Cleaning the Wash Tank for the Last Time

[SeanD]

After I've done a soap wash, I've cycled permeate through the wash tank to get the tank clean. At the end of the season, I'll be cycling preservative through the membrane, but there won't be a rinse that follows it - until next year. The residue of the preservative will be in the wash tank. I can't rinse it out, because the drain from the wash tank goes right into the pump and membrane.

How do others clean out their wash tank for the last time in a season? Is it okay to just let the tank sit with the preservative dried in there?

[wiam]

I did that with mine last year. Took a bunch of scrubbing to get the stain out. Not sure what I'm doing this time...

[plattmaple]

I rinsed our wash tank with a bucket of permeate then sucked it out with a wet dry vac. Then I sucked permeate through wet dry vac to clean that.

[GeneralStark]

There is no separate drain for the tank? My springtech has a separate drain than that which flows to the feed pump so I can rinse it out out with a hose at end of season. Could you add a separate drain?

[unc23win]

I take my membrane out and put it in the storage container with preservative or take top off vessel and put it in there then put the top back on.

I do have drain on the wash tank.

[adk1]

Do u have to even use a preservative??

[GeneralStark]

Do u have to even use a preservative??

You want to do something to reduce the growth of microbes on the membrane in the off season. You could wash and rinse the membrane once a month in off season as well. One of my sugaring mentors uses a dilute chlorine bleach solution in the wash tank and circulates it through the membranes once a month. Once that wash water gets skanky he changes it. He is using Hydranautics PVD1 membranes which are chlorine tolerant...other membranes are not chlorine tolerant.

[MapleMark753]

I have wondered similarly, and have the 125 as well.
What we do (might not be "right" but works) is after whatever cycle (wash, acid, preservative, hot permeate rinse) is crack the main RO inlet valve at the bottom of the ro to the intermediate position. This allows the wash tank to drain, and you can see the hose down drain to empty as well. When the wash tank is empty and the hose is empty, put the valve to whichever full position you want. If you want to, you can then drain the supply pump by taking out (unscrewing) the small plug at the bottom of it.
This may not make sense to anybody who doesn't have a 125, but it should if that's what you have (I think, lol).

[SeanD]

I have wondered similarly, and have the 125 as well.
What we do (might not be "right" but works) is after whatever cycle (wash, acid, preservative, hot permeate rinse) is crack the main RO inlet valve at the bottom of the ro to the intermediate position. This allows the wash tank to drain, and you can see the hose down drain to empty as well. When the wash tank is empty and the hose is empty, put the valve to whichever full position you want. If you want to, you can then drain the supply pump by taking out (unscrewing) the small plug at the bottom of it.
This may not make sense to anybody who doesn't have a 125, but it should if that's what you have (I think, lol).

I get what you are saying. I should have thought of that. Thanks!