RO filter options....

[Daren]

In several threads on this forum, I have seen references to the filters mounted on the RO machines. My old girl has one that is about 19 inches long....blue housing type that screws up into the cap with a pressure sensor attached. This looks just like a whole house type unit. It does not presently have a filter cartridge in it. What micron filter should I be using in here? I have seen both 10 and 5 micron entries in some posts. Any input out there?

[tuckermtn]

I think mine are 5 micron- "big blue" I think is what that size housing is referred to. 20" tall. 1inch ports. I have two housings on my memtek.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydronix-20-BIG-BLUE-Sediment-Depth-Filter-5-micron-/230736281177?pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item35b8f43e59

[wiam]

I just went and checked and mine are 5 micron. Mine are not like the ones in the link. They are only 2.5 inches in diameter.

[Daren]

Sounds like 5 micron then eh? How often do you change them and can they be rinsed clean and reused? I have also heard that you should keep one separate for washes due to the acid that is used. Is that what you all do? At almost 17 dollars a pop, I hope I dont need a ton of them. Thanks for the quick responses. I think that is correct for the size though....about 20 inches overall from bottom of vessel to top of housing.

[mapleack]

17 bucks is way way too much. I use the GE hytrex 5 micron filters. Places like Bascom sell them for about 7 bucks a piece. You definitely need a separate one to use for washing, I built a pvc pipe storage container to keep it in, used the same one to wash all season. As far as reusing the others, I don't. New one every day to keep performance up, also they tend to get skunky really quick from bacteria. $7 a day might seem like alot, but when you look at the time the RO saves you, it's a no brainer.

[Amber Gold]

I have two filters, one for wash and one for concentrating. I use a single wash filter all season. I use Lapierre's cloth filter wraps which prolong the filters life (they collect most of the gunk) and they get replaced every time. Using these, I can usually get a few concentrating cycles out of a prefilter.

I found out last week that Joe at Atlantic RO are selling these prefilters for ~$3.75 each....

[wiam]

I think I pd around $5 each by the case from Goodrichs' last year. I put a new one in every time I run it and then wash with that filter.

[Daren]

Thanks for all the great info. It looks like I am going to need a case. For those who use one separate filter for washing, if you are going to throw the one used for concentrating out anyway, why not just wash with the same one then toss it when the wash and rinses are complete? Seems like this would save at least one cartridge. Not trying to go on the cheap here, just playing devils advocate.

[tuckermtn]

the first year I ran the whole year on one set of filters. Last year I ran half the season with the filters and switched them out. No significant decrease in flow rates. For me, that was around 10,000 gallons of sap per filter change. I buy them by the six pack, and I think I pay around $15 a piece. That translates in to $30 to filter 10,000 gallons. could be all wrong, but that is the way I do it.

[Maple Hobo]

I save one for washing (only needed to WASH at the end of the season though.)

I do run about 10-15 min. on filtate to push my remaining sugar out of the system into the concentrate tank.
After testing, that seems to be a good purge of the majority of the sugar content.

Then change out to a clean filter and cloth... Then use more filtrate to short rinse for another 15-20 minutes into the drain, until the sugar sample low to nothing at the concentrate sample spiggot.

Then I run the long closed loop rinse that basicaly is a hot rinse for about 5-6 hours I think it takes... Unit shuts off at 100 to 115 deg as I recall?

The dirty filter from the day's run I take insode to rinse out and hang it to dry as well as the cloth wrap.

I used to take out the filter from the long rince but it was always pretty clean. So I just leave it in now... its been up to 100 deg in the system already.
Thats hotter then the rinse water in the house..lol

The chemical wash filter is just set aside untill the wash at the end of the season. I use it at the start of the saeson when I wash out the membrains from the chemical storage too... then change to the new filters for that season and rinse with fresh water to about 500 gallons?

On third year and the membrains don't appear to be cloging up too much.