How to Troubleshoot a Reverse Osmosis system 

Happy it helped!

Glad it helped Nancy!

The yellow plug was in the top of the filter itself for shipping. I pulled that out and it fixed it. :)

Glad we could help! Any idea what it was clogged with? Could require sediment but could also need a softener.

@@vitevtv It looks like black , slightly elongated particles If I had to guess I would say it was from the interior of the main line into the house.

More appreciable comment .

Hi, I'm having a bit low pressure (not terrible, but just lower after I changed the filters). I have an 8 year old r/o tank from Culligan that I just re-pressurized. I emptied the tank, re-pressurized with the valve closed to 7 psi, and the pressue is still pretty low compared to before the filter changed. I also noticed this morning that the tank barely had any water in, and it's been filling since 3pm yesterday 3/5/23. Is it possible the water was used filling ice all night. Otherwise, I cannot figure out why the pressure isn't that grate. Also, before the filter changed, I could fill 1 pot of coffee with water and by the end it would be slowing down quite a bit. I'm wondering if I need to replace the tank...thoughts? The valve seems fine, but who knows.

That's external pressure coming into the tank, which is way above the typical household. When we say 5-7 lbs, that's the internal bladder pressure pushing out of the tank.

Hi Michael. You need to drain the tank otherwise you won't be able to accurately judge the starting pressure in the bladder. Plus doing so while the tank is full can damage the bladder. Don't waste the water, fill up a pitcher or 2 as it drains.

Hi Caroline. Where is your faucet leaking from? The connection with the supply tube or internal mechanism?

@@vitevtv Our supply tube is leaking after we had a plumber come out to replace the garbage disposer. Do we take all the cartridge mechanism off the wall to see the origin of the leak behind and at the top of the cartridges?

@@dr.jerrygustafson7680 Can you see where the supply tube is leaking? It either has to be at the supply valve itself on your cold water line or where it connects into your RO unit.

Thank you! 😃

I have this same problem now with Dupure. Haven’t replaced the filters yet but I know they’re overdue. I picked up the tank and can tell it’s empty. Worried when I replace the filters the water still won’t come through

Hi Mehdi. The black pieces could be part of the tank's bladder. That's what holds the air inside the tank causing the pressure required to push out the water. So a blown bladder would mean very little pressure/slow flow.

@@vitevtv thanks a lot.

salem salem u

Hi LS. Shoot us an email at contact@vitev.com as we can help better there. Not sure what you mean by RO draining back. You can't get waste water back up into the membrane or into the system because we have a 1-way check valve installed in the bottom of the membrane. It only allows water to flow out of the drain line, not back in. As far as pump issues, typically if there is a problem, you notice it in the clicking cycle, or lack thereof.

That's why there's a post carbon filter to pass through after the purified water leaves the tank.

Hi Jacob. Potentially. The membrane will drastically restrict flow when it's operating well, so it depends on how long it takes to get that half cup. If you've noticed a significant reduction in how quickly you get water thru the tank compared to when it was new, then your membrane is probably clogged. That also means you might need to change the sediment pre-filter more often, or look at something like this to make the water softer. vitev.com/collections/pre-filtration/products/scale-guard

You have a lot going on that we'd need more clarification about to help. Where is the faucet leaking? Is it an air-gap faucet? Is the drain line connected to the left side of the sink? Which tube is pulsating? Often noise is the result of trapped air, sometimes in the check valve that is usually on the top of the RO. Have you changed filters recently? Any way for air to get inside the system?

Hi Bruce. Check the tank and see if it's full. If not, then you have a clog somewhere upstream. You'll want to check the filters from back to front like we show in the video. If the tank is full of water (will be heavy), then it's most likely a bladder/pressure issue with the tank and the water isn't being pushed up and out of the faucet.

@vitevtv Tank was full, followed your instructions to empty and recharge tank. Working fine now, but still monitoring... Thank you..!

@@brucemattingly6476 Good to hear!

