How to Troubleshoot a Reverse Osmosis system
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- čas přidán 2. 08. 2024
- RO systems can be intimidating, but with some simple tips and guidelines, diagnosing and fixing a problem can be quick and easy.
The RO system in this video can be found here: vitev.com/collections/alkalin...
1:10 Overview of RO system components, such as pre filter sediment cartridge, membrane, and pressurised storage tank.
2:25 Where to start looking when you have an issue with your filtration system.
3:10 How to diagnose an issue with the pressure of the RO storage tank.
4:40 Fixing a high pressure issue with the storage tank.
5:45 Troubleshoot a storage tank wtih low pressure.
6:10 Diagnosing a ruptured RO storage tank.
7:20 How to find a clog in your reverse osmosis cartridges.
More info found at www.vitev.com - Jak na to + styl
thank you. figured out what's wrong with my tank due to your explanation!
New start up and holding tank not getting water, I noticed some blue tint in water when I opened water faucet for RO system, but still no water in tank after 3 hours?
I understood. Thank you for this.
"Let's move this out of the way." And the filters move 2 inches. 😂
Great video! Thanks for sharing. 👍🏼
You truly answer my questions and solve my problem. Thank you very much! You are the man!
Glad it helped Nancy!
Hi, my waste line is connected to a flow 300 which has a cutoff switch on it on a 5 stage osmosis water system, I've change all the filters and now if I have cutoff you can hear water fast when opening faucet to run water, water will run slow but if I turn waste line water running from faucet runs fast, can I leave waste line closed as water is clear and fast. I've looked around on videos and images to see if I've set it up wrong but cannot see one that has the flow 300 cutoff attached, if I follow a osmosis PDF file with all different setups it completely bypasses this little cutoff attachment as it's not even there but I find I can then hear it continuously running down the drain
Ok so my Apec Filter leaks from all RO what should I do? Is there a main problem or should I replace all of the O-Rings?
I had the service guy change the filters and pressurize the tank, the flow of water is trickling out. any suggestions
Well done video!
Many thanks for this knowledgeable video .
My problem turned out to be a bad tank. Thanks for your informative video. Never would have figured it out without it.
We just replaced all the filters including the membrane in our R/O system..after emptying the tank 7 times the TDS is still almost as high as the raw water which is 370 and the r/o water is reading 270. Is it possible there is that much preservative still coming out of the membrane?
Thank you sir this is probably the best video explanation how to troubleshoot the RO system.
Happy it helped!
Another thing to check before replacing your tank. If your tank has barely any pressure, and no pinhole leak in the bladder (no water spraying out of the schrader valve when you test the pressure) you may just have a bad schrader valve. Empty the tank and unscrew the valve and replace with a new one. Replacement schrader valve kits are like 5 bucks. Could save you 50$!
More appreciable comment .
Hi, I'm having a bit low pressure (not terrible, but just lower after I changed the filters). I have an 8 year old r/o tank from Culligan that I just re-pressurized. I emptied the tank, re-pressurized with the valve closed to 7 psi, and the pressue is still pretty low compared to before the filter changed. I also noticed this morning that the tank barely had any water in, and it's been filling since 3pm yesterday 3/5/23. Is it possible the water was used filling ice all night. Otherwise, I cannot figure out why the pressure isn't that grate. Also, before the filter changed, I could fill 1 pot of coffee with water and by the end it would be slowing down quite a bit. I'm wondering if I need to replace the tank...thoughts? The valve seems fine, but who knows.
Thank you for the tips! Ended up being the sediment filter. I had forgotten to take out the yellow plug. Fixed!
The yellow plug was in the top of the filter itself for shipping. I pulled that out and it fixed it. :)
Great video. Quick tip - check your water shut off valve before you take apart the entire unit. That would have saved me an hour.
Here you go, lessons I learned the hard way (my ASO value would not operate correctly):
1) Make SURE you understand the IN & OUT ports and hook up the lines correctly to ASO valve.
2) Use ONLY hard lines to interconnect (dont use clear lines from home depot, they are too soft and valve wont shutoff correctly).
