replace RO/DI filters?

[advanwoerden]

Any good rules of thumb on changing RO/DI filters? I bought a 5 stage from BRS 2 years ago for my 40 gal tank with 20 gal sump. In that time I've done maybe 50 5 gal water changes, and filled up a 5 gal bucket for topoff maybe 100-150 times. In total I'm guessing 1000 gallons? TDS meter still reads 0.00 both for input and output on last stage. It takes maybe 5-7 hours to fill up a bucket though, seems like a long time for a 75gpd system...

 

[Adamc1303]

You should get a flush kit to extend the membrane life if you don't already have one. As far as the rest of the filters just look at them and if they are brown and dirty then they need replacing. Are your filter housing clear or white? If you keep on top of replacing the sediment filter then it should keep the carbon filter cleaner too. As far as DI I don't know how to tell if it needs replacing. I use color changing DI which lets me know.

 

[bertyboy69]

If its taking you 5 to 7 hrs to make 5 gallons you are about 900 gallons too late on changing your filters ! Your membrane is fine they last typically 3 years or so , but the pre filters in your case probably a sediment 2 carbons and a di are way past due

Sediment filter i change maybe every 150-200 gallons it changes from white to rust brown when it gets clogged up , the carbon filters i change every 500 to 600 gallons (they may last longer but it keeps my system moving quickly)
The di stage generally they use color changing resin i believe it starts blue and changes to orange when its used up

Do yourself a favor and order a bunch of sediment filters and a couple carbon filters , sediment filters are cheap ($3)and they pick up most of the junk that would clog your carbon filters

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Reefs

 

[turbotone]

i was changing filters religiously 3 months sediment, 6 months carbon and di resin yearly.. changed way immaturely .. 5-7 hours is way too long for that amount of water.. definitely would change all of them and i agree with adamc1303 with a flush kit? your first stage is definitely clogged..what does your water pressure gauge say? what pressure does your system require? you might need a booster pump if its not producing what your system requires.. before i did my upgrade i had a 75gpd system that required 40psi my upgraded 5 stage 150 gpd required 60 psi so i bought a booster pump..

i just purchased a fm-2 monitor and it monitors usage by gallons or months?my water coming in is around 143 tds whats yours? (that also plays a roll on the lifespan of a filter)my filter schedule goes as follows: sediment 3000 gallons, pentek chloroplus carbon filter 3000 gallons, matrix carbon filter 6000 gallons, each membrane (75gpd each) 36 months.. thats 5 stages. i also run 2 di stages but monitor them with a dual tds meter.. all from BRS as well.. i did 20 gallon water changes weekly (for almost 6 months) i now do 10 gallon water changes a week and i use about 9 gallons with calk in my ATO a week as well.. had this system running for about 7 months and i haven't changed the first filter yet and no drop in water pressure whats so ever.. total water used was 1323 gallons? now thats after the booster pump before the total system.. thats not water made thats total water used including the rejection water? don't know my water ratio.. so at the rate I'm going to most likely change my first 2 stages every year and the matrix carbon every 2 years.. di resin as soon as it visually depletes or shows 1 tds? membrane in 3 years.. oh by the way i have a 90 gallon system (75 dt 30 sump)

honestly i would change them all and label the date of when you changed them.. monitor from here on in bertyboy69 is right they are cheap.. so do yourself a favor and put a few of each in your cart with something else you need/want and hopefully you'll save the tax and shipping..

 

[edd]

psi and incoming water temp can drastically reduce production rate. you should have min 60psi and incoming water 77deg. for every lb under 60 you loose 2% of production. for every deg below 77 you loose another 2% of production. this time of year your incoming water is probably 50 deg. thats what mine is. that would be a 54% drop in production.
ck your psi and water temp after its been running a while.

 

[BioMan]

I found the sediment filter at Home Depot for 8 bucks for a 2 pack,,I have a used 90gal Spectrapure, need to find replacement cartridges locally instead of ordering them online

 

[advanwoerden]

Thanks for all the feedback! I ordered replacement filters on BRS, minus the membrane. I'll open my unit up to check out how the filters look. I should be fine on PSI but interesting what Edd said abt water temp. My unit hooks up to my faucet so I'll make it slightly warmer next time.

My TDS reads 0.00 though, it seems like this can't be right. Did BRS sell me a faulty inline TDS meter?

 

[bertyboy69]

Your tds will most likely still be 0 but your membrane and di resin are being overworked shortening thier life span and water temp definetly affects production but you shoukd still use only cold water less chance of contamination in the pipes in your home

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Reefs

 

[advanwoerden]

Is it possible to have TDS of 0 but still have phosphates? I have a cyano problem in my tank despite weekly water changes and very light bio load, I'm wondering if the RODI is at fault potentially.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Your tds will most likely still be 0 but your membrane and di resin are being overworked shortening thier life span and water temp definetly affects production but you shoukd still use only cold water less chance of contamination in the pipes in your home

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Reefs

+1 i never use warm water

How old is this rodi?
Have you ever flushed the rodi?
How old is the tank?
How many water changes and how big are you doing a month?

Alot of other things can give you cyan. Over feeding, to much fish waste, not an adequate skimmer, not using filter socks to pull the garbage out instead of it rotting in the tank....

Give us a rundown of your entire tank (flow, running gfo, carbon, ect....)

 

[edd]

i made a 3/8 copper coil like a still. i put in a bucket with water and a 300w heater and run my water thru it into ro system, almost doubles production.

 

[mbg75]

Prefilters should be changed when there is a pressure drop.

Membrane should be changed when it no longer eliminates 96-98% of incoming tap Tds.

Di should be changed when it no longer drops Tds to 0

Color changing DI can change color prematurely when there is high CO2.