When should you backflush RO membrane? A guide for maintaining optimal performance.

Okay, so today I want to talk about something I did with my water filter at home – backflushing the RO membrane. Now, I’m no expert, but I do like to keep things running smoothly around the house, and I noticed my water was flowing slower than usual. Figured it was time to give that membrane a good cleaning.

First off, I gathered my tools. Nothing fancy, just some basic stuff from the garage. I made sure the water supply to the filter system was turned off. Safety first, right?

Getting Started

Shutting it down: I turned off the main water valve that feeds into the RO system. No water in, no water out. Simple enough.

Draining the tank: I found out that it’s a good idea to drain the RO storage tank every couple of weeks. Keeps the water fresh and the pressure right. So, I opened the faucet on the tank and let it all drain out. Took a bit of time, but I wanted to do it right.

The Backflush Process

Switching things up: Now, this is where it gets interesting. I basically reversed the flow of water. Normally, water goes in, gets filtered, and the clean water comes out. For backflushing, you want to push water back through the membrane the other way. This helps to clear out any gunk that’s built up.

Reducing the pressure: I had to reduce the pressure on the feed side. I fiddled around with the valves a bit until I got it just right. You don’t want to blast it too hard, or you might damage the membrane.

Keeping It Clean

Regular flushes: From what I’ve read, it’s best to flush the RO membrane after every use, or at least at the end of each day. I guess I wasn’t doing that before, so that’s probably why I had issues. It’s supposed to keep the membrane from getting moldy and prevent hard-water buildup.

Letting it flow: After setting up the backflush, I let the water run for a while. I watched as the dirty water came out. It wasn’t pretty, but it was satisfying to see all that stuff getting flushed out.

Finishing Up

Back to normal: Once the water started running clear, I figured it was time to switch everything back. I turned the valves back to their original positions and turned the main water supply back on.

Checking the flow: I tested the water flow from the faucet. Much better! It was like night and day. I guess all that gunk was really slowing things down.

So, that’s my story of backflushing the RO membrane. It wasn’t too hard, and it made a big difference. I’m going to try to make this a regular thing now, so I don’t have to deal with slow water again. Hopefully, this helps someone else out there who’s dealing with the same problem. Remember, a little maintenance can go a long way!