3) Keep all hard tube lengths to ASO value as short as possible.
4) On all connections make sure the tubes push all the way down
5) On all post carbon filters, post filters, etc...dont plug directly into these filters, first always use a push in connector then push your tube into those connectors.
I did all above and fixed my ASO value RO system operation.
Muchas gracias, le escribo desde Carhue, buenos Aires, Argentina, tengo problemas de producción de agua ya cambie todos los filtros nuevos , sigue el problema, mi equipo es un Whirlpool WhER25 Osmosis System
Kept looking at videos and they all just said "it's probably your tank," but I wanted a systematic approach. The trickling started right after I changed three of my filters. My tank is only a couple of years old, was working before I changed the filters, and it felt light, so I wanted to skip disconnecting the tank. Turns out my problem was the furthest upstream, the cold water valve had become clogged. Disconnected the valve, cleaned it and now waiting for the tank to fill. Looks like I need a whole house filter for sediment. Thank You for the right approach to fixing my problem; more water came out of that faucet 10 minutes after I did this than came out all morning.
Glad we could help! Any idea what it was clogged with? Could require sediment but could also need a softener.
@@vitevtv It looks like black , slightly elongated particles If I had to guess I would say it was from the interior of the main line into the house.
Good Job Thank you
Great info- helped me trouble shoot my system.
Can think system remove metals from water? All metals?
it was working then I moved it to another house then it doesn’t work . I checked the pressure 7psi but still doesn’t work . Can you help me out pls
I have a morcler water filter system from Zija....how do I find a support business for one that does not work.
Thet sold the company and the new is faxing out the filter.
6:28/11:42 how to tell if your tank bladder is ruptured. The tank feels heavy and full, you can hear water sloshing around and may even see water leaking out of the pressure valve.
When replacing the membrane, how do you remove the black wire from the bottom of it?
How long does it take to fill tank ?
I'm getting a air noise coming from drain ?
Hi, I just replaced pre and post filters and membrane on my GE profile RO. If i remove the membrane I get great flow. If I leave it on, I get the “fill a half cup” problem.Very little water trickles from the filters to the tank, so it’s not the tank. Do you think it was a bad membrane?
Hi Jacob. Potentially. The membrane will drastically restrict flow when it's operating well, so it depends on how long it takes to get that half cup. If you've noticed a significant reduction in how quickly you get water thru the tank compared to when it was new, then your membrane is probably clogged. That also means you might need to change the sediment pre-filter more often, or look at something like this to make the water softer. vitev.com/collections/pre-filtration/products/scale-guard
What do i do if i have cloudy water coming out
Hi I have a problem with my ro system I have serviced it all the filters the membrane the taste and odor and the automatic shut of thingy and a new tank and still my tank is empty what could be the problem
When you say serviced, do you mean you've replaced all of those components? New filters, membrane and tank? If so, no idea why the tank would not be filling. Would recommend like we show in the video, work your way from back to front on the system until you find the point where the water flows freely. You'll know whatever is clogging up the system is directly downstream from that point.
Nice video, after watching a handful of them yours was the most complete, thanks. Question; why do you only use 5-7 lbs pressure but the label on the tank says 100 lbs pressure maximum? Just curious.
That's external pressure coming into the tank, which is way above the typical household. When we say 5-7 lbs, that's the internal bladder pressure pushing out of the tank.
Thank you for the nice video.
I have "DUPURE" system. The water flow was diminishing and fully stopped at once, so i called them. they sent me two filters(carbon).
I replaced the filters last week. still there is no water coming inside the tank and out of the faucet. I have constant 7PSI in my tank. I found a spring loaded lever at the bottom of the filters. I pressed that lever, and I heard the water flowing/gushing sound through the system....
If I call their technician they want me to pay $140!!!
I am trying to reduce my expense ... I don't know what i am missing?
Could you please give me any hints?
Thank you
I have this same problem now with Dupure. Haven’t replaced the filters yet but I know they’re overdue. I picked up the tank and can tell it’s empty. Worried when I replace the filters the water still won’t come through
Solved OK
Many thanks
This was a great video, thank you very much.
