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300 GPD membrane questions.

Delabrum

Member
Messages
58
Location
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
I started WFP window cleaning a couple of months back and bought a 300 GPD system (2x150 GPD membranes) to support a 2 man van system. It’s working well, but we’re planning on having another lad work for us soon and setting him up with a trolley system, so obviously I’ll need a more powerful system. 

I bought 2 300 GPD membranes thinking to myself ‘simple, I’ll just replace the membranes with ones that make twice as much water’ but they don’t fit in the current housing. I’ve ordered the bigger housing, but it dawned on me yesterday that they won’t fit in the brackets on the system! ? I’ve tried looking online for the bigger brackets, and while the 2.5” brackets are easy to find, the 3.5” are impossible to source. Does anyone know where/if I can buy them? If I can’t find them, I’m guessing the brackets don’t really make a difference other than aesthetics? I’m sure I can fix the housing in place by another means.

Is there anything else I need to bear in mind when switching to more powerful membranes? Is it literally a case of just connecting them and off we go? in hindsight it would probably have been better to buy a whole new 600 GPD system - you live and learn!

 
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Is there anything else I need to bear in mind when switching to more powerful membranes? Is it literally a case of just connecting them and off we go? in hindsight it would probably have been better to buy a whole new 600 GPD system - you live and learn!
Sell it as a second hand system and buy a new 600gph system. Its like a van and a PW at some point we wish we bought a bigger one.

 
I started WFP window cleaning a couple of months back and bought a 300 GPD system (2x150 GPD membranes) to support a 2 man van system. It’s working well, but we’re planning on having another lad work for us soon and setting him up with a trolley system, so obviously I’ll need a more powerful system. 

I bought 2 300 GPD membranes thinking to myself ‘simple, I’ll just replace the membranes with ones that make twice as much water’ but they don’t fit in the current housing. I’ve ordered the bigger housing, but it dawned on me yesterday that they won’t fit in the brackets on the system! ? I’ve tried looking online for the bigger brackets, and while the 2.5” brackets are easy to find, the 3.5” are impossible to source. Does anyone know where/if I can buy them? If I can’t find them, I’m guessing the brackets don’t really make a difference other than aesthetics? I’m sure I can fix the housing in place by another means.

Is there anything else I need to bear in mind when switching to more powerful membranes? Is it literally a case of just connecting them and off we go? in hindsight it would probably have been better to buy a whole new 600 GPD system - you live and learn!
Your 1/4" tubing is another problem you have. Your housing will probably come with 3/8" fittings so your prefilters will be another issue as they will be 1/4"

In my honest opinion a 600gpd will barely supply 3 window cleaners. You have been fortunate that a 300gpd has supported 2 of you. It won't in winter when the tap water gets colder. We struggled with 2 cleaners on a 450gpd but found it impossible with 3 cleaners.

As @scottish cleaning service says, sell everything on Ebay, cut your losses and buy a 4040 and process into a 1000 IBC tank.

 
Your 1/4" tubing is another problem you have. Your housing will probably come with 3/8" fittings so your prefilters will be another issue as they will be 1/4"

In my honest opinion a 600gpd will barely supply 3 window cleaners. You have been fortunate that a 300gpd has supported 2 of you. It won't in winter when the tap water gets colder. We struggled with 2 cleaners on a 450gpd but found it impossible with 3 cleaners.

As @scottish cleaning service says, sell everything on Ebay, cut your losses and buy a 4040 and process into a 1000 IBC tank.
Thanks for the advice, guys. This is the housing I’ve bought -

https://www.finest-filters.co.uk/200-to-400gpd-reverse-osmosis-membrane-housing-with-spanner/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvdisvJXt6gIVZGHmCh1D0AzCEAQYCCABEgKCpfD_BwE

It says it comes complete with 1/4” fittings which you can see in the image, and my filtration system uses 1/4” tubing, so do you think it should work for now? Once I’ve set it up I’ll probably see how we go in the first week or so. If we’re running out of water I’ll look into upgrading to the 4040. I might as well see how we go seeing as I’ve bought the extra gear.

I have a 600 litre tank in the back garden and a 400 litre tank in the van. It takes about 32 hours to fill them both at the moment, so I fill them both over the weekend. The benefit we have is that all our work is within a 5-10 minute drive. So coming back during the day to refill isn’t a problem - then once we’ve refilled I start filling the tank in the garden again. We use about 600-650 litres a day. Plus once I have the trolley I’ll be filling containers over the weekend as well.

 
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Thanks for the advice, guys. This is the housing I’ve bought -

https://www.finest-filters.co.uk/200-to-400gpd-reverse-osmosis-membrane-housing-with-spanner/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvdisvJXt6gIVZGHmCh1D0AzCEAQYCCABEgKCpfD_BwE

It says it comes complete with 1/4” fittings which you can see in the image, so do you think it should work for now? Once I’ve set it up I’ll probably see how we go in the first week or so. If we’re running out of water I’ll look into upgrading to the 4040. I might as well see how we go seeing as I’ve bought the extra gear.

I have a 600 litre tank in the back garden and a 400 litre tank in the van. It takes about 32 hours to fill them both at the moment, so I fill them both over the weekend. The benefit we have is that all our work is within a 5-10 minute drive. So coming back during the day to refill isn’t a problem - then once we’ve refilled I start filling the tank in the garden again. We use about 600-650 litres a day. Plus once I have the trolley I’ll be filling containers over the weekend as well.
I see their 600gpd system comes with 3/8" and 1/4" tubing. As the housings come with 1/4" fittings I have to presume that the prefilters are the 3/8" tube requirements. 1/4" tube isn't big enough to supply 600gpd membranes.

Out of interest, what is your membrane rejection rate where you are with your current r/o setup please?

 
I see their 600gpd system comes with 3/8" and 1/4" tubing. As the housings come with 1/4" fittings I have to presume that the prefilters are the 3/8" tube requirements. 1/4" tube isn't big enough to supply 600gpd membranes.

Out of interest, what is your membrane rejection rate where you are with your current r/o setup please?
Before the resin I believe it comes out at around 3 or 4 ppm. My ppm from the tap is about 115, we have really good water in my area, plus I have really good pressure my outside tap. So I guess that’s around 96/97%?

So are you saying that if I fit these membranes to my current system it won’t work properly? When you say that 1/4” tubing isn’t big enough to supply 600 GPD membranes, I assume you mean it’s not big enough to supply 2 300 GPD membranes (which is what I was going to try and setup)?

 
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You would have been better off contacting http://daqua.co.uk and spending on a 40/40 for your requirements or is you had phoned Doug he would have advised you accordingly, looking at the membranes they sell they could be inferior for the needs of a window cleaner.

I thought I was been clever last week and ordered a clear pre-filter housing from Finest Filters via amazon only to discover the housing was about 2mm smaller in diameter and simply won't fit onto my Daqua R/O so I've wasted £15 ? 

 
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I have 500 GPD housings and Brackets in stock. Look the same size. You may just get away with 300 gpd membranes but depending on your water pressure you may find your current R/O will perform better. What I have found with people who have they just don’t work to specification.

 
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