Pump when Flushing

Hi

Do people flush their system with the pump on or off ?
will flushing with the pump on cause damage to the membrane ?
Thanks

Dabber

Mine is always on when flushing that’s how my set up is designed to work cannot comment on others though . 

Dabber said:

Hi

Do people flush their system with the pump on or off ?
will flushing with the pump on cause damage to the membrane ?
Thanks

Dabber

Click to expand...

The answer will probably depend on who is answering the question and what r/o you have.

When Gardiner's sold booster pumps for PRF, 4021 and 4040 they advised to switch the booster pump off. This was the correct answer as using a booster pump can easily break water authority regulations. The regulations clearly state that a booster pump must not draw more than 12 liters per minute of water from the supply. Using a 4040 with a high waste ratio you could expect to draw around 9 lpm of water from the mains supply.

If you flushed that same r/o with the booster pump switched on, it could be that you are drawing more than 12 lpm and hence breaking the regulations. Once your booster draws more than 12lpm you need a break tank installed.

The regulation still stands even if your mains water supply at normal water supply pressure delivers more than 12lpm. For example, the water delivery at our back tap is 13lpm at 50psi when I last tested it.

In practice though there will always be some who flush with their booster pump turned on and not create any issues. Some households on your water main (depending on where your property is on the main) may suffer a temporary reduction in water availability whilst you are flushing, but, as its probably hardly noticeable and for a short duration in time, the neighbours probably won't report it. 

I very much doubt that using a booster pump when flushing will damage the membranes.

I flush with the pump on for about 1 minute as it's quicker and I won't forget about it flushing and realise 30 minutes later it's still flushing. 

Got a reply from the chap who supplied it and he said to flush with pump on.

Thanks everyone.