Ro-Man 50 GPD User manual

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R -MANO
REVERSE OSMOSIS
SYSTEM INSTALLATION GUIDE
50, 75 AND 100 GPD
4 STAGE RO SYSTEM
(ISSUE 1)
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE GUIDE PRIOR TO BEGINNING INSTALLATION.
IF AT ANY TIME YOU ARE UNSURE HOW TO PRO EED
PLEASE ONTA T THE SUPPORT TEAM [e-mail]
THIS WATER SYSTEM HAS BEEN DESIGNED FOR QUI K AND SIMPLE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENAN E. BY
THIS WATER SYSTEM HAS BEEN DESIGNED FOR QUI K AND SIMPLE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENAN E. BY AREFULLY READING
THIS INSTRU TION MANUAL AND FOLLOWING THE OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES YOU WILL ENSURE A SU ESSFUL INSTALLATION AND
RELIABLE OPERATION. ROUTINE MAINTENAN E IS ESSENTIAL TO THE LONGEVITY AND PERFORMAN E OF THE SYSTEM. FILTERS
SHOULD BE HANGED EVERY TWO TO SIX MONTHS DEPENDING ON THE QUALITY OF THE FEED WATER SUPPLY AND THE QUANTITY
OF WATER PRODU ED.
AUTION
DO NOT USE THIS SYSTEM WHERE THE WATER IS
MI ROBIOLOGI ALLY UNSAFE OR OF UNKNOWN QUALITY.

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ONTENTS
Schematic of a 4 Stage System 3
Illustration of the Standard 4 Stage System 4
Illustration of the Professional 4 Stage System 5
Reverse Osmosis How It Works
Installation Kit Contents 7
Starting your Installation 8
Installing Supply Feed 8
Fitting the Pipes 9
Fitting the Membrane 10
Flushing the Filters 10
Flushing the Membrane 11
Connecting the DI Unit 11
Turning off your RO System 12
RO-Man Options 13
Maintenance 14
The Thin Film Membrane Spec 15
The Thin Film Membrane Rejection Characteristics 1
The Thin Film Membrane Performance & Correction Factor 17
Trouble Shooting 18

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What is Reverse Osmosis? At its most basic, it is a water separation
device. Water is passed under pressure over a semi-permeable membrane.
The holes in the membrane are large enough to allow water molecules
through but not large enough to allow other larger molecules
(dissolved solids) through. An RO-MAN system will remove 92 – 98% of
the “Total Dissolved Solids” (TDS) from the water. By adding a
De-ionisation stage we can remove 100% of the TDS from the water until the resin is
depleted.
How does the R.O. Filter work? I’m sure that most people remember
learning about osmosis in school. Just to refresh: It is the process
by which clean water is attracted to dirty water when separated by a
semi-permeable membrane. By applying pressure we can reverse the
process - Hence the name “Reverse Osmosis”.
What are the Stages in an R.O. System? The membrane is the heart of
the system & needs to be protected. This is done by pre-filtration.
Depending on the size of your system RO-MAN systems have two or three
pre filters. For this purpose we are looking at a 3 stage 50 gallon per
day system.
Stage 1: 5 Micron Sediment Filter – for the removal of sediments
such as dirt, sands and rust. We do not use a 1 micron filter as we
find that they block very easily and this affects the performance of
the system.
Stage 2: Carbon Block Filter – This is used for the removal of chlorine, some heavy
metals & other contaminants. RO-MAN use a top quality roasted coconut husk
activated carbon block filter.
Stage 3: The Membrane– As mentioned earlier this is the heart of
the system. An RO-MAN membrane removes 92-98% of the Total Dissolved
Solids in the water by the process described earlier. As it is the
heart of the system it is important to have the best possible
membrane. RO-MAN uses a “Thin Film Composite” membrane made under
licence for us in the USA by a leading membrane manufacturer..
After the water has passed through the membrane you have two
options. 1 – Use the water as it is.
2 – Further polish the water using De-ionization
.
De-ionization – RO-MAN membranes remove 92 – 98% of the TDS in the
water. For some applications, such as drinking water this is perfectly
adequate. For other applications such as Marine fish keeping and
window cleaning a TDS of zero is necessary. To attain a 0 TDS we use
a De-ionization (DI) Resin. This is a granular substance that acts
like a sponge and sucks the remaining TDS out of the water until it
reaches capacity. You should monitor the life of Resin with a TDS
meter.
Reverse Osmosis How It Works

