How to Tell if RO Membrane is Bad: A Guide for Clean Water.

Alright, so, I’ve been messing around with my reverse osmosis system lately, you know, the one that makes the water all nice and pure. It’s been acting a bit funky, and I started wondering if the RO membrane was going bad. Those things are kinda the heart of the whole operation, so if it’s shot, the water quality ain’t gonna be great.

First off, I took a peek at the pressure gauge. If it’s showing a low reading, that can be a red flag. It might mean the membrane isn’t getting enough pressure to work its magic, you know? It needs that push to force the water through and leave the gunk behind.

But before I went ripping things apart, I wanted to do a little test. I mean, you can’t just replace the membrane every time you think it might be bad, right? They aren’t exactly cheap. So I got thinking about how to really check the water quality coming out of it.

Turns out, the easiest way is to test its electrical conductivity. It’s like this: pure water is a lousy conductor of electricity. The more junk that’s dissolved in it—salts, acids, whatever—the better it conducts. So, if the RO membrane is doing its job, the water should have very low conductivity.

• Checked the pressure gauge: It was a bit lower than usual, which got me worried.
• Grabbed my conductivity meter: This little gadget measures how well the water conducts electricity.
• Took a sample of the RO water: I ran the system for a bit and collected some water.
• Tested the conductivity: The reading was higher than it should be. Bummer.

I also started thinking about how often I’ve been cleaning the system. The general idea is that you should be cleaning it every 3 to 12 months. If you’re doing it more than once a month, something’s probably up. I realized I’d been cleaning mine way more often, like every few weeks. That’s a pretty solid sign that the membrane’s getting fouled up and isn’t working as well as it should.

So, yeah, after doing all this, I’m pretty sure my RO membrane is on its last legs. It’s not completely shot, but it’s definitely not doing a great job anymore. Looks like it’s time to bite the bullet and get a new one. It’s a pain, but hey, at least I’ll have good, clean water again. And maybe I’ll be a bit more diligent about the cleaning schedule this time around, haha!