Oops...what now

[rfm4321]

I have a diy 400gpd ro. Last year I forgot to take out the membranes as I was going to replace them anyway. So, they were in there all year. Now, when I went to put the new membranes in, I discovered a very strong musty odor. So, do I need new housings and tubing or can these be cleaned? If they can be cleaned what should I use...vinegar and water...detergent...bleach? Any suggestions appreciated...Thanks, Rick

[markgm]

I have a diy 400gpd ro. Last year I forgot to take out the membranes as I was going to replace them anyway. So, they were in there all year. Now, when I went to put the new membranes in, I discovered a very strong musty odor. So, do I need new housings and tubing or can these be cleaned? If they can be cleaned what should I use...vinegar and water...detergent...bleach? Any suggestions appreciated...Thanks, Rick
Some people let membranes sit in sap all summer, so you could clean and reuse the old membranes if you wanted. I would run some clean water through them, then do a wash or two with RO soap. They should be good to go for another season.

[ecolbeck]

You could check out the ROBucket website for some suggestions. They are incredibly helpful.

[DrTimPerkins]

Do a water rinse, then soap (RO soap) wash, followed by a rinse. If the musty smell persists, repeat, but add an acid wash (citric acid typically) at the beginning.

[rfm4321]

So, I have seen a lot of differing things on just what R.O. soap is...is it just diluted hydrogen peroxide or is that a flush and not soap? I may just buy new housings and try to clean the old ones to either make my R.O bigger or to make a second R.O. as we increase our tap count...

Thanks again,
Rick

[DrTimPerkins]

RO soap is generally sodium hydroxide(lye) which is very caustic (so use care and take safety precautions) and will burn off organic material. Membranes have differing pH and temperature tolerances you don’t want to exceed if you leave them in place during the cleaning. Check the membrane specifications.

[BAP]

Here is a link to instructions from Therobucket on how to clean improperly stored and cleaned membranes plus ones that smell. Also included is a link to their cleaner/preservative that you can order to use.

https://www.therobucket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Instructions-for-flushing-an-improperly-maintained-RO-Bucket.pdf

https://www.therobucket.com/product/membrane-flush-5-doses/