AquaFX The AquaFX Barracuda RO/DI - Manual (Page 5)

Filter Change Sheet and Normal Operation
Note: Filters are referenced in the order in which they appear in the system
1. Sediment Filter: This filter is first in line; removes particles that can be physically filtered out. An
example of a particle that would be removed is sand. This filter’s life depends on the amount of
particles in your water. The best gauge of this filter’s life is pressure drop. When you see a 5PSIG
drop, you should change your filter. Discoloration is also a sign that the filter is loaded and therefore
time to replace with a new filter. Some silts may clog filter prematurely
2. Carbon Block, GAC or Chloramine Blaster Filter: These filters effectively reduce VOC’s
(Volatile Organic Compounds) ONLY for water that is safe by the federal Safe Water Drinking
Standards. If you have water with a known containment, you need to treat it
accordingly. The only cost effective way to predict filter life is by estimating the gallons. (unless
carbon is being used for a know containment, then testing is essential) The carbon block will filter
3,750 gal @ 1.0 GPM of 2ppm Chlorine (Cl
2
). A GAC will yield 5000 gallons of treated water@ 1.0
GPM of 2ppm Chlorine (Cl
2
) . The Chloramine Blasters are run 2 in series and will yield
approximately 8000 gallons of treated water
Do not exclude drain water from this capacity, as it is treated water .
3. Reverse Osmosis Membrane: This is the first component in the system that reduces Total
Dissolved Solids (TDS); a common example of dissolved solids can be salts or calcium. A TDS meter is
the best way to determine if your membrane is operating properly. A properly operating
membrane will give you a TDS reduction of at least 90%. EXAMPLE: Raw water TDS is 100ppm,
after the membrane it should be 10ppm or less. Membranes can fail by Clogging or Scaling, in
which case very little or no water will be produced. Membranes will also fail from contact with
chlorine. If this happens the water quality will be very poor. So changing the carbon filter on time is
essential. Hot water will also ruin a membrane (>80 Deg. F). If your membrane produces
significantly more than it is rated for, that is an indication that something is wrong.
4. Deionization Filter (DI): IF USED The DI filter is the last filter inline. This filter consists of
2 resins. One is charged with Hydrogen (H+) and the other a Hydroxide ion (OH-). As water passes
over these resins, the remaining “salts” (or ions) exchange out and only H+ and OH- are released into
the stream. Due to the quality of resin we use, the water you get will be, literally as pure as possible.
The resin is a color indicating resin; it will slowly change from a dark purple/blue/black to a rust
red/orange color. As this filter nears the end of its useful life you may experience “break though”.
Keep this in mind, depending on the water quality needed. For applications demanding 18 Mega-
Ohm water, 2 DI’s are STRONGLY recommended.