Just had a quick question, my RO system has good pressure/flow in the morning (first use) and then it slows down. I checked the pressure, it was low. in the process of removing the water from the tank to check the pressure, I saw some black particles coming out of the tank. They were like black thin paint chip or black very thin plastic pieces. We have still the same slow flow problem after pressurizing the tank. You think it is the tank that we have to replace?
Hi Mehdi. The black pieces could be part of the tank's bladder. That's what holds the air inside the tank causing the pressure required to push out the water. So a blown bladder would mean very little pressure/slow flow.
@@vitevtv thanks a lot.
So is the inside of the pressure tank and bladder clean / sterilized? It seems like clean RO water in being stored in a tank and it the tank is not clean then the RO water is now contaminated. The bladder is rubber? Inside of tank is steel (iron)?
That's why there's a post carbon filter to pass through after the purified water leaves the tank.
This was a very helpful video as i am experiencing low volume of output and yet my tank is filled full with water ... so now that i have determined there is not enough pressure in the tank, wouldn't it be easier just to carefully pump some air into the tank to push out the water, rather than drain the tank completely and add pressure to 5-7 PSI?
Hi Michael. You need to drain the tank otherwise you won't be able to accurately judge the starting pressure in the bladder. Plus doing so while the tank is full can damage the bladder. Don't waste the water, fill up a pitcher or 2 as it drains.
No drain water was out, what should be the problem?
Have an ever pure r.o. system. We were using our system the night before and Water was coming out of the faucet before the filters were changed. Plumber came and installed 2 of 3 filters and said he has to pressurize the tank. He opened up the faucet to let the water drain and at first it trickled and then nothing. He said there was water going through the tubing and when he opened the valve on the tank when said water should shoot out. It didn't. After about 20 minutes with the faucet open and little to no water coming out he said I needed a new tank. The tank is full. Does it sound like he is being honest?
Hi Nolan. If the tank is full and no water is coming out, then yea, you probably need a new tank. The only reason water would not leave the tank is if the bladder is not holding enough air to provide the pressure needed to push water out. Not sure why it would be fine before the filter change and not after. You could turn the valve on top of the tank off, remove the tube, take the tank outside and open the valve to see if any water comes out. If the RO is functioning water should also come out of the tube heading to the tank when the tank is disconnected.
I'm having an issue with my MAXX passing a lot of water to the drain and the pump is making a high speed knocking sound. Going to check the things in this video this afternoon. But what happens if it's the RO draining back? You mentioned it in this video but didn't say how to address it. Also, how do you diagnose a pump problem?
Hi LS. Shoot us an email at contact@vitev.com as we can help better there. Not sure what you mean by RO draining back. You can't get waste water back up into the membrane or into the system because we have a 1-way check valve installed in the bottom of the membrane. It only allows water to flow out of the drain line, not back in. As far as pump issues, typically if there is a problem, you notice it in the clicking cycle, or lack thereof.
i've tested my RO output (Watts 5 stage) with a TDS meter and it is the same (74) and the input water. I know that years ago it was definitely reducing the TDS but now isn't. I've been changing filters regularly and I think the membrane is about 1 year old. I recently changed all the filters and the membrane looked clean. My output is excellent. The tank fills fairly quickly but I'm wondering if the output is TOO fast. WHen I empty the tank and just let the water run from the output faucet, it's a pretty stream. Could the input water be bypassing the membrane for some reason but still ending up in the storage tank and not the brine? TIA
Definitely an issue at your membrane stage. Water post membrane should be a slow trickle at best and you should see a significant reduction in TDS. Could be either the membrane isn't fully seated/sealed into the housing and the water is then bypassing it, or maybe the membrane has been damaged by chloramine/chlorine.
My output valve leaks out of a hole by my off and on valve
I had the system for a while now. After the last filter change the water started testing really bad, any idea what needs to be done? Thanks
Hi Monica. Did you flush the tank completely after changing the filters? Often you need to empty it before changing filters, let it fill, then empty again before the water is good to go. The filters can have some residue that needs to be flushed off first.
