Reverse Osmosis Information; How The Ro System Works; Prefilter; Reverse Osmosis (Ro) Cartridge - Whirlpool WHER12 Installation And Operation Manual

Reverse Osmosis Information
The Reverse Osmosis (RO) Drinking Water System is a water treatment unit. It uses household water
pressure to reverse a natural physical process called osmosis. Water, under pressure, is forced through
a semi-permeable membrane where minerals and impurities are filtered out. Clean drinking water goes
to the faucet or storage tank, while minerals and impurities are sent to the drain with Re waste water.
The minerals and impurities are measured in water as total dissolved solids (TDS).
The reverse osmosis system includes replaceable pre and postfilter sediment-carbon cartridges. The
prefilter removes sand, silt, dirt, rust particles, other sediments, and chlorine from the water supply be-
fore it can enter the Re membrane. The postfilter removes any tastes and/or odors that may remain
in the water, after passing through the Re membrane, before going to the Re faucet. To prevent water
waste, an automatic shutoff valve closes when the Re faucet is closed and the storage tank is full.
The reverse osmosis system gives a continuous supply of sparkling clear, delicious water ff_rdrinking,
cooking and other uses. The reverse osmosis process makes water very slowly, that is why there is a
2.3 gallon* storage tank. This will enable you to have high quality R.O. product water tk)r your cooking
and drinking water needs.
* Exact storage capacity depends on water pressure.
Prefilter
How a Reverse Osmosis System Works
Water fronl
the cold water supply pipe enters the Re assembly prefilter first. The prefilter has a re-
placeable sediment cartridge with activated carbon in its composition. The cartridge removes sand, silt,
dirt, other sediments, and up to the ppm of chlorine shown in the specifications from the feed water.
See "Product Specifications" section. Chlorine can adversely effect the Re membrane lifc. Filtered,
clean, chlorine-free water flows from the prefilter, to the Re membrane cartridge.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Cartridge
Storage Tank
The Re cartridge is a tightly wound special membrane. The membrane removes the dissolved solids
and organic matter when water is forced through the cartridge. High quality product water exits the
Re cartridge and goes to the storage tank, or to the postfilter and Re faucet. Reject water, with the
dissolved solids and organic matter, is routed through the flow control and to the drain.
Post Filter
The storage tank holds up to 2.3 gallons of product water. The higher the incoming water pressure, the
more water will be stored in the tank, up to 2.3 gallons. A diaphragm inside the tank keeps water pres-
surized to about 30 psi, when the tank is full, to provide fast flow to the Re faucet. The dry side of the
diaphram that divides the tank is pressurized with air to 5 - 7 psi.
Faucet
After leaving the storage tank, but before going to the Re faucet, product water goes through the post
filter. The post filter is an activated carbon type filter. Any remaining tastes and odors are removed
from the product water. Taste-free, odor-free, clean, high quality drinking water is available for use.
The sink or countertop faucet has a hand operated lever or knob to access drinking water. To comply
with plumbing codes, an air-gap is built into the faucet drain water connection.