www.aquasafecanada.com | Maximus II Installation Instructions 05/13 | page 21
page 20 | Maximus II Installation Instructions 05/13 | www.aquasafecanada.com
Stage 4 – When should I change the Reverse Osmosis Membrane?
The R.O. Membrane is the very heart of your Aquasafe Reverse Osmosis System. The R.O. Membrane
is rated for an average of 4000-5000 Gallons of purified water production. If you have a TDS Meter a
very simple but critical test you can perform in order to determine if your R.O. Membrane needs to be
replaced is to measure the PPM reduction rate of the purified (permeate) water coming directly out of
the R.O. Membrane housing (see Fig. 29 and 30 for how to do this).
Testing to see if your R.O. Membrane needs replacing.
Step 1. How to depressurize your system
(Fig 29)
Step 2. Test your permeate water
(Fig 30)
The PPM count should be 15% or less from that of your unfiltered tap water that can be gathered from
any cold water tap in your home.
• Example: if your unfiltered tap water is 200ppm then the purified permeate water coming out of
the R.O. Membrane should be 30ppm or less (200 x 0.15).
If your R.O. Membrane is not producing the 85% or better in PPM reduction as depicted above, you
need to change this membrane.
1
2
3
Shut off the flow of water to the feed
water supply line of your system via the
Manual Shut Off Valve found spliced
into the feed water line.
Turn the tank top valve,
found on top of your
water holding tank,
to its “OFF” position.
feed
water
line
Manual Shut-Off Valve
in OFF position
Final Polishing Filter
Press down on your
kitchen faucet until the
flow of water stops to
complete the
depressurizing process.
Tank Top Valve
in OFF position
ON
OFF
Manual Shut-Off Valve (top view)
TOP VIEW OF SYSTEM
3 Way T
to aquarium sump tank
1
4
Depressurize your system (see Fig. 29)
2
Remove (see Fig 10) the blue tubing coming out
of the R.O. Membrane housing from
where it connects into the D.I. Resin Canister.
Gather some water coming from the
disconnected blue tube and test the PPM count
with your TDS Meter. The PPM count should be
15% (or less) than that of your unfiltered water.
Turn the feed
water back ON
with the Manual
Shut-Off Valve
NOTE:
Back View -
hanging
bracket
not shown
for clarity
Manual
Shut-Off Valve
in “OFF” position
E-Z Flush
Flow Restrictor
feed water in
yellow tubing
to discharge
saddle clamp
3
TDS Meter
Figure 29
How to
depressurize
your system
Figure 30
Testing your
permeate water
with the TDS
meter
WARNING
Are you unsure when you last replaced your R.O. Membrane?
Because the weekly gallon demand varies greatly from one aquarium enthusiast to the next, we
highly recommend that you test your water immediately as described above to see if your mem-
brane is still producing an 85% ppm reduction from your normal tap water (based on the permeate
water test in Fig 30). If you don’t have a TDS meter to do this with, get one right away. The health
of your aquarium depends on it. If you can’t verify the ppm of your water you can’t guarantee that
your aquarium isn’t being exposed to harmful contaminants.
Stage 5, 6 & 7 – When should I change the resin in the D.I. Resin Canisters?
The D.I. Resin Beads inside the D.I. Resin Canister typically need to be changed along with your pre-
filter changes. However this is not always the case. The D.I. Resin is “color-indicating” – meaning it
changes color to signify when the resin has become exhausted and needs to be changed. The color-
indicating resin will change from emerald green to amber-orange or brown when exhausted. All
Aquasafe D.I. canisters are 100% reusable by way of the removable blue end caps.
Stage 8 – When should I change the Final Polishing Filter?
This is the final filtration stage in your R.O. System. The Final Polishing filter is rated for 1800-2000
gallons of purified water production and therefore should be changed every second time you change
your three pre-filters.
It can be misleading when trying to observe the color of the resin when the canister is filled
with water as the water gives a darkening effect. To observe the true color of the resin it is best to
hold a flashlight to the canister to illuminate the true color of the resin. Alternatively, disconnect
the tubing from one side of the D.I. Canister to allow a portion of water to drain from the canister
revealing the true color of the resin. Please remember to depressurize your system (see Fig. 29)
before disconnecting tubing from any point on your system.
TIP