Yes we did flushed the tank. We did the filter change about a month ago still the water has a chlorine taste (it didn’t had it before the filter change)
The storage tank is full and very heavy . But a very low flow of water from our system. water starts out strong but after about 15 seconds it slows and almost drips
What should I do
Thanks
That might mean there is something (post-filter) clogging up the flow between your tank and the faucet. Or the pressure in the tank is too low to push water out after the first few seconds.
Thanks for this video. It's very informative and I will try your techniques. I'm wondering if resolving a potential clog will stop the faucet from leaking. if not, will you do a video on leaking faucets and, in the meantime, will you explain what the possible problems are that may be causing the leaks? Thanks again!
Hi Caroline. Where is your faucet leaking from? The connection with the supply tube or internal mechanism?
@@vitevtv Our supply tube is leaking after we had a plumber come out to replace the garbage disposer. Do we take all the cartridge mechanism off the wall to see the origin of the leak behind and at the top of the cartridges?
@@dr.jerrygustafson7680 Can you see where the supply tube is leaking? It either has to be at the supply valve itself on your cold water line or where it connects into your RO unit.
Exelent teacher
Thank you! 😃
What size tank is this in the video?
Hi Ella. It's 3.2 gallons.
Please help trouble shoot , my drain line is always running, regardless the faucet line is on or not, this is a wasted of a lot of water down to the drain, am I connected wrong tube to wrong line?
Hi Le. The water will run until the tank is full. If it never stops draining, then water isn't filling the tank. You might have a clogged membrane that is only sending water down the waste line and not out the clean (permeate) side. Or your tank my have too much pressure and is therefore pushing back and not allowing the water to completely fill it. Empty tank pressure should be 5-7 PSI. Check the clean water line from the membrane first and if that is flowing (it will be slow), then the tank pressure.
Thank for your reply bro, I took an advice from local water store to replace the automatic shut off valve and it work perfectly.
my system is making a double horn sound every three seconds. it stops when the water is turned back on. under the sink I can see the line pulsating. The faucet is leaking too. One thing that is new as well is that I can hear the water draining in the drain hole for the sink on the left side even though the faucet for the RO is on the right side sink.
You have a lot going on that we'd need more clarification about to help. Where is the faucet leaking? Is it an air-gap faucet? Is the drain line connected to the left side of the sink? Which tube is pulsating? Often noise is the result of trapped air, sometimes in the check valve that is usually on the top of the RO. Have you changed filters recently? Any way for air to get inside the system?
Great video. Have an Wher25 system nothing comes out of tap, have checked pressure in tank all OK, replaced the 3 filters 2 mths ago but bought & replaced Membrane filter again yesterday, nothing out of tap. Took inlet line off tank flooded me & lots of pressure from tank. Would it be a problem with the tap.
Hi Ian. Hope you've dried off! We'd recommend working your way back from the tank. Turn off the tank valve and then remove the tube from that connection. See if anything is coming out of that tube while the RO works. If so, it's not a clog in the filters/membrane. You can do the same with the faucet connection...see if water comes out of the tube. If so, then probably the faucet mechanism. The other thing to check is if there was a cap/plug in the membrane that needed to be removed before it was replaced yesterday. Our cartridges all have a plug that can be missed and left in before the filter is screwed in. If there is and it's still there, the membrane might not be letting water by. Or it could just be a bad membrane. You can check that by inserting the old membrane and see if water flows again. Hope that helps. Let us know if something doesn't make sense.
@@vitevtv Tried that late yesterday so lots of water pressure from tank & pipe to R/O system so changed the 2 outside filters over one for the other, lots of water coming from tap for about 5hrs now this morning nothing again So tried changing the outside 2 filters over (as I did last night) nothing from tap. Even put the new Membrane filter back on again still nothing. I am at wits end now. Nothing from the tap but waste runs constantly Thought about getting 2 new outside filters again the others were put on new in December.
