[groundhog]

I have a pure freedom RO with 20" filters, had it for about a year and its been great. The last month or so it has got slower and slower. I have changed the pre filters twice, changed the resin, back flushed, checked for snags in the hose, wasted £250 buying a new membrane! And still its getting slower, in fact I can barely produce 200ltrs in 24 hours now. I have looked at the water pressure and this seems to be the problem, it was always around 40psi, but has now dropped below 20psi for some reason? I have started to use the industrial pump which came with the system for the first time, but it doesn't make any difference at all? Any ideas? 

[Clever Forum Name]

Do you know what membrane you have.

As there is membranes for high and low water pressure.

[groundhog]

Do you know what membrane you have.

As there is membranes for high and low water pressure.

It is the more expensive membrane designed for lower pressure. The pressure here has dropped very low and I'm not sure why? But the pump I have which cost over £700 makes no difference, and that is what I can't understand? If only these units came with clear instructions as to how to operate them and a good fault finding guide!

[groundhog]

Thanks for your help guys.. that was amazing!!!! 

[Don Kee]

Its a saturday afternoon mate, some people may not fancy spending all day on an internet forum at the weekend 


Have you checked the waste?
Are you getting loads of waste and no pure?
Or are you not getting much of either?
Have you tried adjusting your pure/waste valve?
Does your pump make any differernce at all, or no different to if you weren't using it?
What connector are you using on your outdoor tap to the R.O, and are you actually getting enough water flow through the R.O? (Some of the hozelock type fitting have valves on them that can fail, and not let enough water through)

Unfortunatley, R.O's dont just produce pure, so without knowing what your waste is like, or what difference your pump makes etc...its pretty hard to tell you what might be wrong mate...

[Ian Lancaster]

Firstly, where on the system are you measuring the pressure?  This will vary depending on how much water is going to waste - more waste means lower pressure at the membrane.  Ideally you should measure pressure between the pump and membrane, this will be the pressure at which the water enters the membrane (the pump should be between the prefilters and the membrane).  If you can also measure the pressure at the mains you will be able to see how much pressure drop there is.

Reasons for pressure drop can be:
          High waste/pure ratio (malfunction of restrictor valve) I often fit an adjustable bypass using two quarter turn valves, then I can adjust the ratio to exactly what I want.
          Incorrect fitting of the membrane (make sure the rubber seal around the body of the membrane isn't damaged/ bent - I had one where the seal had folded back on itself as I pushed it into the housing, so water was flowing past it and straight to waste)

Another possibility can be a blockage in the pure outlet from the membrane - debris from carbon pre-filters can block pipes.

There is also the possibility that if you mains supply pressure and flow is too low, then there isn't enough water flowing through the system.  In this case you will have to take it up with your water supplier.

HTH

Ian

[Dave Willis]

Make sure the stop cock is fully open normally under the sink in the kitchen. Also the stop cock out in the road/pavement.

[Clever Forum Name]

Thanks for your help guys.. that was amazing!!!! 

I replied to your thread after 6/7 mins of it being up. I waited around no reply. I came back later, still no reply. Saw this reply and thought sod ya. 

[groundhog]

Hi guys, the sarcasm earlier was caused by my frustration, and was really aimed at Pure Freedom, who gladly took my £200 for a new membrane which I did not need! But have been very little help in finding a solution to my problem! I really do appreciate anyone who has taken the time to offer advice. I have had a look at my waste pipe, and water is pouring out and I timed it at 54 seconds to fill a 10 litre container. Here is a link to my system http://www.purefreedom.co.uk/water-purification/reverse-osmosis/950-gpd-high-volume-reverse-osmosis-system-20-membrane-20-hf5.html this system with the pump cost me almost £1500, so I'm very disappointed with the support I have received from Purefreedom, which is basically to try and sell me expensive things which I don't need, and they seem to have very little idea as to how I can rectify this problem.

[chris turner]

As dave Willis said, check your stop cock.
I had water pressure issues recently, water pressure had dropped to 12 psi, the pump on my system kept cutting out because it couldn't draw enough water.
Was taking me around 5 or 6 hours to fill 400 litres from a 4021 system with hf5 membrane.
Tried to open the stop cock but it was seized up so called in a plumber who put in a new one.
Water pressure immediately shot up to 50 psi..
Now fill van in an hour and a half..

[groundhog]

As dave Willis said, check your stop cock.
I had water pressure issues recently, water pressure had dropped to 12 psi, the pump on my system kept cutting out because it couldn't draw enough water.
Was taking me around 5 or 6 hours to fill 400 litres from a 4021 system with hf5 membrane.
Tried to open the stop cock but it was seized up so called in a plumber who put in a new one.
Water pressure immediately shot up to 50 psi..
Now fill van in an hour and a half..

Thanks Chris, I'll check it out. Although I would kill for 400ltrs in 6 hours, I'm not even producing 200ltrs in 24 hours!!