When you say serviced, do you mean you've replaced all of those components? New filters, membrane and tank? If so, no idea why the tank would not be filling. Would recommend like we show in the video, work your way from back to front on the system until you find the point where the water flows freely. You'll know whatever is clogging up the system is directly downstream from that point.

Definitely an issue at your membrane stage. Water post membrane should be a slow trickle at best and you should see a significant reduction in TDS. Could be either the membrane isn't fully seated/sealed into the housing and the water is then bypassing it, or maybe the membrane has been damaged by chloramine/chlorine.

That might mean there is something (post-filter) clogging up the flow between your tank and the faucet. Or the pressure in the tank is too low to push water out after the first few seconds.

Hi Chris. Yes you can increase the pressure. First empty the tank of all water and then use a bicycle pump to add whatever air is necessary.

Hi Nolan. If the tank is full and no water is coming out, then yea, you probably need a new tank. The only reason water would not leave the tank is if the bladder is not holding enough air to provide the pressure needed to push water out. Not sure why it would be fine before the filter change and not after. You could turn the valve on top of the tank off, remove the tube, take the tank outside and open the valve to see if any water comes out. If the RO is functioning water should also come out of the tube heading to the tank when the tank is disconnected.

Hi Ian. Hope you've dried off! We'd recommend working your way back from the tank. Turn off the tank valve and then remove the tube from that connection. See if anything is coming out of that tube while the RO works. If so, it's not a clog in the filters/membrane. You can do the same with the faucet connection...see if water comes out of the tube. If so, then probably the faucet mechanism. The other thing to check is if there was a cap/plug in the membrane that needed to be removed before it was replaced yesterday. Our cartridges all have a plug that can be missed and left in before the filter is screwed in. If there is and it's still there, the membrane might not be letting water by. Or it could just be a bad membrane. You can check that by inserting the old membrane and see if water flows again. Hope that helps. Let us know if something doesn't make sense.

@@vitevtv Tried that late yesterday so lots of water pressure from tank & pipe to R/O system so changed the 2 outside filters over one for the other, lots of water coming from tap for about 5hrs now this morning nothing again So tried changing the outside 2 filters over (as I did last night) nothing from tap. Even put the new Membrane filter back on again still nothing. I am at wits end now. Nothing from the tap but waste runs constantly Thought about getting 2 new outside filters again the others were put on new in December.

@@vitevtv Thanks, I tried that lots of pressure from tank, also lot of pressure in pipe to R/O system. Last night I changed the 2 outside filters with each other and had good water from tap for about 4 hrs then it stopped again . This morning I even put the new Membrane filter on again still nothing also changed the 2 outside filters with each other (as I did last night when I got water)still nothing from tap. At my wits end now . The only thing I have not tried is removing pipe from tap to see if it has water,( its job to get to though) should I try this . If I remove the top part of tap mechanism no water comes out with tap turned on.

Just checked & tank is not getting any water in it.

No water getting to tank. Thanks for your help at least I know. any ideas what could be stopping water getting to tank.

Hi Nathan. You have us stumped. If you ultimately get good pressure from the faucet, then it's not a clog or tank pressure issue. Is this a recent change? How far away is the tank from your faucet? Do you have a post tank filter?

@@vitevtv Thanks for the quick reply! Below are my responses: The tank is in my basement, but basically directly under my faucet. I'd estimate the hose to be 10-12 ft. It has been acting this way for a long time (years). I assumed changing my filters would resolve the issue, but no luck. I do not have a post tank filter.

I think some big chunk of particles were stuck in the source of water which cause delay of the water coming through.

Hi Monica. Did you flush the tank completely after changing the filters? Often you need to empty it before changing filters, let it fill, then empty again before the water is good to go. The filters can have some residue that needs to be flushed off first.

Yes we did flushed the tank. We did the filter change about a month ago still the water has a chlorine taste (it didn’t had it before the filter change)

Hi Le. The water will run until the tank is full. If it never stops draining, then water isn't filling the tank. You might have a clogged membrane that is only sending water down the waste line and not out the clean (permeate) side. Or your tank my have too much pressure and is therefore pushing back and not allowing the water to completely fill it. Empty tank pressure should be 5-7 PSI. Check the clean water line from the membrane first and if that is flowing (it will be slow), then the tank pressure.

