RO system pre-fill & sanitizing

Users who are viewing this thread

Jag_Man653

Member
Messages
55
Reaction score
4
Points
8
Location
Placentia, CA
The instructions for installation of my new Watts residential RO system give instructions for pre-filling and sanitizating the storage tank. It says to connect the tank to the "feed water line." If I understand correctly, this will put mains pressure on the tank, whereas in the normal hookup the pressure seen by the tank is after going through 4 stages of filtration.

Will the tank take mains pressure, perhaps 50-60 psi?

Is this procedure recommended and necessary?

Just want to be sure I don't ruin something.

TIA

Ed
 

Lakee911

I&C Engineer (mostly WWTP)
Messages
1,254
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Columbus, OH
Yes. Do it. Last thing you want is bacteria growing in your non-chlorinated membrane.
 

BeanAnimal

New Member
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Points
0
The instructions for installation of my new Watts residential RO system give instructions for pre-filling and sanitizating the storage tank. It says to connect the tank to the "feed water line." If I understand correctly, this will put mains pressure on the tank, whereas in the normal hookup the pressure seen by the tank is after going through 4 stages of filtration.

Will the tank take mains pressure, perhaps 50-60 psi?

Is this procedure recommended and necessary?

Just want to be sure I don't ruin something.

TIA

Ed

The pressure drop across the filters is only measurable during operation. During idle periods, the pressure in all portions of the system, including that in the product side of the storage tank is the SAME as your static line pressure (in your case 50-60 P.S.I.)

As Lakee indicated, it is very imporant to keep things as sterile as possible, the product water has no ability to fight bacteria. When you change filters, it is important to sanitize your housings and associated parts. Clean the membrane housing, but never expose the membrane to chlorine.
 

Jag_Man653

Member
Messages
55
Reaction score
4
Points
8
Location
Placentia, CA
The pressure drop across the filters is only measurable during operation. During idle periods, the pressure in all portions of the system, including that in the product side of the storage tank is the SAME as your static line pressure (in your case 50-60 P.S.I.)

As Lakee indicated, it is very imporant to keep things as sterile as possible, the product water has no ability to fight bacteria. When you change filters, it is important to sanitize your housings and associated parts. Clean the membrane housing, but never expose the membrane to chlorine.

Thanks.

The Watts sanitization instructions says to use bleach to sanitize the membrane housing as well as other housings. Wouldn't that pose a risk of contaminating the membrane?

Ed
 

BeanAnimal

New Member
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Thanks.

The Watts sanitization instructions says to use bleach to sanitize the membrane housing as well as other housings. Wouldn't that pose a risk of contaminating the membrane?

Ed

Wash it and drain it well and you should be fine. If you are still concerned, let it dry for a few minites (chlorine evaporates).
 

Jag_Man653

Member
Messages
55
Reaction score
4
Points
8
Location
Placentia, CA
Wash it and drain it well and you should be fine. If you are still concerned, let it dry for a few minites (chlorine evaporates).

Thanks again.

Now that I read the Watts Installation instructions more carefully I see that it omits most of the sanitization steps listed under Maintenance. The only mention of sanitization in the Installation instruction section is a sort of causul mention of it where it describes pre-filling of the tank, and even there it does not include it in the step-by-step. One has to refer to the Maintenance section just to see how much bleach to add to the feed tube. So, other than (perhaps) sanitizing the tank, the Installation instructions just say to hook it up and allow the system to fill the tank a couple times, flushing the "sanitizing solution" down the drain after each charge.

So, I now believe that there must be a sanitization chemical in one or more of the cartridges, making it unnecessary to run bleach through the pre-filter and membrane housings prior to installation of the cartridges. I'm thinking about putting bleach in the tank feed tube during pre-fill, draining it, and proceeding with hook-up.

Am I reading things correctly here?

Ed
 

BeanAnimal

New Member
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Points
0
The membrane ships wet with a presrvative in it. The filters, dry. The tank has a rubber bladdar in it that may have manufacturing oils (release agents, etc) on it, as may the housings.

Standard practice is to set the unit up and run the output into the drain for 10 or so minutes to clear the membrane. Fill the RO resevoir once with clean product water and drain it... your good to go. The sanitizing steps are more important when changing filters and/or the membrane.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks