RODI System (First time use - beginner question)

[GrumpyDaddy68]

Hi,

I'm sorry if this is not the right forum to ask these questions.

Last week I bough the BRS 4 Stage Value Plus RODI sytem and I have some questions about how to use it for the first time.


- I saw one of your videos that mentions to run the system for an hour with 'product' and 'waste' lines going to the drain (to remove all small particles from filter).

When doing this... does the 'Flow Membrane Flush Valve' needs to be open or close?

Could you explain me a little bit more when to use this 'flush valve'? Is it before every use or after the use of the unit? Is 10 minutes the right time?

One more... there is a note within the 'owners manual' that I received that mentions: It is normal to experience reduced output and slightly elevated TDS during the first several days...

Does this mean I cannot use the 'product' water until has a 0 TDS displayed, correct?

Note: I have a 25gal lagoon... I'm guessing my production will be on the lower end.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Hi,

I'm sorry if this is not the right forum to ask these questions.

Last week I bough the BRS 4 Stage Value Plus RODI sytem and I have some questions about how to use it for the first time.


- I saw one of your videos that mentions to run the system for an hour with 'product' and 'waste' lines going to the drain (to remove all small particles from filter).

When doing this... does the 'Flow Membrane Flush Valve' needs to be open or close?

Could you explain me a little bit more when to use this 'flush valve'? Is it before every use or after the use of the unit? Is 10 minutes the right time?

One more... there is a note within the 'owners manual' that I received that mentions: It is normal to experience reduced output and slightly elevated TDS during the first several days...

Does this mean I cannot use the 'product' water until has a 0 TDS displayed, correct?

Note: I have a 25gal lagoon... I'm guessing my production will be on the lower end.

Thanks in advance for your help.

The flush valve is used to extend the lifetime of the membrane. You do not need to flush the membrane upon initial use, only periodically. There is no real hard rule about backflushing the membrane. I like to do it every time I change out resin or carbon. I would typically backflush for 10-15 minutes.

As for the elevated TDS in water during initial production, it is safe to use. It will be slightly less pure than optimal, but there should be nothing in it that would require disposal.

Hope that helps.

 

[Opus]

OP, ideally, you should pull the line from the "out" side of the sediment filter (1st filter) and run 5 or so gallons thru it to flush it out. Then put that line back in and pull the "out" line on the carbon filter (2n filter) and run it for 5 or so gallons to flush it. Plug the line back in and then pull the line going to the DI filter and run another 5 to 10 gallons. Then plug it in and you should be good to go. You should be producing 0 tds water from your system at this time. By doing it this way the particles in the first 2 filters don't clog the system up.

I wouldn't worry about back flushing. It really doesn't work on our commercial units. What you should do is invest in the kit that allows you to by pass the di cartridge for the first few minutes after you start the RO unit. TDS builds up in the RO membrane so that you get a high tds on the product side of the RO membrane for the first few minutes. The kit allows you to divert the good water to the waste side. BRS sells the kit or you can piece it together yourself of of Amazon or maybe Home Depot/Lowes. By diverting the high tds water from the di cartridge this keeps the di from depleting faster than it should and in theory saves you money in the long run.

 

[GrumpyDaddy68]

Thanks for all the excellent comments.

I will look into that upgrade kit...

 

[Bulk Reef Supply]

Hi,

I'm sorry if this is not the right forum to ask these questions.

Last week I bough the BRS 4 Stage Value Plus RODI sytem and I have some questions about how to use it for the first time.


- I saw one of your videos that mentions to run the system for an hour with 'product' and 'waste' lines going to the drain (to remove all small particles from filter).

When doing this... does the 'Flow Membrane Flush Valve' needs to be open or close?

Could you explain me a little bit more when to use this 'flush valve'? Is it before every use or after the use of the unit? Is 10 minutes the right time?

One more... there is a note within the 'owners manual' that I received that mentions: It is normal to experience reduced output and slightly elevated TDS during the first several days...

Does this mean I cannot use the 'product' water until has a 0 TDS displayed, correct?

Note: I have a 25gal lagoon... I'm guessing my production will be on the lower end.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hey, thanks for purchasing your RODI system from us!

For the initial break-in period, you'll want to run the system as normal, with the flush valve in the closed (perpendicular) position. The break in period is not only to flush the filters, but is also flushing the membrane and rehydrating it. After the first 10 gallons or so, the water is good enough quality to use, but during the first 24 hours or so the membrane will continue to hydrate and performance will improve. For some people they may not see optimal performance until the unit has run for a day or so, but the water is still good to use.

After that, we recommend flushing the membrane to remove buildup after each water production cycle, and it doesn't hurt to flush it for a short bit before making water too. I'd say a minute or two is plenty long enough to flush the membrane.

@Opus Mentions a couple good tips. While not 100% necessary (and probably not practiced by most of us), flushing the prefilters on first use can help to prevent dust from the cartridges from clogging later stages and fouling the membrane. If you want to take this extra step, rather than unplugging the tubing after each prefilter stage, it's easier to just remove the tube coming out from the carbon block up to the membrane, or install a 3-Way ball valve, and flush the water from each stage this way. You can remove the carbon block from the canister and run it empty and turn the water on for a few minutes with just the sediment filter installed, again, running the output to the drain, then turn the unit off and install the carbon block and do the same thing. After this, just return the flow to the membrane and you're ready to go.


3-Way Valve


The other thing he mentions is TDS creep, which builds up when the unit is not in use. It's really only a small shot of a few ounces of higher TDS water and won't make a huge difference, but can extend the life of your DI resin a little. It's very easy to install a 3-Way valve on the product line going to the DI resin and create a bypass to flush that small amount of water down the drain, rather than sending it through the DI resin. You should only need to do this for 30 seconds or so and can turn flow back to the DI resin as soon as the TDS comes back down.

Zack@BRS

 

[GrumpyDaddy68]

Thanks for reply Zack!

It's much clear now; I will take a look into that 3-way valve.