R/O vs well H20 W/ high nitrates

[crabbie]

I have well water with nitrate levels above 10 ppm. I bought a Kent r/o unit 50 gpd. the water that has gone though the unit is still @ 5ppm. is this right ?

 

[broomer5]

Which Kent RO unit are you using ?
How many pre-membrane cartridges are there ?
What model number ?
Municipal (chlorinated) use CTA/ TFC/ Hi-S RO Membrane
Well (non-chlorinated) use TFC/ Hi-S RO Membrane
Nitrates would be considered a Dissolved Inorganic Solid, and an RO membrane should remove most of them.
If your well water is extremely high in nitrates, and you are not using the proper TFC or Hi-S RO membrane for non-chlorinated water - you may experience some problems.
The membrane may not function correctly over time.
The easiest way to reduce the nitrates would be to
1) insure you have the right membrane.
2) add a deionizer cartridge to your set-up.

 

[crabbie]

My unit is a kent RO50TFCBL (TFC R/O,Blue Canister,50 GPD) It has two vertical cans with a smaller one across the top of them. Which membrane would I need? Is adding a deionizer cartridge easy and cheap, or hard and costly?
Thank you

 

[broomer5]

Sounds like you have the right membrane for well water.
This has me stumped.
Unless there's a tear or damaged RO membrane - it "should" remove the nitrates.
When you're done using it - like running a batch of purified water - do you keep the blue "good water" tube elevated above the membrane ?
Doing so will keep the water from draining out - and insures that the membrane is always kept wet inside.
If the membrane dries out - I believe it can become ineffective.
I'd suggest contacting Kent Marine directly -and talking to one of their RO techno-weenie guru's.
I've never added a deionizer to an existing RO unit - but I'm sure it's an option. One that you could discuss with Kent.
Kent Marine