Filter Change Sheet and Normal Operation
Note: Filters are referenced in the order in which they appear in the system
1. Sediment Filter: This filter is first in line; removes particles that can be physically filtered out. An example of a particle that would be removed is sand. This filter’s life depends on the amount of particles in your water. The best gauge of this filter’s life is pressure drop. When you see a 5PSIG drop, you should change your filter. Discoloration is also a sign that the filter is loaded and therefore time to replace with a new filter.
2. Carbon Block, GAC or Chloramine Blaster Filter: These filters effectively reduce VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) ONLY for water that is safe by the federal Safe Water Drinking Standards. If you have water with a known containment, you need to treat it accordingly. The only cost effective way to predict filter life is by estimating the gallons. (unless carbon is being used for a know containment, then testing is essential) The carbon block will filter 3,750 gal @ 1.0 GPM of 2ppm Chlorine (Cl2 ). A GAC will yield 5000 gallons of treated water@ 1.0 GPM of 2ppm Chlorine (Cl2 ) . The Chloramine Blasters are run 2 in series and will yield approximately 8000 gallons of treated water Do not exclude drain water from this capacity, as it is treated water.
3. Reverse Osmosis Membrane: This is the first component in the system that reduces Total Dissolved Solids (TDS); a common example of dissolved solids can be salts or calcium. A TDS meter is the best way to determine if your membrane is operating properly. A properly operating membrane will give you a TDS reduction of at least 90%. EXAMPLE: Raw water TDS is 100ppm, after the membrane it should be 10ppm or less. Membranes can fail by Clogging or Scaling, in which case very little or no water will be produced. Membranes will also fail from contact with chlorine. If this happens the water quality will be very poor. So changing the carbon filter on time is essential. Hot water will also ruin a membrane (>80 Deg. F). If your membrane produces significantly more than it is rated for, that is an indication that something is wrong.
4. Deionization Filter (DI): IF USED The DI filter is the last filter inline. This filter consists of 2 resins. One is charged with Hydrogen (H+) and the other a Hydroxide ion (OH-). As water passes over these resins, the remaining “salts” (or ions) exchange out and only H+ and OH- are released into the stream. Due to the quality of resin we use, the water you get will be, literally as pure as possible. The resin is a color indicating resin; it will slowly change from a dark purple/blue/black to a rust red/orange color. As this filter nears the end of its useful life you may experience “break though”. Keep this in mind, depending on the water quality needed. For applications demanding 18 Mega-Ohm water, 2 DI’s are STRONGLY recommended.
