RO... first rinse??

[butler]

This will be my first year with my cdl hobby 250... my membranes are both in storage in preservative. Just wondering what everyone does to clean/ rinse them before running sap through... I live in country with well water which is hard water...

[MN Jake]

Shouldn't use well water, especially if it has high iron content. if you have to then go ahead with it. I have no choice really, so I do it only for the first rinse. I ordered citric acid to hopefully keep the membrane as clean as possible.

[VT_K9]

Check your water, it may not be as bad as you think. In a perfect world you would use permeate. You should rinse them with about 250 gallons of water. One choice is to rinse with enough water to produce enough permeate for a full wash.

You should soak your membranes before trying to push any fluid through. Also make sure the unit has been heated with at least a simple heat lamp if below freezing.

Good luck,

Mike

[maple flats]

You should have a manual with that RO, do what it says. If you didn't get a manual, call CDL and get one.

[Cider Hill Maple Farm]

Hi all,

I'm in the same boat as Butler, my water is treated with a water softener, so there shouldn't be any iron or manganese. Maybe some minute minerals, but not enough to cause me problems. What do you all think?

[MT Pockets Producer]

This may help.

http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?29032-Water-to-Flush-RO&highlight=Carbon+filter

[Russell Lampron]

I use well water to rinse mine. I've been doing it that way for years and haven't had any issues because of it. Don't use city water, the chlorine is bad for the membranes. I use 100 gallons per 4" membrane.

[maple flats]

I use city water. I pump it into my permeate tank and let it set for 3 days to evaporate off the chlorine before using it.

[bill m]

I use city water for mine and have never had a problem. I check it with test strips and it shows under .5 so I use it. New research is showing that chlorine may not be as bad as thought, depending on which type of membrane.