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Bit of help please

camcap

Active member
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hi I have a 4040 system and seem to be getting 29 ppm after the ro, it used to be about 12, I am over due changing the carbon and sediment filters so could the be the cause of the higher ppm reading, and might this of damaged the ro membrane.

Also I live in a low water pressure area ( takes 8-9 hours to fill a 500lt tank ) would I be best with a HF4 or HF5 membrane. Not really wanting to add a booster pump for the moment. Thanks for any help

 
Yep time to change filters me thinks! Also a booster pump would make a massive difference

 
Cool I've ordered them been reading up on booster pumps and some say you can't use them what's the score with them

 
Changing the prefilters will not improve your TDS output on their own. However, if your sediment filter was blocked with sediment and you were getting a reduced flow through them then replacing them will make a difference. I agree with the other posters and replace them first.

A 10" Fiberdyne combination carbon block/sediment filter with process 38000 litres of tap water and a 20" will process twice that according to manufacturers specs.

Our 4040 is at about a 50/50 pure to waste ratio and our Fiberdyne 20" lasts us 3 months. We still use a sediment prefilter and can change that as often as once a month when our water is 'dirty'. A 'dirty' sediment filter reduces water flow through it by quite some margin.

http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/pure-water-systems/water-treatment/sediment-carbon-filters/fibredyne-cfb-plus-sediment-carbon-pre-filter-10.html

http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/pure-water-systems/water-treatment/sediment-carbon-filters/fibredyne-cfb-plus-sediment-carbon-pre-filter-20.html

Just to show you how careful you need to be, I have a 20" GAC-20R-C Coconut shell carbon filter in my office.

It has a service life of 2500 US Gallons (= -+ 10000 liters). We would be replacing them every 10 days.

This carbon block 20" carbon block filter has a service life of 22,000 litres. 3 of those are much more expensive that 1 only 20" Fiberdyne carbon block prefilter.

Our water pressure is 50psi and we use an HF5 membrane. Its more expensive but is working for us. We get about 2 liters of pure a minute. We don't use a booster pump.

You need a decent size booster pump to cope with a 4040. The little ones they supply for RoMan type r/o's will not pump enough water.

GAPS water recommend this.

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cbm240e-1in-multi-stage-230v-booster-pum

 
With a booster pump not only will it make your ro more efficent it will more than halve you current pure production time to fill your 500 litre van tank. That's assuming the membrane and filters are in good condition..

How often do you backfush the ro?

And what is your tape tds ppm?

 
Tap tds is around 198And to be fair I don't flush it enough probs once a month
That's a rejection rate of 87%. That's worse than a Merlin. At that efficiency I would guess that the membrane isn't working properly either.

 
Just measured my pure to waste ratio and I'm getting 2.4lt of waste to every 1lt of pure is this about right ??

 
Just measured my pure to waste ratio and I'm getting 2.4lt of waste to every 1lt of pure is this about right ??
If you can play around with it. In other words, Close the waste valve a little more and then test the output after a few minutes. If it makes no difference, try a little more. You are looking for a sweet spot where the r/o is performing it best.

It could be that you need a ratio of around 1 to 1 to increase pressure on the membrane to get a better result. But you need to always have water coming from the waste.

I have a brass gate valve on my system. I drilled a 1mm hole through the paddle just to one side of the threaded actuator so I can't shut the valve completely.

 
When I brought the system the waste tap had a little pre drilled hole in it I'm guessing this is for the ratio of waste and pure, is the rejection rate bad because of the low water pressure
http://www.toolclick.co.uk/p/clarke-1-inch-stainless-steel-booster-pump-19-litre-tank/1409?gclid=CObZs6PeisUCFernwgodd2oAow

Is this the type of booster pump
Several cleaners have tried this tanked booster pump and it didn't work properly. This is why the single electronically controlled pump is recommended by GAPS.

Some have successfully used other pumps such as

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/051012200

I see that Machine Mart also do a cheaper separate electronic controller.

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-epc800-electronic-water-pump-control-un

 
Thanks spruce for all your help, ye I have a 1mm hole in my wast valve so can never fully close it off. The guys at the cleaning warehouse did this and said that this is the best way to get about the right waste to pure and best out of the membrane, to be honest I think the best bet is for me to invest in a pump as my water pressure is just to low so I'll look in to getting the type you said thanks again for your help

 
Thanks spruce for all your help, ye I have a 1mm hole in my wast valve so can never fully close it off. The guys at the cleaning warehouse did this and said that this is the best way to get about the right waste to pure and best out of the membrane, to be honest I think the best bet is for me to invest in a pump as my water pressure is just to low so I'll look in to getting the type you said thanks again for your help
I would also check that you haven't a restriction on the tap which is feeding the r/o. Sometimes one of those saddle clamps are used which puncture a hole in the copper pipe. They can reduce flow by quite a bit.

Do you have low water flow through the rest of the house? Could the outside stop valve in the street not be fully open. A restricted water tap can give the impression of a low pressure once the tap is opened. Is the stop valve under the sink (usually) fully open as well?

 
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