System Startup #
Turn-on municipal water pressure and verify pressure regulator is set to 40 psi on RO unit. Make sure air supply is turned on and the regulator is set to 80 psi. Double check for correct flow direction on regulator.
Turn External Power Switch to ON. Touch screen should show a flashing red circle in the Mode button indicating unit is off.
On initial start-up of new system, air must be purged from system by using the PURGE mode.
The PURGE mode engages Solenoid A and allows municipal water to flow through the system to purge air from the sediment filter, pumps, membranes and plumbing prior to engaging the RO production pump.
While operating in this mode:
Open the vent on the carbon filters by pushing the red valve on the top cover downward. Air will escape and when all air is gone water will stream from top of cover. Release valve when water is streaming from red valve.
Continue in PURGE mode until all air is removed from system before selecting the AUTO mode.
CAUTION: Going to AUTO mode (which starts the RO pump) prior to purging the air from the membrane housings and plumbing can result in compressed air causing damage to the membranes, membrane housings, and plumbing.
This process may take 10-15 minutes or more, but is a critical step to protect the system during initial start-up or after any maintenance which would allow air to enter any part of the system.
Bleed Grundfos pumps by opening the priming vent plugs and allowing air free water to flow from them before closing again (fig. 5.1 – 1).
fig. 5.1 – 1 – Grundfos Pump Startup
Verify that the Grundfos pump motors are rotating correctly. This needs to be done by the electrician prior to completing the electrical installation.
The motors should be “bump started” to verify direction of rotation (pump fans should rotate counter-clockwise when viewed from the top).
Check system for leaks and repair any leaks before continuing operation. If system requires draining sections of plumbing or membrane housings the unit should be re-started as described above to remove any trapped air from the system.
Start unit in AUTO mode and verify tank is filling and Reject water is flowing to the reject tank.
Note: The RO unit has been pre-tested to verify operation prior to shipment. However, here is a slight potential that debris from the plumbing assembly process could clog either the Reject Orifice or the Recirculation orifice.
Check to verify that the concentrate switch closes with the concentrate pressure is 60 psi or higher. This verifies that the recirculation flow is over 12 GPM and confirms that the orifices are not clogged.
It is recommended that the initial RO product be dumped down the drain until the TDS of the RO water stabilizes.
The initial TDS from the unit will be high (50-150) because of manufacturing chemicals rinsing from the dry membrane. The TDS will slowly go down as the unit operates and should stabilize in the 1-20 PPM TDS range based on the TDS of the feed water within first few hours of operation.
If the TDS of the RO remains higher than 20 than a seal has been cut during assembly and operator will need to identify the damaged seal-ring and replace. With new membranes, normal TDS will remain below 10 TDS
Verify the RO Pump shuts down once RO tank is FULL and the unit goes into flush mode.
Note: To avoid tank overflow the RO unit will not operate if the level sensor is reading a current outside of the 4-20 ma sensor operating limits.
Seconds after the RO tank is full the RO membrane flush cycle should begin (Solenoid A &C close, Solenoid B opens and RO pump restarts at 30% speed to flush the membranes.