The replacement RO cartridges are here

[swords]

Hi folks,
My replacement sediment filter, carbon block and TFC membrane have arrived this afternoon and as I expected, no instructions on how to do it!

I'd like to get them replaced as soon as possible. I'm just curious if there's generally any surprises involved with swapping cartridges?

I already see that the tool which came with the RO unit to loosen the sediment and carbon filters only fits those size cylinders, how to I unscrew the smaller tube for the TFC membrane?

Is there a process of cleaning that should be done when I change the cartridges? Should I be prepared to be scrubbing the cylinders of gunk with a for some time or are the cylinders generally clean? If I rinse the empty cylinders and RO parts out do I need to use dechlorinated or distilled water for this?

Do the cartridges go in dry? Or do I need to soak the new cartridges in water to get them "primed"? Or do I need to rinse them of any loose dust off them that may come out upon first start up?

Anything else I should know?

Thanks for any thoughts!  

 

[wolfpackgurl]

well i would go to peteducation.com but i think all you have to do is unscrew all the unilts and clean out the RO unit. there is a lil kit you can buy to clean out your RO at drsfostersmith.com or you can just make sure you clean it yourself. im not sure how to unscrew the other membrane but probably a small screwdriver would do. make sure your unit is clean but i don't know about cleaning the new stuff u just bought. this is from what i have read you should do.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Hi Josh, I would first dimantled the whole thing, discconect all hoses and whatnot. Unscrew your sumps with the tool and to get the membrane out, just push in on the endcap and use a pair of pliers to yank it out. You can run some regular tap water through the unit to flush all the gunk out of it, but first make sure you have a gallon or two or RO water leftover to rinse it out AFTER you've used tap to clean it. You can soak the sump catriges to lessen the carbon dust but it doesn't matter, I put mine in dry. The membrane should slide right in a kinda "lock" in place. Hook everything back up and you're ready to go, there will be some air in the system which will work it's way out after 2 or 3 cycles of use. BTW< I should add dicard all RO water for the first 15-30 minutes of use, the RO membranes need to be flushed as have this "food grade preservative" on them that the plants wouldn't like.

Cheers!

 

[Khai]

I believe the accepted standard is to allow the mebrane to produce 10 gallons before using any product water. I like to use a hanger to yank the membrane out just insert the hook through both holes in the plastic tube emanating from the center of the membrane and pull.
Ive always put all of my replacement cartridges in dry. I would recommend that you purchse and install a flush kit on your unit, if your water is anything like Ive got here in Burnsville it will drastically increase the life of your membrane.
Oh as for unscrewing the membrane housing, if you notice the cap actually hase a hex molded into it so all youll need is a large crescent wrench or an appropriately sized box-end wrench. Though i can usually manage to unscrew it by hand.
Hope this helps.

 

[The Griffin]

Ahhh! You are all talking Greek to me! Maybe I need aplumber to come out and explain mine to me, lol.

Regards,

Joe

 

[swords]

Hi Folks! After much cussin' I was able to unscrew all the canisters and replace the filters. I've run a 5 gallon pail of product water and dumped it out. Hopefully I'm all set to go. I'm pretty sure I got the sediment & carbon prefilters replaced in the right spots.  
Stage 1 sediment filter,
Stage 2 carbon block
stage 3 RO membrane.

Is this correct? Or do these two (sediment & carbon) not matter too much which gets hit first?

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Yep that's correct. Sediment before Carbon.. so you don't clog up the carbon prematurely.

 

[swords]

Thanks for the confirmation Tony! And thanks to everyone for all the help since I started this project! I still can't believe they'd sell something like an R/O (brand new not used off ebay or anything) with no instruction booklet...