How Does Chlorine Damage RO Membranes? Simple Tips to Protect Your System

Hey everyone, so today I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind lately: how chlorine damages reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. I’ve been doing some tinkering with my home water purification system, and let me tell you, it’s been quite the learning experience!

First off, I started noticing that the water from my RO system wasn’t tasting as clean as it used to. I mean, I installed this whole thing to get rid of that nasty chlorine taste, and here it was, creeping back in. That’s when I decided to roll up my sleeves and figure out what was going on.

I opened up the system and took a good look at the RO membrane. Now, I’m no expert, but it definitely looked a bit worse for wear. I remembered reading somewhere that chlorine can really mess with these membranes, so I dug a little deeper.

Turns out, these membranes, especially the ones made of polyamide, are pretty sensitive to chlorine. It’s like their kryptonite! The chlorine basically attacks the membrane material, causing it to break down over time. This can lead to a whole bunch of problems, like reduced water flow, lower rejection rates of contaminants, and of course, that lovely chlorine taste coming back.

Here’s what I did to figure things out:

• Checked the pre-filters: These guys are supposed to catch the chlorine before it reaches the membrane. Mine were pretty old, so I swapped them out for fresh ones.
• Inspected the membrane: Like I said, it looked degraded. I ended up replacing it, which was a bit of a pain, but hey, clean water is worth it.
• Read up on maintenance: I realized I hadn’t been flushing the system as often as I should. Regular flushing helps to remove any residual chlorine and keeps things running smoothly.
• Tested for chlorine level, and I found that chlorine level was exceeding the limit, so I considered using carbon to remove chlorine from the water.

After doing all this, I noticed a huge difference. The water tasted way better, and I felt good knowing that I was actually drinking purified water again. I also learned about some mid-term preservation, like flushing with RO produced water for more than 30min and doing this once a week.

So, the big takeaway here is that if you’ve got an RO system, pay attention to the chlorine! It’s a sneaky little bugger that can really do a number on your membrane. Make sure you’re using good quality pre-filters, and don’t forget to flush the system regularly.

Anyways, that’s my little adventure with chlorine and RO membranes. Hope this helps someone out there! If you’ve had similar experiences or have any tips to share, I’d love to hear them. I also learned that aromatic polyamide reverse osmosis (PA-RO) membrane should provide 97% to the quality. Let’s keep the conversation going and help each other out!