Buying a used RO

[Maplewalnut]

Any pointers or things to look for when buying a used RO. From what I read pumps need to be humming normally and not pinging. ask about membranes but your really depending on honest answers from the seller since inspection really will not reveal much. I guess the best thing is to see it in action.

Any thoughts or experiences

thanks Mike

[wdchuck]

I'm not claiming to be an expert on this topic, but I will say quite vehemently that a new RO is best, unless you know the exact history of the used unit and can be confident in it's condition. Myself, my friend Brian, and one other sugaring pal have bought used units and none of us were happy! All of us have had at least one major problem that cost a lot of dollars and downtime when you just dont need it. Again, I'm not saying my opinion is knowledge or fact, but we all went through a lot of headaches.Why buy something that makes such good economic sense that only gets used for 6 weeks a year, only to have it go down for a week or maybe more?

[brookledge]

If the membrane was sent back to factory to be tested it will have a report. So that is one thing you could ask for in a used RO. Otherwise like it was already said you have to trust the one selling and hope they are honest.
If the membrane is aready more than 4 or so yrs. You would probably be better to start with a new membrane. A 8"X40" is around $800 and 4" is cheaper so
Keith