Has anyone used the 4040 RO membranes available on Amazon?
1 Like
I have not. Are you considering it?
1 Like
Not sure yet. My RO membrane is just over 2 years old and it is not pushing out the numbers it should be. WCR only has ground shipping and it is coming up on the weekend so it’ll take a week or so to get here. Whereas Amazon has two filters that are the same dimensions, but have different outputs in GPD than the stock AXEON filter in the Xero pure. One is about $100 cheaper and I can get it in 24 hours with Prime.
I did see an option to actually backwash the RO membrane with either a DI only system or second RO DI unit. Essentially you hook up the output of the donating filter to the outlet of the RO membrane canister and then the water is discharged out of the inlet. The few videos I have seen are a bunch of years old, but these guys in Canada were doing it and got significant change in numbers. They started with 130TDS in and 40 out, then did the flush and was getting an output number of 3TDS.
Well maybe Amazon could work , idk. Wcr is really fast tho and at least you know 100% that you’re getting the right stuff.
O yeah, we’ve back washed our system several times. Easy enough to do.
1 Like
Are you sure you even need an RO membrane? There was a chart (I will see if I can find it)a while ago that showed the resin costs by ppm, and if you are using the dual tank “workhorse polisher” method, the cost in resin can be incredibly low. Not to mention savings in avoiding RO and pumps to improve flow.
1 Like
Good point! I’ve been using the same RO for…I think 5 years now
1 Like
I have not done a backwash on the RO yet. I use my system everyday and the average TDS in my area is 175, but can be higher when working at a house pulling from well water. My Xero pure system was producing 30 TDS from the RO alone, before the DI. When I spoke to Jersey over the phone, we troubleshot a little and tried packing the DI media tighter and ensuring that the canister was fully seated in the housing with a good o-ring seal. Additionally, I was never getting 0 TDS readings out of my DI, even with new virgin media. It was always 1-2, then would quickly creep into the 20’s, sometimes within a month.
Most recently I was noticing a musty/fishy smell coming from the WFP. I searched the system and could not find any algae growth or other source so I assumed it had to do with the RO. I pulled it from the canister and it had a rust colored slime on the exterior of it. I am assuming that is the high iron deposits that are plentiful in our water here.
@DanTheWindowMan At this point I am already invested when it comes to equipment. Quick run down if you can call it that:
- House supply line runs through a sediment filter then a charcoal filter into a 200gal buffer tank that my PW and WFP systems pull from.
- I use a 1HP irrigation pump to boost the water from the tank through another charcoal filter then the RO then the DI.
- Output runs through a 3/4" hose line across the trailer to an inline TDS meter and finally to a hose reel with 200ft of 3/8" air hose with 1/4" quick connect fittings until finally reaching the WFP itself with the 5/16" line.
- I run a Tucker 18" Hybrid brush with 4 pencil jets and full rinse bar.
2 Likes
So just an update to the post.
After speaking with @Jersey about the situation, the final determination was that I actually had an algae bloom inside of the RO cylinder. This is unusual because I use the system nearly everyday for at least an hour and never go more than 3 days without using it. The one significant difference is that it is permanently mounted on the back open area of my trailer so it is always exposed to the elements. Being in Florida that is predominantly high humidity and high temperatures most of the year.
In the end the fix necessary was to order a new RO membrane from WCR instead of Amazon, which was delivered to me in 3 days via UPS so an extra day vs Amazon, but with the benefit of knowing for sure that the filter would properly fit. Next, I had to clean all the algae out of the housing so I used my hot water pressure washer with a pipe jetting tip to sterilize the interior of the cylinder with 220°F water for about 3 minutes, then continuously rinsed it with water for 15 minutes as the line cooled back down. I did not want to melt any fittings with high heat exposure, so I made sure to move the jetting nozzle up and down the column of water inside the cylinder as it cleaned. Afterwards, dropped in the new RO membrane and checked the TDS output. 166 in and 4 out prior to DI filter.
1 Like
That’s crazy. Who would have thought