@@vitevtv Thanks, I tried that lots of pressure from tank, also lot of pressure in pipe to R/O system. Last night I changed the 2 outside filters with each other and had good water from tap for about 4 hrs then it stopped again . This morning I even put the new Membrane filter on again still nothing also changed the 2 outside filters with each other (as I did last night when I got water)still nothing from tap. At my wits end now . The only thing I have not tried is removing pipe from tap to see if it has water,( its job to get to though) should I try this . If I remove the top part of tap mechanism no water comes out with tap turned on.
Just checked & tank is not getting any water in it.
No water getting to tank. Thanks for your help at least I know. any ideas what could be stopping water getting to tank.
Doe anyone know the flow that should be coming out of the RO filter? I only get a trickle, is that ok and I'm just supposed to rely on pressure at that point?
You'll only a trickle to small stream through the clean side (permeate) of the membrane. That's why there is a storage tank, otherwise you would have to wait a long time to fill up a glass.
have a humming hoise coming from the system only when tap is used
There is a delay between the time I turn my faucet on and when the water starts to come out. It can be very long, almost a full minute. Once the water starts to flow it has plenty of pressure. I check the tank pressure regularly and just changed my filters. I still have the original membrane, but again I have plenty of water. What could cause the delay?
Hi Nathan. You have us stumped. If you ultimately get good pressure from the faucet, then it's not a clog or tank pressure issue. Is this a recent change? How far away is the tank from your faucet? Do you have a post tank filter?
@@vitevtv
Thanks for the quick reply! Below are my responses:
The tank is in my basement, but basically directly under my faucet. I'd estimate the hose to be 10-12 ft. It has been acting this way for a long time (years). I assumed changing my filters would resolve the issue, but no luck. I do not have a post tank filter.
I think some big chunk of particles were stuck in the source of water which cause delay of the water coming through.
I think you mean the out let of the Carbon filter to the faucet and the tank . or less pressure
salem salem u
Hello there, I just got my RO system installed on Friday, the guy told me to leave the faucet open for several hours, forgot already for what purpose. The tank is not getting full overnight, also, I'm checking the quality of the water with a PPM meter and it's failing so far, average around 380 p.p.m. my bottles of water averaged 20 ppm. Do you think I got a defective system? I'm calling the company on Monday but I still would like your opinion. TIA.
You have a normal RO (not alkaline) and you're getting 380 ppm? That's definitely defective. What is the TDS of your source water? There is also no reason to leave your faucet open...by doing that you're not allowing the tank to fill.
@@vitevtv it's alkaline, yes around 380 ppm, no sure what is TDS, I live in tolleson Arizona.
@@jaimeim18 Sorry..TDS is total dissolved solids. That's what you are measuring with the meter...TDS in PPM. 380 is very high for alkaline cartridges, so you're probably getting a lot of the initial dust and particles from whatever media is in the cartridge. We would expect that to fall off quite quickly as you use it. An alkaline RO system is not going to have the same really low PPM as normal RO systems so looking at higher TDS levels is not a way to know if the membrane is failing. You'd have to check the water directly after the membrane, before it goes into the alkaline cartridge.
@@vitevtv what would be a normal PPM with the alkaline system after the system settles?
Hi there,
Have you ever noticed water coming out of the Schrader valve? Is this normal or indicates some sort of trouble with the tank? Reply to the Comment Pl. & ty. I noticed that some water was coming out of the pressure valve and I am not sure if that is a normal thing. IMHO, there should never be any water coming out from the valve. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.
Correct. You have a bad tank that will have to be replaced. The bladder has probably ruptured.
vitevtv Thank you so much. I thought so and so I have already ordered a new tank. Thanks for reinforcing my decision.
you mentioned that the tank might not have enough pressure, but you did not say if you can increase the pressure of the tank or how to do it.
Hi Chris. Yes you can increase the pressure. First empty the tank of all water and then use a bicycle pump to add whatever air is necessary.
What would cause the RO system to intermittently fill the tank overnight?
