DI resin smell??

I have never used DI before since my RO output reads 0 (Zero) TDS... but I decided it could't hurt to stick one on the end of my RO unit...

So I got a new DI cartridge filled at a local LFS and it has a chemical-ly smell to it... and the first gallon of water I ran through it had this smell too... I decided to bypass it after that until I find out more...

Is this normal? Since I've never used one before I have no clue... are they supposed to be flushed before use? Is this smell normal? Did I get bad resin or something?

Thanks,

Will

 

What does it smell like? What resin do you have? There are different types of DI resin that is. Typically, there is dark green stuff, and purple stuff. I have both and noticed that the purple stuff has a sweet smell to it.
In any case though, it shouldn't have a smell to it. You should run about 5-10 gallons through it before using it in your tank.

 

It smells like a brand new inflatable pool toy.

 

Resin will often have a smell.
Check out the middle of the page here:
FAQ FOR REVERSE OSMOSIS

 

I know when I got my RO/DI unit the directions said to run it for three hours and discard all that water, because it will have preservatives from the filters and resin.

 

Generally DI resins rinse up with about 3 or 4 bed volumes, about a gallon of water in most systems with vertical canisters.

Yes all new replacement filters should be flushed but most vendors neglect to tell you they should be flushed individually meaning remove or disconnect everything downstream then flush only the prefilter, then add and flush the carbon block again without the membrane connected, then the new membrane without the DI then finally the DI. By doing them one at a time you do not contaminate the downstream filters with antimicrobial preservatives, glues, binders and carbon dust.

 

Agreed, I always rinse each stage prior to installing them into the system.

 

Makes much sense. I will rinse with 2-3 gallons to be safe and return it to the RO output.

Thanks for the replies.

One more question... if my RO output before the DI has 0 TDS, will my DI last a really long time? Even if I were to have a TDS meter on the in and out, both would read Zero TDS, so I would think it would be difficult to know when the DI is spent...

 

Atlanta has very low TDS in their tap water but RO only will never be 0 TDS. It may show an indicated 0 TDS on an inline meter but I guarantee you if you use a COM-100 handheld which is much more accurate and reads in tenths of a part per million, it will not be 0 TDS.
I would run the DI until you start to see a reading of 1 on a consistent basis. Once resin nears exhaustion, even before it is completely spent, it will start releasing weakly ionized substances and often in large gulps much higher than the tap wate rwas to begin with. It has been storing these substances for hundreds of gallons so can be high when it starts to release. Thats why it is important to pay attention to the treated TDS and not let resing go past its prime. A few of the weakly ionized substances include nitrates or all forms of ammonia, silicates and phosphates all of which can cause problems.

 

Alright, so I will connect my TDS meter to before and AFTER the DI and monitor it closely.

Thanks! Good info! K+