How often do you change your R.O. filters?

Ok.. this is an area I tend to slack on... I haven't changed my R.O. filters (sediment, carbon, DI) in over a year. But I just did a TDS test and it is still coming out with a 0 reading with the water from my SpectraPure R.O. filter. However I am changing them this weekend because I have been getting diatoms the last couple of weeks. (hmm silicates?) But still 0? My local water must be pretty good.

So how often do you change your R.O. prefilters?
How often do you change the R.O. membrane itself? (I hear those last a couple years.)

matt

 

Matt,

You're going to get answers all of the board from this question. Some people like Craig Manoukian have very good tap water, other people like Nikki (NaH2O) have TDS of 550. I fall kind of in the middle.

When it comes to the silicates, by any chance did you have any sponges die recently? If it was a large sponge or the death of a number of smaller sponges, that would explain the source of the silicates.

 

Yeah I figured as much.. but I am really curious what others are doing.. so you change yours once a year too?

COme to think of it... I got diatoms shortly after my Tunze turbelle pump sucked my coral beauty to death and I didn't notice for a few days that he was stuck to it.

 

Bummer...sorry for your loss.

 

Thanks.
So when do you know it's time to change your RO filters?

 

When the particulate is discolorred.
When I see diatoms (change our DI).
Every 4000g on my carbon block.
Every 100og or so on my other carbon.
My membrane is on 7 years still 0 tds

FWIW, Matt's water company, East Bay Mud, has some of the best water quality in the states. They've won numerous awards for excellence

 

out of my tap the tds is 65 so i guess thats pretty good

 

No RO for me! I use one of those big Kati/Ani set-eps. When the Kati shows about 75% depleted, I recharge. (It's the color-change type.) That usually amounts to 200-300 gallons. The tap water here is around 400ppm, though, so any system is going to suffer.

 

I have had my RO 3 years 80 in 0 out ,added DI 6 mos ago, no changes needed yet and I make about 300 gals a mo.

 

150 in and 0 out....
Have not changed them yet, coming up on a year in Sept./Oct.