Thank for your reply bro, I took an advice from local water store to replace the automatic shut off valve and it work perfectly.

Correct. You have a bad tank that will have to be replaced. The bladder has probably ruptured.

vitevtv Thank you so much. I thought so and so I have already ordered a new tank. Thanks for reinforcing my decision.

Do you mean some nights it fills and others it doesn't?

You have a normal RO (not alkaline) and you're getting 380 ppm? That's definitely defective. What is the TDS of your source water? There is also no reason to leave your faucet open...by doing that you're not allowing the tank to fill.

@@vitevtv it's alkaline, yes around 380 ppm, no sure what is TDS, I live in tolleson Arizona.

@@jaimeim18 Sorry..TDS is total dissolved solids. That's what you are measuring with the meter...TDS in PPM. 380 is very high for alkaline cartridges, so you're probably getting a lot of the initial dust and particles from whatever media is in the cartridge. We would expect that to fall off quite quickly as you use it. An alkaline RO system is not going to have the same really low PPM as normal RO systems so looking at higher TDS levels is not a way to know if the membrane is failing. You'd have to check the water directly after the membrane, before it goes into the alkaline cartridge.

@@vitevtv what would be a normal PPM with the alkaline system after the system settles?

Hi Ella. It's 3.2 gallons.

Hi Susan. Without more information it's hard to tell. What was the fix for your well? Was it a part failure? Sediment/rust build up? Could maintenance on the well have cause a clog in your RO?

@@vitevtv It was the solenoid. The RO system slowed and stopped within 48 hours of the fix of the well.

@@susansmith4105slowing and then stopping sounds like a clog. Try to follow the steps in the video to remove filters one at a time...that should show you where the water is stopping.

Gavin Jones Then why are you even here if your system has no problem😂? Don’t comment on videos and say stuff like that for no reason

the black tubing? That goes from the bottom of the membrane to the drain, hitting the pump along the way.

Check your filters like our video. Start with the one closet to the tank and see if water is coming through. Work your way back to front. If water is flowing through all but not getting into tank, then it's a tank issue. Either too much pressure in the tank or the bladder has burst and the tank is actually full, there just isn't any pressure to push water up and out.

Hi XCR. Did this happen slowly or just all of a sudden? Couple of thoughts. 1. Check the tank valve and make sure it's not still turned off from when you changed filters. 2. If it's open, remove the tubing from the valve and let the system run to see if water is making it to the tank. 3. If so, take some pressure out of the tank, down to 5-6 PSI and see if that makes a difference.

@@vitevtv It happened sudden. The tank valve is open. I followed the flow of water and the whole system from the inlet to the tank to the faucet has water flow. I let out air and still no water is enering the tank. To add to that my faucet pressure is not very low and little to no water now compared to before I changed pressure in would get a liter every few hours. The knocked on the tank and noticed it feels solid on the top of the tank and when I knock on the bottom it sounds hollow or not dense.

@@backpackertoo is the tank full of water? You might have a ruptured bladder and the tank is full, but unable to push water out.

@@vitevtv No the tank is completely empty of water. It seems like the water gets to the tank but it does not fill.

Hi stainless. Water won't come out if you have a clogged filter or membrane, and even if those aren't clogged, the flow rate post membrane is very slow. It's more of a trickle and easily handled. There won't be water all over you or the cabinets.

Do you hear water running through the system and down the drain? Made sure the tank valve and supply feed are turned on?

@@vitevtv I will check thanks for your response. Thank you.

Turn on the RO's faucet until the water stops flowing.

Turn off the supply first, remove the hose and place it into another container, then turn the supply valve back on.

It will take a while for water to get to the tank as the membrane severely restricts the flow rate. If after a while, no water is getting to the tank, then work your way back towards the water supply checking every step along the way.

Asv is bad.