Reverse Osmosis Membrane Elements
Keep reading to learn more about why taking regular care of your RO system is important, signs to look for when it comes to your system and how often reverse osmosis maintenance should occur.
Staying up to date with reverse osmosis system maintenance is essential to keep it working. The various filters in the system go through regular wear and tear as they filter out harmful and unwanted pollutants. Replacing the filters regularly can help your RO system last a long time, even up to 10-15 years!
Also, replacing your filters consistently keeps costs low. If they aren’t maintained, replacing the filters and membranes can get expensive. The pre-filters on your reverse osmosis system protect the delicate membranes from sediment and chlorine. Any amount of chlorine that gets to your membrane will ruin it.
Usually, you should only have to replace your membrane every 2-3 years (or 3-5 years on a high-quality system) if you change the pre-filters on schedule. If not, you’ll be spending a lot more money replacing the membrane more frequently. Additionally, the system can also break down if filters aren’t replaced. Replacing the entire system will be expensive.
Most importantly, doing reverse osmosis system repair will keep contaminants out of your water. Without regular care, contaminants will stay in your water that the system would usually filter out.
Well water is susceptible to toxic contaminants and microorganisms because the water is not tested regularly. And unfortunately, well water doesn’t receive any sort of city or municipal water treatment.
Maintaining your RO system will ensure your water stays clean and healthy for your family. This is especially important for areas like Cary, IL or Huntley, IL that use well water systems for their homes. By replacing filters annually, you can avoid health risks such as:
These symptoms are usually caused by minerals like iron bacteria or coliform bacteria typically found in well water systems.
Unfortunately, your city can’t fully protect your water and keep it clean. Throughout Chicago, problems like lead and chromium-6 contamination are very prevalent. So, you must keep your RO system maintained to avoid harmful pollutants and chemicals.
Cities like Palatine and Arlington Heights receive their water from Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, contaminants found in Chicago water have and can lead to the following health problems:
You don’t want any problems like that for your family. So, it’s important to stay on top of RO system maintenance and watch out for any signs that it may be having problems.
There are three big signs that your reverse osmosis system is struggling and needs attention: low water pressure, bad tasting or smelling water or your RO system is always running. These signs should be easy to notice. You’ll just need to remember that it may be your RO system.
Low water pressure is an annoying problem, especially when it takes too long to get a glass of water to drink. When you get low water pressure, it may be because your RO system isn’t producing enough water.
In this case, it usually means your filters are not doing their job and clogging up the system. You could also think of it like how your dryer works. If the lint filter isn’t changed, your clothes aren’t going to get dry. In the same way, if you have low water pressure, it means it’s time to change the reverse osmosis filters.
There are many different tastes and smells you can find in your water, but all of them will tell you that your reverse osmosis system needs service.
If you smell chlorine in your water, that’s a sign that you need to change the filters and the membrane in your RO system. Any chlorine that gets to the membrane will damage it instantly.
Additionally, metallic smelling or tasting water and rotten egg or musty smelling water could mean that your system isn’t working properly. The metallic smell comes from minerals in your water, such as iron, copper, zinc, lead or other minerals. The musty smell comes from bacteria growing in your system. Unfortunately, both could make you sick.
The last common sign that your reverse osmosis system is not working properly is that it is always running. It usually means that your membrane is not in good condition and something needs to be replaced. If your membrane isn’t in good condition, that means your filters aren’t in good condition either.
This is a big sign that you need to do maintenance on your RO system as soon as possible. With it constantly running, it could accelerate regular wear and tear and damage the system completely.