new ro/di filter

Steamboatwv · 01/10/2009, 01:10 PM

I finally after 2 years went and bought a 5 stage ro di filter for my system, my main question is this, it is a 50gpd filter, but its putting out around 6 gallons every hour and a half, now i know thats nothing to complain about but it said it should put out about 2 or so gallons an hour, so is the high output a bad thing? is it going thru too fast to get filtered good? I do not have a tds meter at the moment I got it because I do know that my water sucks bad, every water change is followed by and algae bloom from well you get the picture. but if high output on them is a bad thing then i need to know...

thanks in advance.

Eel-byte · 01/10/2009, 01:45 PM

I would buy an inline tds meter measuring the water going in and out of your unit. They were doing some work on my waters pipes in the area I live and my pressure has changed dramatically. I used to get a slow drip, now I get a nice stream. The tds reading was unaffected by the pressure change.

strtrodreefer · 01/11/2009, 09:51 AM

I would double check all the hose connections to ensure it's correct, and also check the membrane for full insertion depth.
Normally, a new unit or a unit having just had new filters/membranes installed will be quite LOW on product water for many hours of use. Once the membrane is fully saturated at pressure it should fall into normal product range.

AZDesertRat · 01/11/2009, 02:04 PM

You cannot have a RO system without a TDS meter and expect it to perform.
Get a nice handheld TDS meter, not an inline, and use it. The TDS numbers are probably going to tell you the membrane is not seated properly in the housing.

Steamboatwv · 01/12/2009, 02:49 AM

i am waiting on a tds meter, but i have checked the membrane 3 times for seating and its in there correctly, even took it to the LFS that I bought it from and he checked the membrane and filters, everything checks out. he had misplaced his meter and asked me to come back up with water from it this week and he will test the before and after water and give me the readings. the product water has slowed down a bit now down to 5 gal in an hour and a half but staying steady at that.

AZDesertRat · 01/12/2009, 07:47 AM

The TDS meter will help you in your troubleshooting if you got a handheld one. I would expect your water temp is less than 77 degrees and pressure is probably average at 50 psi. If so then you should be seeing less than 2 GPH not 5.
For an idea of what you should expect as far as GPD go to www.buckeyefieldsupply.com and look under the calculator at the top of the page. If you know your water temperature and water pressure you can come with a very accurate GPD. You will see both water temperature and water pressure have a huge effect on output. If your membrane is OK then you either have very war mwater or very high pressure or both which is not the norm.
be very careful if you are using warm water as it can melt a membrane in a heartbeat. Its best to stick with cold water and use a booster pump if necessary rather than trying to blend or temper hot and cold which can lead to disaster.

Buckeye Hydro · 01/13/2009, 05:53 AM

Steam - something is not right. The advice given above by AZ is good.

What is your pressure?

If your RO membrane is fully seated, and assuming the o-rings on the membrane stem are in place, and assuming you don't have very high pressure, then you may have a internal crack in your RO membrane housing.

Checking the TDS of your RO water will help you determine if that's the case.

Russ

01/10/2009, 01:10 PM	#1
Steamboatwv Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: west virginia Posts: 5	new ro/di filter I finally after 2 years went and bought a 5 stage ro di filter for my system, my main question is this, it is a 50gpd filter, but its putting out around 6 gallons every hour and a half, now i know thats nothing to complain about but it said it should put out about 2 or so gallons an hour, so is the high output a bad thing? is it going thru too fast to get filtered good? I do not have a tds meter at the moment I got it because I do know that my water sucks bad, every water change is followed by and algae bloom from well you get the picture. but if high output on them is a bad thing then i need to know... thanks in advance.

01/10/2009, 01:45 PM	#2
Eel-byte Premium Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Duluth, Mn Posts: 1,508	I would buy an inline tds meter measuring the water going in and out of your unit. They were doing some work on my waters pipes in the area I live and my pressure has changed dramatically. I used to get a slow drip, now I get a nice stream. The tds reading was unaffected by the pressure change.

01/11/2009, 09:51 AM	#3
strtrodreefer Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: pa Posts: 39	I would double check all the hose connections to ensure it's correct, and also check the membrane for full insertion depth. Normally, a new unit or a unit having just had new filters/membranes installed will be quite LOW on product water for many hours of use. Once the membrane is fully saturated at pressure it should fall into normal product range.

01/11/2009, 02:04 PM	#4
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	You cannot have a RO system without a TDS meter and expect it to perform. Get a nice handheld TDS meter, not an inline, and use it. The TDS numbers are probably going to tell you the membrane is not seated properly in the housing.

01/12/2009, 02:49 AM	#5
Steamboatwv Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: west virginia Posts: 5	i am waiting on a tds meter, but i have checked the membrane 3 times for seating and its in there correctly, even took it to the LFS that I bought it from and he checked the membrane and filters, everything checks out. he had misplaced his meter and asked me to come back up with water from it this week and he will test the before and after water and give me the readings. the product water has slowed down a bit now down to 5 gal in an hour and a half but staying steady at that.

01/12/2009, 07:47 AM	#6
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	The TDS meter will help you in your troubleshooting if you got a handheld one. I would expect your water temp is less than 77 degrees and pressure is probably average at 50 psi. If so then you should be seeing less than 2 GPH not 5. For an idea of what you should expect as far as GPD go to www.buckeyefieldsupply.com and look under the calculator at the top of the page. If you know your water temperature and water pressure you can come with a very accurate GPD. You will see both water temperature and water pressure have a huge effect on output. If your membrane is OK then you either have very war mwater or very high pressure or both which is not the norm. be very careful if you are using warm water as it can melt a membrane in a heartbeat. Its best to stick with cold water and use a booster pump if necessary rather than trying to blend or temper hot and cold which can lead to disaster.

01/13/2009, 05:53 AM	#7
Buckeye Hydro .Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 4,857	Steam - something is not right. The advice given above by AZ is good. What is your pressure? If your RO membrane is fully seated, and assuming the o-rings on the membrane stem are in place, and assuming you don't have very high pressure, then you may have a internal crack in your RO membrane housing. Checking the TDS of your RO water will help you determine if that's the case. Russ