Do you mean some nights it fills and others it doesn't?
that color black is the pump?
the black tubing? That goes from the bottom of the membrane to the drain, hitting the pump along the way.
Thanks for the video but my tank fills after 30 minutes. It unfills in 10. The PSI on the tank is 7.5 and the drain line is not leaking.
Gavin Jones Then why are you even here if your system has no problem😂? Don’t comment on videos and say stuff like that for no reason
My tank doesn't fill up ? I dont know why?
Check your filters like our video. Start with the one closet to the tank and see if water is coming through. Work your way back to front. If water is flowing through all but not getting into tank, then it's a tank issue. Either too much pressure in the tank or the bladder has burst and the tank is actually full, there just isn't any pressure to push water up and out.
My tank will not fill with water. I have 8 ibs if pressure in it empty. Water is going through the system because I get water from the faucet but it runs out. I have changed all filters and still not filling with water.
Hi XCR. Did this happen slowly or just all of a sudden? Couple of thoughts. 1. Check the tank valve and make sure it's not still turned off from when you changed filters. 2. If it's open, remove the tubing from the valve and let the system run to see if water is making it to the tank. 3. If so, take some pressure out of the tank, down to 5-6 PSI and see if that makes a difference.
@@vitevtv It happened sudden. The tank valve is open. I followed the flow of water and the whole system from the inlet to the tank to the faucet has water flow. I let out air and still no water is enering the tank. To add to that my faucet pressure is not very low and little to no water now compared to before I changed pressure in would get a liter every few hours. The knocked on the tank and noticed it feels solid on the top of the tank and when I knock on the bottom it sounds hollow or not dense.
@@backpackertoo is the tank full of water? You might have a ruptured bladder and the tank is full, but unable to push water out.
@@vitevtv No the tank is completely empty of water. It seems like the water gets to the tank but it does not fill.
My well stopped working for a day so no water pressure. It was fixed but then my new reverse osmosis system slowed and stopped. What happened?
Hi Susan. Without more information it's hard to tell. What was the fix for your well? Was it a part failure? Sediment/rust build up? Could maintenance on the well have cause a clog in your RO?
@@vitevtv It was the solenoid. The RO system slowed and stopped within 48 hours of the fix of the well.
@@susansmith4105slowing and then stopping sounds like a clog. Try to follow the steps in the video to remove filters one at a time...that should show you where the water is stopping.
When not in use
Please show us how to check the middle filter?
about to buy a new one fml lol
If the system is running and you disconnect the tank to check cartridge the water is going flow from hose you disconnected it. How can you check one by one when water splashing.
Turn off the supply first, remove the hose and place it into another container, then turn the supply valve back on.
After installation, i don't have water in tank at all
Do you hear water running through the system and down the drain? Made sure the tank valve and supply feed are turned on?
@@vitevtv I will check thanks for your response. Thank you.
Wtf... y did I spend so much time watching youtube videos to not figure out the simplest fix?
The safety leak cotton ball thing somehow got wet and it grew and popped the thing open to stop the filter from working.
All I had to do was remove the otton thing and close it up and BAM.
Did I miss something? Or did I hear him correctly say to remove the hose from the tank and see if water comes pouring out. Well of course its going to come spurting out. You didn't turn off the main water valve coming in!!!!!!! What about the drain hose! That wasn't covered!
Hi stainless. Water won't come out if you have a clogged filter or membrane, and even if those aren't clogged, the flow rate post membrane is very slow. It's more of a trickle and easily handled. There won't be water all over you or the cabinets.
You speak of draining the tank, but don't show how to do it exactly.
Turn on the RO's faucet until the water stops flowing.
just installed a system and the tank does not fill. The water just runs down the drain and nothing is coming out of the tap.
It will take a while for water to get to the tank as the membrane severely restricts the flow rate. If after a while, no water is getting to the tank, then work your way back towards the water supply checking every step along the way.
You can’t call ☎️ support unless selecting a business line, otherwise, they don’t answer
I can hear water going down the darin
Asv is bad.
Can you speak slowlier for explanation. Sound like you are in rush.