Attention All Coralife Pure-flo II Owners

[kevin34]

I ordered this RO unit from this site a few days ago and it came in today. I put the osmosis membrane into the membrane houseing chamber and made sure every tube was secure. I hooked up the unit to a hose outside and turned it on. At first the RO water was coming out at a very fast rate and the waste water was just a fast drip. Some time went by (maybe 1/2 hour) and the RO water was coming out in just a small drip now instead of a hard steady stream. I figured this was normal so I let it keep running. I went outside to check the progress and the hose now has these large buldges that cover about 10 inches of the hose near the end connected to the unit. This makes me think that there is something blocking the water flow within the unit. This would explain the decrease in speed of the RO water and the buldges in the hose. Can anyone help me? I have no clue whats going on.

Right now I have the hose turned off and disconnected from the unit.

 

[azaintcold]

It should only be a steady drip for RO water. The bulges are probably caused by the high pressure since lawn hoses aren't intended for that much back pressure.

 

[kevin34]

So how long does it usually take to fill up a 5 gallon jug? Will you get more RO water than waste water?

 

[dragonzim]

Try reseating the RO membrane. It may not be in correctly. There is no set answer to how long it should take to fill up a 5 gallon bucket. A lot will depend on your water pressure and the temperature of the water. Colder water will take longer and produce more waste water than if the water is a little warmer. I have mine hooked up in my basement to my well water. My water is very cold, so it takes me a about 5-6 hours to make 5 gallons of good water.

 

[kevin34]

Originally Posted by DragonZim
Try reseating the RO membrane. It may not be in correctly.
I did try getting it out but it wont come out. Is there some special way to remove it?

 

[dragonzim]

It should pull out fairly easily. I wonder if you didnt manage to jam it up if its in incorrectly.

 

[kevin34]

Ok I got the RO membrane out and it did come out easily (I think my hands were wet when I tryed the first time). The end with the large rubber ring on it should NOT go in first right? I didnt see anything clogging the membrane either. I just read in the instruction manual that low water temperature can cause low water production. The water I was using was very cold. Could that be the problem?

 

[kevin34]

Does the RO unit have to be connected to a water source 24/7 or can I keep it under my tank when I am not using it?

 

[kevin34]

Anyone? I would really like to know because the unit is not currently hooked up. But I do have the membrane stored in water in the fridge.

 

[chinpokomon]

I hooked mine up permanently to avoid removing the membrane (it can be damaged easily as it ages). I use airline to move the pure and “waste” water where I need it. Without a booster pump my 50GPD unit produces a little less than 1 GPH (23GPD). My house pressure is 45psi my unit recommends 60psi or better for full output) As for wastewater depending on the level of contaminate in your water, your water pressure (higher=less waste) and water temp (room temp=best output) waste should be about 75% or more of the water run through the unit. If your unit ever exceeds its maximum GPD output by any significant amount suspect membrane damage. (or reversed hoses from a filter purge).

 

[sign guy]

its posible you put the tfc backwards in the pressure vesal and blew your tfc

 

[kevin34]

Is the tfc the blue membrane?

 

[sign guy]

yes

 

[kevin34]

I have that in the right way. Right now I have my membrane in a bag with purified water and in the fridge like the instruction manual says. Will the rest of the unit be alright if its not used for a while?

 

[sign guy]

yes it will be fine. Wait the instructions say to place the tfc in the fridge?

 

[kevin34]

They say that if the unit is not used for more than 30 days (which mine wont be until I get my outdoor faucet fixed) then the membrane should be put in a bag with purified water and then placed in the fridge.

 

[kevin34]

Ok, I just got some warmer water going into my RO and the water from the RO tube was coming out HARD! The blue RO tube actually came out of the bucket I was using and sprayed water all over the place because of the pressure. Is that normal? The waste water tube was just a slight trickle. Also the instructions say to dump the first 10 gallons of RO water. Does this mean just the first 10 gallons or the first 10 gallons before every use?

 

[prevwon]

I think it means the first 10 gallons, not before every use.

 

[kevin34]

Anyone know if the RO water coming out that hard is normal?

 

[jerthunter]

it doesn't sound normal, generally I get more waste water compared to good water, if it is spraying out I would say you either have a busted membrane, busted o-ring, or improperly seated o-ring.