How to Maintain Filters in Reverse Osmosis Systems - Wisler Plumbing & Air

When it comes to properly maintaining a reverse osmosis system, it’s a good idea to start by knowing whether or not it’s actually time to change the filter. Sometimes people change their filters just because they think they need to, even though they are really just throwing money away. But if you get the assistance of a professional maintenance provider, we’ll take a few steps first to make sure the filter needs to be changed in order to keep your system working reliably and economically.

We start by testing your water to determine a measurement called TDS, which stands for total dissolved solids. Because a RO filter is supposed to remove anything from the water that isn’t the water itself, this test allows us to find out if the filter is still performing according to specifications. Our RO systems are supposed to provide a 95% reduction in TDS (resulting in a total of 5% TDS in the filtered water). If our measurement shows that you have a TDS of 10% (or even something higher, like 20%) that means it’s time to change the membrane on your reverse osmosis system.

There are a total of 4 filters in an RO system, including a pre-filter, a membrane, a post filter, and an inline polishing filter. Therefore, filter maintenance might not be as simple as changing a single cartridge. Typically you will need to do yearly maintenance on the pre, post, and inline filter. If you have a good system, the membrane is usually going to last around two to three years. Since the membrane is the most expensive replaceable filter, you’ll save money by not having to replace it every year.

Because the quality of your drinking water is so important, we like to use rubber gloves any time we change an RO filter. We also make sure we keep everything sanitary by not allowing the filters to come in contact with areas that have high amounts of bacteria. Most filters come wrapped in plastic, and we like to leave them that way until we’re ready to place them in the canister. As an extra sanitary step, we think it’s a good idea to put a little bit of chlorine (just a few drops) on each filter canister to make sure it’s sanitized. A tiny quantity goes a long way towards providing a sanitary atmosphere.

Although changing the filters on a reverse osmosis system isn’t extremely difficult, there are some specifics that can potentially go wrong. The last thing a homeowner would want is for a leak or faulty filter housing to cause a kitchen flood. I personally would recommend that you rely on your maintenance provider to change these filters. We offer this service in addition to our other water treatment maintenance visits.

If you have a RO system and want assistance with determining whether the filters need to be changed, reach out to us by contacting us online or giving us a call at 540-483-9382.