REVERSE OSMOSIS INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL Model R4X40
IMPORTANT Please read the entire manual before proceeding with the installation and startup: Do not use where the water is microbiologically unsafe. Always turn off the unit, shut off the feed water, and disconnect the electrical power when working on the unit. Never allow the pump to run dry. Never start the pump with the reject valve closed. Never allow the unit to freeze or operate with a feed water temperature above 100°F.
TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction A. B. C. Specifications RO Overview Pre-treatment II. Controls, Indicators, and Components III. Operation A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Installation Plumbing Connections Electrical Startup Control Function Operation and Maintenance Log Troubleshooting IV. Replacement Parts List V. Membrane Replacement VI.
I. INTRODUCTION The separation of dissolved solids and water using RO membranes is a pressure driven temperature dependent process. The membrane material is designed to be as permeable to water as possible, while maintaining the ability to reject dissolved solids. The main system design parameters require the following: Internal flows across the membrane surface must be high enough to prevent settling of fine suspended solids on the membrane surface.
B. RO OVERVIEW Reverse osmosis systems utilize semipermeable membrane elements to separate the feed water into two streams. The pressurized feed water is separated into purified (product) water and concentrate (reject) water. The impurities contained in the feed water are carried to drain by the reject water. It is critical to maintain adequate reject flow in order to prevent membrane scaling and/or fouling. RO Membrane Feed Water Product Water Reject Water C.
Prefilter Cartridge - Used to remove smaller suspended solids and trap any particles that may be generated by the other pretreatment. The cartridge(s) should be replaced when the pressure drop across the housing increases 5 - 10 psig over the clean cartridge pressure drop. The effect of suspended solids is measured by the silt density index (SDI) test. An SDI of five (5) or less is specified by most membrane manufacturers and three (3) or less is recommended.
B F H A L G C D E J M I K Figure 1
III. OPERATION A. INSTALLATION 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Proper pretreatment must be determined and installed prior to the RO system. The water supply and pretreatment equipment should be sufficient to provide a minimum of 10-psig at the maximum feed flow. An electrical receptacle with a ground fault interrupt (GFI) is highly recommended. Responsibility for meeting local electrical and plumbing codes lies with the owner / operator. Install indoors in an area protected from freezing.
D. STARTUP 1. Verify that the pretreatment equipment is installed and working properly. Verify that no free chlorine is present in the feed water. 2. Verify that the on / off switch is in the off position. 3. Verify that a filter cartridge is installed in the prefilter housing. 4. Open the reject control valve completely (Figure # 1 item C) by turning it counterclockwise. 5. Close the reject recycle control valve (Figure # 1 item D) completely by turning it clockwise. 6.
F. DATE Operation and Maintenance Log PRODUCT GPM REJECT GPM PUMP DISCHARGE PRESSURE FEED TDS PPM PRODUCT TDS PPM FEED WATER TEMP FEED WATER HARDNESS FEED WATER CHLORINE LEVEL PRE FILTER INLET PRESSURE PRE FILTER OUTLET PRESSURE Note: Change the prefilter when the differential pressure increases by 5 - 10 psi over the clean differential pressure. Clean the RO membrane(s) when the product flow drops by 15% or more.
G. TROUBLESHOOTING RO MEMBRANE TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE SYMPTOMS Salt Passage Permeate Flow Pressure Drop Verification Corrective Action Normal to increased Decreased Normal to increased Predominantly first stage Location Metal oxide Possible Causes Analysis of metal ions in cleaning solution.
RO SYSTEM TROUBLE SHOOTING PROBLEM REMEDY General High Product Water TDS Membrane frozen, high temp, or backpressure. Membrane attack by chlorine Product seal on end cap. No Product Water or Not Enough Product Water Feed water shut off. Low feed pressure. Feed pressure must be at least 10 psi. Pre-filter cartridge clogged. Membrane fouled. Product check valve stuck. Low pump discharge pressure Low feed water temperature IV. Replace membrane. Carbon pre-filter may be exhausted.
V. MEMBRANE REPLACEMENT 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Turn off the system and close the feed water shutoff valve. Unplug the unit. Disconnect the tubing from the top of the membrane housing(s). Loosen the clamps and remove the top end cap(s). Remove the old membrane(s) by pulling them up and out of the housings. You may need to grab the old by the membrane with a pair of pliers. 6. Install the new membrane(s) in the housing(s) and replace the end caps.
VI. APPENDIX The following tables are intended as a guide to determining the flow rates for the R4X40 series RO systems. All flows are in gallons per minute (GPM) with 77°F feed water. Nominal flows for systems operating at 50% recovery with a feed water SDI < 1. Product GPM Reject GPM R4X40-1 1.5 1.5 R4X40-2 3.0 3.0 R4X40-3 4.5 4.5 Nominal flows for systems operating at 50% recovery with a feed water SDI < 3. Product GPM Reject GPM R4X40-1 1.25 1.25 R4X40-2 2.5 2.5 R4X40-3 3.75 3.
Temperature Correction Factors Deg C Deg F Correction Factor 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 77 75.2 73.4 71.6 69.8 68 66.2 64.4 62.6 60.8 59 57.2 55.4 53.6 51.8 50 48.2 46.4 44.6 42.8 41 1.00 0.97 0.94 0.92 0.89 0.86 0.84 0.81 0.79 0.77 0.74 0.72 0.70 0.68 0.66 0.64 0.62 0.61 0.59 0.57 0.55 Multiply the nominal product flow at 25° C by the temperature correction factor to determine the flow at various other temperatures.
