Culligan Aqua-Cleer Advanced Drinking Water Systems - Manual (Page 9)

9
. Repeat steps 1- and install the flushed activated carbon filter cartridge into housing
and the RO membrane element. Be sure the drain adapter is in place.
Note:
1) The RO cartridge must be
inserted into the 2nd, rd, or 4 th
position on the RO manifold.
2) If only three cartridges are to
be inserted into the manifold, the
bypass plug cartridge must be
inserted in the 4th position. See
Figure .
Factors Which Affect
Performance
Performance of the reverse osmosis
membrane is affected by several
factors which must be considered
when judging the condition of the
system. The main factors which affect
system performance are pressure,
temperature, total dissolved solids
level, recovery and pH.
Pressure
Water pressure affects both the quantity and quality of the water produced by the RO
membrane. Generally, the more water pressure, the better the performance of the system.
Be careful not to exceed 120 psi, the maximum operating pressure of the Aqua-Cleer
system.
Temperature
The reverse osmosis process slows with decreasing temperature. To compensate,
a temperature correction factor is used to adjust the actual performance of the RO
membrane filter to the standard temperature of 77°F (25°C). This allows the performance
of the unit to be accurately gauged against Culligan’s published standards. Temperature
does not affect the concentrate flow rate.
Total Dissolved Solids
The minimum driving force which is necessary to stop or reverse the natural osmosis
process is termed osmotic pressure. As the total dissolved solids level of the feed water
increases, the amount of osmotic pressure increases and acts as back pressure against
the reverse osmosis process. Osmotic pressure becomes significant at TDS levels above
500 mg/L (ppm).
Hardness
Hardness is the most common membrane foulant. If ignored, this relatively harmless
Figure
Installation
(con’t)