RO Maintenace Article..Some surprises!?

[bigleo48]

All,
I was reading the Carwash College RO maintenance article in PC&D online at http://www.carwash.com/enewsarticle.asp?ArticleID=623

I have one machine (for SS) that is 5 years old and I replace the 5 micron filter and the carbon filter every six months. The other machine (for IBA) is 2 years old, came with it's own carbon tank and I replace the 5 micron filter monthly (use a lot more SF water in the IBA).

A few statements surprised me. First was that a membrane should last 2 to 5 years and the second was to replace my big carbon tank annually.

It was my understanding that if properly maintained, membranes could last a decade and I figured with the size of my carbon tank, I could get 5 years out of it.

What are you guys experiencing?

Big

 

[Greg Pack]

yeah, I've seen them last a long time. They go bad when they go bad. Chlorine free and soft water will extend their life as long as possible.

Keep in mind car Wash College is geared towards express tunnels, and some are washing an avg of 300 cars per day or even more. So I guess it's reasonable in some cases to see shorter life cycles in that environment.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

I am frequently asked how long membranes will last and my answer is always...depends.

Depends on the quality of water you are treating and the amount of water that you are treating. I have some guys that go through membranes every two years and some that get seven years or more.

 

[MEP001]

For the people who are concerned with equipment life, I recommend to them that they test the softener, RO quality and for chlorine content in the RO reject once a week. Diligence there will catch a problem before it destroys the membrane. Scheduled maintenance just "depends."