AquaFX The AquaFX Blue Marlin 1000 Gallon Per Day Reverse Osmosis - Manual (Page 5)

© 2014
Trouble shooting guide to assist with the determination of problems
Problem Solution
High TDS after
membrane
Clogged Pre-filters. Causing Pressure Drop. Insufficient pressure will yield poor TDS
rejection from RO membranes. Change Pre-Filters.
Low incoming water
pressure.
Incoming water pressure must be above 40 PSI, Add a booster pump if below 40psi. Make
sure Pre-Filters are not clogged causing low pressure.
Reverse Osmosis
membrane has
exhausted/failed.
Average Membrane life is 2 to 3 years. Most common cause for membrane failure is
insufficient pre-filter maintenance. AquaFX Carbons are rated for 3,750 gal @ 1.0 GPM of
2ppm Chlorine. Do not exclude drain water from this capacity, as it is treated water. Very
high TDS (>550ppm) may also yield premature failure.
No water to drain.
Flow Restrictor is clogged, Replace Drain Flow Restrictor. (rare)
Check to see if water is turned on.
All water is going out of
the drain
With no back pressure, most of the water will exit out of the drain. Make sure External Flow
restrictor is present.
Very little/slow water
production
Reference units flow rate vs. actual production. Slow flow from RO is normal. Cold water,
low pressure and high contaminant levels will contribute to decreasing the rate of water
production. Heating water, increasing pressure or additional pre-filtration will help to
counteract these adverse affects.
Drain Water Continues
After Product line is full
The most common cause of a ‘continuing drain’ is a pressure leak on the product side of the
RO. If the pressure cannot build, the ASO will not close. Check ASO with a ball valve right
after RO. Close Ball valve then wait 1-3 minutes. If drain continues, replace Automatic Shut-
Off Valve. If it stops, have the customer, find then stop pressure leak. If a float valve is being
used, it is more than likely the culprit.
The incoming feed water
TDS has increased.
An increase in feed water TDS will also give an increase in Product Water TDS.
R.O. (Dolphin) Users will see this rise in TDS.
RO/DI (Barracuda, Mako, Great White) Users will not see this rise, but the DI will exhaust
faster than
normal.
DI is exhausting
very fast
R.O. Membranes are manufactured with a preservative on them, if your initial startup allows
the membrane to ‘rinse’ into the DI; there will be some immediate exhaustion, followed by
normal exhaustion.
Chloramines Vs Chlorine
– If the customers water is disinfected with Chloramines (NH2CL)
the compound will still be present post RO.
For R.O. (Dolphin) users, they may wish to purchase DI to remove the compound. There will
also be other methods discussed for during training.
RO/DI (Barracuda, Mako, Great White) users will have the compound removed by the DI.
This will tax the DI, Chloramines appears in several forms, so the decreased life would
depend on the strain of Chloramine. (mono, di or tri)