When it comes to the upkeep of an RO water filter,the first and foremost concern is the replacement of its membranes and filters. If you are currently using a Reverse Osmosis water filter unit, then it is important for you to know the relevance of replacing its filters and membrane on a periodic basis.
The main objective of this article is to educate readers on how necessary it is to perform efficient service and maintenance of the RO purification system to keep obtaining pure and fully safe drinking water.
What is a water filter?
Before we move on to the maintenance of the filter, it is important to first understand the concept of filter, its working and the parts of a filter. A filter is the best defense mechanism of any water purifier unit.
It is through this unit that any kind of harmful contaminants gets eliminates from the water. It is a must-have utility in every house that saves the health of the person from drinking polluted water. That is the reason why it becomes necessary to upkeep and replace the parts of your RO filter system from time to time.
Why it is essential to maintain your RO Membrane and Filter?
There are several reasons that make it necessary to replace the RO filter and membrane at periodic intervals of time.
- Ensure that you get fresh, clean, safe, 100% pure drinking water.
- Increases the lifespan of the RO water purifier.
- Reduces the expenditure on its maintenance.
- Avoid getting cheated by unscrupulous service technicians.
Factors to be considered before replacing your RO membrane and filter
When it comes to replacing RO filters and membrane as a part of its maintenance process, one size does not fit all. The needs for replacement of the components of the RO purification system depends on several factors. Learning about these factors will get you an idea as to what is the ideal frequency to get them replaced. So, these factors are:
- Level of impurities present in the input source of water.
- Hardness or the level of TDS of your input water.
- How much water needs to be purified by using an RO purifier?
If you find that the water has got a lot of impurities in it, or the level of TDS is very high, or you use an RO purifier for the purification of large amounts of water, then it becomes necessary for you to get your RO filters and membrane replaced quite often.
It is also advised to change the sediment filter, carbon filter, and DI cartridges on a periodic basis. The speed at which DI cartridges begin to exhaust is based on the impurity level in your water supply and how much amount of water you need to filter using the RO purifier.
Also Check : What are the side effects of RO water purifier?
It is advised that you change your cartridge on the basis of the tons of water that gets passed through it. If you use an RO purifier to generate large amounts of pure water, then the DI cartridge has good chances to get exhausted in just three months of time.
If you fail to change it, then the filter will get flooded by contaminants. The dirt and impurities will pass into the water when not replaced on time. This will prove to be harmful to your health.
What is the right frequency to get your RO filter or membrane changed?
The schedule for replacing reverse osmosis filters and membrane for an average household of four to six family members is nearly three to four months of time. The frequency of replacement can be lesser or greater depending on the quantity and quality of water that gets purified by it.
The other types of filters present in a reverse osmosis system include the carbon filter and the sediment filter. Both of them needs to be replaced in every six to twelve months of time on the basis of how much amount of water that you need to purify and the quality of the input water source.
What is the right time to change your sediment filter?
Maintaining the sediment filter of a reverse osmosis water purification unit is also very crucial. This type of filter drains out the dirt, silt, and sediment from the water. A good quality sediment filter safeguards the membrane of the RO unit from impurities present in the water. If you fail to replace it, then the dust will make its way to the RO membrane and pollute the water that flows through it. The advisable frequency to get this filter is once in a year.
When this filter is in good condition, then it eliminates dirt and sediment from the water supply so that the RO membrane and the carbon filter doesn’t get blocked prematurely. This will prevent the lifespan and efficiency of RO Membrane from getting reduced.If you perform good upkeep of your sediment filter, then both RO membrane, as well as the carbon filter, will last for a longer time.
What is the right time to change your Carbon filter?
The carbon filter is used to eliminate harmful contaminants like chlorine from the water. This filter is helpful in eliminating all types of smell from the water supply. The recommended time frame to replace your carbon filter is once in every year.
Water from sediment filter passes via the carbon filter to eliminate chlorine and other forms of organic contaminants contained in it. Carbon filter removes the unpleasant odor and taste from the water supply.
The chlorine present in water adversely impacts the life of your RO membrane. A carbon filter works by absorbing chlorine and organic impurities from the water and increases the lifespan of an RO membrane.
Thus, it is needed to replace your carbon filter at periodic intervals of time to enhance the lifespan of an RO Membrane and also to efficiently eliminate bad odor and taste in the filtered purified water.
What is the right time to replace the membrane of your RO filter?
Reverse Osmosis Membrane is considered to be the most important component of an RO based water purifier. This membrane is the real filter that performs the task of purification. The carbon filter and sediment filter only prepare the water to pass through the RO membrane in a way that it doesn’t damage it.
The RO system membrane is semi-permeable in nature. If you keep both the filters in a good condition, then this membrane only requires to get changed once you have consumed four thousand to six thousand liters of water.
The entire reverse osmosis membrane can either last for a longer time or die pretty early depending on the TDS level of input water. The change of an RO membrane depends on the water consumption, quality of water source that goes into the membrane and the efficiency of the carbon filter and a sediment filter.
Generally,an RO Membrane can easily last for around two to three years of period, however, in some cases this membrane has even lasted for five years. An RO membrane can damage if the water that you get in the tap is hard water or when you fail to flush it at regular intervals of time.
This makes it important for the user of an RO purification system to check the levels of TDS of purified water. A digital TDS meter will help in performing this task.
Is maintaining RO Purifiers expensive?
It is expensive to maintain an RO water purification system in comparison to other kinds of water filtration units. But this water filtration system is an essential need to filter water with high TDS levels. The cost of upkeep of any RO purifier is high due to its expensive membrane and filters.
Call a professional maintenance firm
If you find any sort of leakage or drips in the RO system, then it is advised to get the assistance of a professional and certified RO filter maintenance agency immediately to solve the issue. If you fail to take any action, then it can even lead to causing serious damage to the overall water purification system.
People who do not make use of their RO filter often should also call a professional firm to get it inspected and replaced on an annual basis. These professionals will perform all the cleaning of the unit, thoroughly examine the unit to find any issues, replace the parts that have worn out and solve the issues in your RO water purification system.
You can hire any reputed and authorized maintenance firm of RO purification unit for an annual contract. By taking professional assistance and going as per the instruction will ensure a longer lifespan and best functioning of your RO purifier unit.
Conclusion
Just buying a best water purification system does not ensure purification of water throughout life. You need to also maintain it properly by replacing its parts periodically. This will ensure that you drink safe and clean water that is devoid of any form of harmful contaminants. Hope this post has given you a good understanding of the schedule of filters and membrane replacement that will keep your filter in the best running state forever.
