[elite mike]

i pack mine to the brim :

[Fieldsy]

ok time for a little modification then...lol

[elite mike]

good luck and good night

[Fieldsy]

lol....well   good and bad news, filled them to the brim and second DI filled up in no time, and took tds down..............................but!!!!, its still 001 !!!! think I can live with that...lol

g'nite    ....and thanks for the tip

Fieldsy

[ftp]

You sure your not running the waste pipe through the di units?
Can't tell from the pics.

[Spruce]

Hi
Go back to your original setup before you added the extra membrane. Disconnect the pure outlet from going through the resin and take a TDS reading after about half an hour. That reading should be about 97 - 98% of your input. ie TDS of 350 input should result in an output of around 7 or better. If this is correct then that membrane is ok. Then remove that membrane from the loop and plumb in the new membrane exactly as the first one. Run the system in exactly the same way as with the first one. Take a reading again and you will be able to see where the problem is. If it is with your new membrane try swopping the waste and pure outputs around and see if there is any difference.
Hope this helps

[Fieldsy]

Thanks Spruce, thats a handly liitle tip to keep in mind. After filling the DI units to the brim and restarting the system, the possible air lock has disappeared, the DI units filled immediately, and now the tds is down to 000  . I'm a happy bunny 

thanks for everyones advice and tips, much appreciated.

Fieldsy

[Spruce]

As for the airlock in the resin cannister.- my setup is 5 years old, changed filters regularily, upgraded from 100gpd membranes to 150gpd 3 years ago and changed those about a year back. Each time I replace the resin in the cartridge I get an airlock like you. It hasn't caused any problems and will eventually clear.
I still think you should isolate those membranes and check their performance individually. If you are getting a high TDS output from either of them, then you are going to go through resin at a rapid rate.

I had a high TDS output with some old membranes and it was then that I ordered 150GPD membranes to replace them. Ro-man didn't have them in stock and had to wait about 10 days before they came. In that time I was replacing the resin in that single cannister every evening. The tds of the water in my van tank was slowly rising over that period, indicating that the resin probably needed to be changed twice a day.
Spruce

[Fieldsy]

Well, just under 2000 litres and the tds has shot up to 008 ?. I've tested it the way Spruce has suggested, the first original membrane is giving a tds of 013 and the new one when connected seperately is 011. When I join them , the resulting tds before DI is 020, and after DI 008. Anyone any suggestions what is going wrong. I only changed the resin beginning of last week.

Where do you think the fault lies, the high tds from the ro or resin???. I bought Tulsion, and thought it would last longer, but the tds after the ro seems high, does it not


thanks
Fieldsy

[chris@c.m.s]

I think when you upgrade by adding a new membrane you need to alter the rejection rate via a restriction valve, I think there is info on the ro-man website. re the TDS rising rapidly the only reason it would do that is that you are hammering the new resin with high TDS do you disconnect the RO from the resin when you start producing pure? if not leave your RO over night then turn it on in the morning and straight away fill a tumbler of water pre DI, You will have a shock.
 
There is mention of the restricter here  http://www.ro-man.com/shop/product_reviews_info.php/products_id/132/reviews_id/18?osCsid=044d261d4061e96c95fed5e5ecd0b447   

[Fieldsy]

Hi Chris,

thanks for that, no I never disconnect it, should I . I just turn it on. So are you possibly saying the new resin is already "spoilt" by not disconnecting each time I turn it on??. So everytime I stop production of water, I should disconnect???


thanks

Fieldsy

[chris@c.m.s]

Yes that's what I do, I must admit I didn't use my 100gpd for long before upgrading to a 4040 but I did find the TDS was exceptionally high when I first turned it, and the 4040 does the same so I always run my RO for about 10 mins before I put it through the DI. 

[Fieldsy]

ok Chris, thanks for the tip. I'll refresh the resin again :, and try your method and see how I get on. thanks for the info. I'm still concerned that the tds is in the 20's from the two membranes, does this seem normal??


One more question??, are membranes of all the same standard??, for example is their a possibility that one make of membrane from a supplier could be inferior to another. I'm just wondering if the 011 and 013 I'm getting from them independantly is considered to be high???

thanks again

Fieldsy

[chris@c.m.s]

I'm no expert on RO's so can only quote what I have found, your TDS does sound high to me, and could be down to your rejection rate, on my RO if I set it at 60 pure and 40 rejected I have a tds of 12-14 If its the other way around I'm down to a TDS of 5.   

[ftp]

Just a thought - if you connect your membranes in parrallel and you have two different quality membranes (or one shot membrane) or even a poorly fitted membrane, would the majority of water pass through one more than the other?

[Craig 72]

I've got a similar problem and I feel like I'm being taken for a bit of a mug by the company I bought it from.It's a 300gpd ro system which I was assured was excellent.My tds is high as well,330 or so but from the first time I used it it only brought the tds down to 030.The chap told me that the fact it's gone down by 300 proves that it's working.Fair enough I thought.I only window clean about 1 or 2 days a week at present and probably make 200 litres a week since I bought it 3 or 4 months ago.Now the tds reads high 060s and needless to say I'm going through resin in my DI like there's no tomorrow.Getting cheesed off with it frankly.Water pressure is very good and I always flush the system.

[Spruce]

"The chap told me that the fact it's gone down by 300 proves that it's working."
Yes, but not properly.
I believe that you need to deal with a reputable supplier, Gardiners, GAPs or RoMan, and get top quality membranes from America rather than the Chinese copies.
When I purchased the last membranes from RoMan I also replaced the restriction valve (I use a 3 to 1 ratio unit as my mains TDS is around the 260ppm mark. If your TDS is into the 300's then they recommend a 5 to 1 ratio restrictor. Unfortunately if you are on a water meter you need to find the right compromise).

My advise is to 'bit the bullet' and oder 2 new membranes, the right restrictor valve and start again - buying cheap with regard to RO units is false economy IMO.
Spruce

[Fieldsy]

Thanks Spruce, I will probs get new membranes, but at the moment tried chris's tip and it seemed to work. I disconnected before the DI and ran the water into a beaker....and it was 350!!!!! after the RO, gradually came down to 50 then 20. Filled up DI with new resin and its back to 000 again, but will see how long for. Will try this tip again and see how long resin lasts. Also second DI was filling up soooooooooooo sloooooooowly, gave it a little twist to the left and filled up immediately. It seemed too tight, if that can be possible or released an air lock.

To be honest, I'm not sure what a restriction valve is, but there is a small black plastic piece on the system with an allen key screw in the top and wires going to it. I'm assuming it could be this, but have no idea what way to turn it to make any difference....lol

Thanks for all the advice/tips.

Fieldsy

[tomy jackson]

triy to see wots cpming out of menbrans one at at time ,and the other thng is you tds meater not giveing a good reading

[Craig 72]

"The chap told me that the fact it's gone down by 300 proves that it's working."
Yes, but not properly.
I believe that you need to deal with a reputable supplier, Gardiners, GAPs or RoMan, and get top quality membranes from America rather than the Chinese copies.

It wasn't a particlarly cheap one,it was in fact one I was recommended by somebody on here.This one:

http://collinswaterproducts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=112_126&products_id=169

So the advice is to get new membranes?Fieldsy,sorry if I'm butting into your post but our problem seems very similar.