Today, several types of water treatment technologies are used in public water and wastewater facilities. These treatments involve flocculation, aeration, coagulation, filtration, lime softening, sanitization, etc. Many of these same concepts are downsized and utilized for residential point-of-entry equipment. Unlike whole house systems, public systems have continuous monitoring and highly skilled laborers maintain the system to ensure the quality of product release or waste discharge. Even despite of this, some impurities may pass through public systems. Also, chemicals used from public systems are reacting with aging and deterioting pipe in the distribution system and is why homeowners want to have further treatment for their peace of mind. Just like a public system, all home filtration systems will require some form of maintenance either as preventative or scheduled replacement.
Residential water treatment technologies may include reverse osmosis (RO) systems, whole-house filters, water softeners, UV lights, ionizers, etc.. All these treatment systems operate in continuous cycles with little downtime. This can cause causes sediment trapping, clogged or fouled filters beds, damaged cartridges, etc. To avoid these types of issues with your water treatment system, maintenance is essential. Running a water system without preventive maintenance for a long duration is pure negligence that may cause system failure, contamination breakthrough, or an expensive repair/replacement. This post discusses the importance of water treatment system maintenance, along with a few beneficial tips.
Importance of Water System Maintenance
When it comes to water treatment, water system maintenance holds high significance for the overall performance of the system.
- Maintenance as a Preventive Measure: The continuously working water systems are subjected to problems like wasted power, leakages, inefficient filtration, clogged filters, etc. Therefore, maintenance is important to prevent such issues. Regular cleaning and replacing of cartridge filters, timely backwashing of filters or regeneration of softeners, and backup battery power testing, are just some common examples of filtration system maintenance that can ensure the system is operating efficiently. Any system should at least have a quick visual inspection every quarter by the homeowner to make sure everything is in working order.
- Enhanced Performance Efficiency: Maintenance helps in enhancing the performance efficiency of the water treatment system. For example: Under-the-sink RO water system maintenance suggests the replacement of pre-filter every 6 to 12 months (exptions may apply). This helps to preventing fouling of the reverse osmosis membrane and eventually enhances the performance efficiency and life of the membranes. With water softeners and other ion exchange systems, salt must be replenished to ensure the proper cleaning and recharging of the softener resin. Not doing so would allow hard water to pass through the system and potentially shorten the life of the resin.
- Longer Life-Cycle: Problems like leakage, electric power drop fluctuations, clogged filters, etc can be indicators that lead to bigger problems down the road. Common indicators such as pressure changes, scaling, and corrosion may lead to sudden and abrupt failure and damage. Preventive maintenance will increase the systems life by not taxing its capabilities. Awareness of such problems will result in a higher quality water and a longer life-span of a wholehouse water system.
Every water treatment system owner must pay attention and adhere to the suggested scheduled maintenance and conduct at kest conduct a visual inspection from time to time. Here are some tips to perform maintenance more effectively.
Water Filtration System Maintenance Tips
On considering the following tips, the preventive maintenance of a water system can be done effectively.
- If you are not mechanically inclined, please do not attempt to serive the system. Keep in mind, warranties could be voided if open a system or valve.
- Never try maintenance or cleaning while the water system is in service. Place the system in bypass or shut off the water supply before working on your water treatment system.
- Read the owners manual and identify the type of maintenance activity and frequency required. Mark this on a calendar for a reminder. Even if you have a service person, your are ultimately responsible for the system. For example, inspect the tubing on the chemical injection pump quarterly to make sure it is still primed and the chemical holding tank does not have mold or debris inside of it every other week.
- If you handle any components that come in contact with water, that area must be sanitized before the system is placed back into service. Changing a UV bulb requires the use of gloves or fingerprints on the quartz sleeve need to be wiped or could be permanently etched into the quartz sleeve when placed back into operation compromising its effectiveness.
- Keep notes of any fluctuations in the water flow, pressure changes, taste, color, odor, or any changes quality. These can help in troubleshooting with a water treatment professional.
Along with these steps above, one must work closely with a company knowledgeable on how to properly maintain such a system. More importantly, when making an original purchase or seeking a replacement, use due diligence to find a reputable dealer for water treatment technologies. Intec-America is a company that offers a wide range of quality water treatment equipment such as RO systems, UV water treatment systems, ozone water systems, backwash filters, activated-carbon whole house systems, ionizers, and many more. Their experts not only help with the selection, but also offer tips on maintenance, too.
Recent Blog Posts
- What is the Best Chlorine-free Treatment for Your Swimming Pool?
- 5 Benefits of Using Reverse Osmosis Systems for Water Filtration
- Ozone Water Treatment – Benefits and Uses Explained
- Pool Chlorine Shortage in 2021 and Effective Chlorine-free Pool Alternatives
- Pool Care Tips That Make the Pool Maintenance Effective
- Guide to Water Softener Issues, Maintenance Tips, and Replacement
- Hot Tub Chlorine Alternatives: What is Right for You
- Point-of-Use Vs. Point-of-Entry Water Treatment Systems: Features and Comparison
- Water Softener Vs Reverse Osmosis: What is Right Your Application?
- How Often Should You Clean a Swimming Pool?
- Opening your Pool
- How to Prepare Your Swimming Pool for Summer?
- How Often Should You Test Your Pool Water?
- 9 Healthier Alternatives to Chlorine for Swimming Pools