PlanetCatfish.com

Thought I would post some photos showing how much nasty stuff RO takes out of my tap water. Top photo is my RO system after three months. Bottom is after I changed the old media for new.





-Shane

and people have to drink this stuff....


but then, Mexico City is believed to be the most polluted spot on earth, save Tchernobyl, right?

Don't feel bad, Shane. It happens in suburban Boston, too.

I have to change the pre-filter every 2-3 weeks. The carbon block once a month and the membrane every 6 months. The town is now looking for an "alternative" water source. The wells are literally running dry.

Bronze, do you backflush your membrane regularly? You should be able to get more than six months out of one if you backflush it.

Dave

Backflushing made it worse, for some reason. I went through a membrane in 6 weeks, then in 4 weeks when I was backflushing. It was getting worse and worse. I called Kent Marine(the manufacturer) to ask why, and if I was doing something wrong. I went through the process, step by step, over the phone. I called back the second time and asked for a supervisor. He told me to stop backflushing because I was most likely "purging some really bad stuff back through the membrane and it's sticking there." Since I stopped backflushing, the membranes last around 6 months(I test with an electronic monitor). I found another manufacturer(Pinnacle? or somebody else?) who doesn't recommend backflushing at all. Go figure. Maybe it depends on the baseline condition of the water. Just a guess. I do know that these units are tested in ideal conditions. I think this may give misleading results as to how long components last. Mexico City sounds like an ideal testing ground.
Amanda