At the heart of any reverse osmosis system is its membrane. This is why it is essential that it gets cleaned every now and then to ensure that it continues to work well and bring quality water. The recommended number of times it needs to be cleaned a year is anywhere from 1 to 4 times and this will depend on the feed water quality.
A rule of thumb when it comes to membrane cleaning is that if the normalized pressure drops or if the normalized salt passage has gone up to 15 percent, then it’s time to clean the membrane. It is also vital to clean the membranes at an early stage of fouling, which is where the isolation of colloidal, organic and suspended particles occurs. These particles will be decomposed by bacteria and other microorganisms, resulting in substrates that will continue to grow and develop if left unchecked.
Cleaning the membrane involves making use of high and low pH cleaners that have the ability to eliminate the contaminants. There are other factors that are considered when cleaning the membrane such as water temperature, flows and quality. Proper maintenance of the membrane ensures that it helps the system provide high purity water for many years to come.
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