reef.]

If its even just a minimal benefit, the savings on bottled water and sediment/charcoal filters because I forgot to shut the flush valve would be huge enough to abandon my flushing habit

I thought you were asking whether not flushing a home water setup would be an issue not asking for comments on your forgetfulness

 

[Opus]

From the RO guru's I've talked to, they say it really isn't worth it on our home units. A typical membrane is going to last you 5 to 7+ years. Does adding a couple of months to that really make much of difference when you compare that to the time and water you waste over all those years? Plus, I've never seen a scientific study done that would prove any benefit, though that is probably asking a lot on a $60 piece of equipment. Personally I use a .3 micron prefilter and 1 micron carbon filters to keep my RO membrane healthy and don't worry about the flushing.

 

[UncommonSense]

If its even just a minimal benefit, the savings on bottled water and sediment/charcoal filters because I forgot to shut the flush valve would be huge enough to abandon my flushing habit

I have the RO side of my system constantly pressurized and teed to two accumulator tanks! These supply a drinking water tap on the kitchen sink, the ice maker/water chiller in the fridge, and serve as a ~5 gal in-line RO water reservoir for filling my freshwater tank!

I haven’t noticed any appreciable TDS creep out of my membranes… city water is 200-220ppm, RO product water can start as high as 4ppm, then settles at 1-2ppm… I flush rarely; when I remember to… then often forget to close my flush valve like you!

Just don’t get the 3.2-3.4gal “stainless steel” accumulator tank that’s flooded the market and seems to be from a single factory with different brand labels on it… — they rust… BAD!

I’m using plastic accumulator tanks from Watts after having 3-4 BRS branded accumulator tanks go out on myself and friends over a half decade ago… I haven’t looked back since! (Though I would love a glass lined steel accumulator tank if I could find one under 20gal volume/$400!)

Edit: you can also remote mount your accumulator tank; I haven’t had much in the way of appreciable flow loss even from a 60-70ft length of 1/4” RO tubing between my RO accumulator #1, and kitchen sink!