RO filter flow reduced and installation question

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ISPRING...r-System-with-1-1-Drain-Ratio-RCS5T/206504497

I bought an iSpring 500 gpd under sink with faucet, 5 stage with a booster pump reverse osmosis filter last spring. the directions were for another unit that has a storage tank and different features so it was basically unusable. I asked a friend of a friend to come hook it up because they said they knew how to install them. when he got there, even he was stumped but i left him there with someone to finish while i headed off to work. when i came back it was installed and he was about to leave. i asked him if he flushed out the system before installing the ro membrane as that is what i thought you need to do. he did not do that and he installed everything and then flushed it by just letting the water faucet turn on.

was it flushed out correctly? i don't know anything really about this.

So the last week or so the water flow has made it take a long time to fill up water jugs and i need to change the filters. i am curious if i should also change out the ro membrane if the poor install job caused it to become prematurely clogged? figured i'd ask while i am purchasing filters. thanks for any help!

hey thailer.

I've been fighting with that problem since I bought my RO filter. In my case the tap water is hard and excessively hot in day time, this stop the waste solenoid filter. Can you see if the waste flow is the same now as when you installed the filter? Now I turn on the filter only at night and clean the filter of the wasting water solenoid every two weeks. Before it, i change membrane every 3 months, now I have 4 without changing and perfect flow.

i don't know what the solenoid is. the tap water comes out cold from a well in the ground and is 100 ppms. i just use the RO to remove heavy metals and ammonia/fertilizers from possible neighboring septics. whatever comes out of the cold tap kills fish so i got the system installed.

i can't see the waste water that comes out because it goes down the drain and is installed into the pipe. the flow coming out has gone down quite a bit and the booster pump is louder than normal. i don't think its broke tho.

thailer said:

i don't know what the solenoid is. the tap water comes out cold from a well in the ground and is 100 ppms. i just use the RO to remove heavy metals and ammonia/fertilizers from possible neighboring septics. whatever comes out of the cold tap kills fish so i got the system installed.

i can't see the waste water that comes out because it goes down the drain and is installed into the pipe. the flow coming out has gone down quite a bit and the booster pump is louder than normal. i don't think its broke tho.

Click to expand...

If heat or hard water is not the problem, another reason could be the chlorine or whatever it kills the fish, if the prefilters are saturated it reaches the membrane and shortens life, currently I change prefilters every month to avoid this too...


solenoid valve

thank you! theres copper somehow in the cold water i'm guessing from pipes but the water pH is 6.8 so i don't think its due to that. theres also lots of aluminum, ammonia, nitrates, potassium, phosphorus. I've found garbage buried with lots of metals digging in parts of the yard. i'm not sure if its that or plumbing but we just got the RO filter for peace of mind. the amount of copper is high enough to kill the fish so they end up darting into the sides of the aquarium.

does anyone know if you're supposed to flush out the system with water before attaching the RO membrane when setting up your system for the first time or am i confused?

thailer said:

does anyone know if you're supposed to flush out the system with water before attaching the RO membrane when setting up your system for the first time or am i confused?

Click to expand...

You are right, need to flush out RO system before attach membrane, the dust or fibers released by the pre-filters on their first use can clog the membrane. I read it in the instruction manual of my RO filter, and I have read it several times searching internet.

Thanks Petflora!! I read lots of good things about iSpring ro filters but i haven't tried calling them. thats good advice. thank you!

unnamedmike, thank you for confirming that! I had read it too and gave the instructions to the guy to look over before he came to install it. i am not sure if they have updated their manuals since i purchased it but the manual was for a filter that had a storage tank but my model is on demand with no tank. it looked a little different to me and i am not mechanically inclined.

when i got home, the guy said he had flushed it just by running the filter for over a half hour. the water that was coming out was sorta milky and there was a film on the top of the water. i tried drinking it and it tasted gross. someone else said the same. the guy tho, lol took a big ol' swig of the funny water and said it's fine. i think he was frustrated and so were we. after a day or so the water ran clear finally but i have always wondered if it was something that maybe i should replace while i am down there. theres also some deals online that give a discount when buying the membrane with the rest of the filters compared to just buying the membrane at a later time.

thank you both!