Application & Operation - Culligan Aquasential Tankless RO Owner's Manual

Application & Operation
The performance of the Aquasential® Tankless RO Advanced Drinking Water System can be characterized and judged by
the quality and quantity of the water produced by the systems� By measuring the contaminant removal performance and flow
rates of the system, its operating status can be easily evaluated�
Factors Which Affect Performance
Performance of the reverse osmosis membrane is affected by several factors which must be considered when judging the
condition of the system� The main factors which affect system performance are pressure, temperature, total dissolved solids
level, recovery and pH�
Pressure
Water pressure affects both the quantity and quality of the water produced by the RO membrane�
Be careful not to exceed 120 psi, the maximum operating pressure of the system�
Total Dissolved Solids
The minimum driving force which is necessary to stop or reverse the natural osmosis process is termed osmotic pressure�
As the total dissolved solids level of the feed water increases, the amount of osmotic pressure increases and acts as back
pressure against the reverse osmosis process� Osmotic pressure becomes significant at TDS levels above 500 mg/L (ppm)�
Hardness
Hardness is the most common membrane foulant� If ignored, this relatively harmless component of feed water will plug a
membrane over time� Use of a softener will reduce the fouling effect on a membrane� One way to detect too much hardness
in the feed water is the weight of a membrane installed for a period of time� A fouled membrane (dried) will weigh significantly
more than a new membrane� The increase in weight is a result of precipitated hardness inside the membrane�
Iron
Iron is another common membrane foulant� There are a variety of types of iron, some of which cannot be removed by
an iron filter� Clear water iron can be removed more effectively by a softener� Particulate iron can be removed more
effectively by a 1 micron filter� Organic-bound iron can be removed only by activated carbon or macro-porous anion resin�
If there is enough iron to exceed the EPA secondary drinking water standard and softening the water is not an option and
the iron is soluble, then an iron filter is appropriate� If none of these are an option then regular replacement of membranes
will have to be accepted�
Product Water Recovery
Product water recovery plays an important role in determining membrane and system performance� Recovery refers
to the amount of water produced in relation to the amount of water sent to drain�
The standard calculation is:
% Recovery = Product Water ÷ (Product Water + Waste Water) x 100
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