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STANDARD INSTALLATION KIT ONT ENTS :-
4 STAGE REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM
REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANE (NOT FITTED)
SEDIMENT FILTER (FITTED)
ARBON FILTER (FITTED)
DEIONIZATION UNIT
2M RED PIPE
2M GREEN PIPE
2M BLUE PIPE
SADDLE VALVE MAINS ¼”
ROLL PTFE TAPE
FILTER WREN H

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Preparation
Determine the location for the installation of the system. Avoid locations where the
system might come in contact with hot water pipes, other hazards or is exposed to
extreme cold, an RO membrane will be damaged by frost.
Determine the location for the discharge of the waste water.
Determine the location of the cold water pipe. To assure you are using the cold water
line, turn on both the hot and cold tap. After the water is warm to the touch, feel the
pipes under the sink. It will be easy to identify the hot and cold pipes.
SHUT OFF THE WATER
Locate the water shut-off valve for the cold water feed line of your mains supply.
Accidentally hooking up the system to the hot supply line will permanently damage
the membrane (See Conditions for operation).
Close the cold water valve. Turn on the cold water tap only to assure that the line is
completely shut off and the line is drained… if no shut off valve is located under the
sink, turn off the main supply at the entry to the house.
Before starting to fit the saddle clamp to the cold water supply ensure that the valve
is fully open i.e. when looking down the wing nut is turned anti clockwise as far as it
will go (don’t force it).
Now fit the saddle valve to the 9 or 15mm copper cold water supply pipe ensuring
that the spacer is fitted appropriately, so that the spacer fits snugly to the pipe, then
tighten the lower bolt with a spanner.
You can now connect the red ¼” pipe, which will feed the RO system, by simply
pushing it into the saddle valve as far as it will go and then gently pulling back to
ensure that it is gripped securely.
STARTING YOUR INSTALLATION
INSTALLING SUPPLY FEED

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NOT NOW but when you are ready to feed water to the RO system you turn the
wing nut fully clockwise which will cause a spike to be driven into the copper pipe
and then anti clockwise to start the flow of water.
Please note do not use this valve on a regular basis to turn the system on
and off, a ball valve should be used for this.
NOTE ON PUSH FIT CONNECTIONS:-
PIPE QC FITTING
COLLET
The Push Fit Connectors are opened by pushing down on the Collet ring with two
fingernails and pulling the hose at the same time. If your nails are not user friendly,
then use a pair of pliers, a small spanner or any tool that can apply pressure on both
sides of the Quick Connectors Collet.
The Red Pipe
After cutting the red pipe to an appropriate length connect it to the red capped inlet
of your Sediment Filter housing found at the top right of the RO unit and marked with
an up arrow and the word “IN”. Do NOT turn the water on yet!
The Green Pipe
One end of this to be attached to a suitable waste water discharge point, typically
this will be a 3 mm white plastic domestic pipe.
Should this be the case a mm hole drilled into the top of the pipe will accept the RO
system waste pipe, this can be sealed with silicone.
An alternative is to use the same pipe as the washing machine.
The other end should be run to the vicinity of the CCB filter housing but do not cut
this yet as it will eventually have to be connected to the membrane housing.
The Blue Pipe
RO This can be connected to the outlet of the DI Unit and the other end to your point
of use. Bear in mind that you will have to discard the first 2 gallons from this pipe.
FITTING THE PIPES
FITTING THE MEMBRANE

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MEMBRANE
HO USING “O ” RING
“O ” RINGS
PRO DU CT W ATER
WASTE W ATER
PRE-FILT ERD
WATER
FILTER
HO USING CAP
MEMBRANE HO U SING
UNPA K THE MEMBRANE
O NOT REMOVE THE WHITE STICKY TAPE OR THE PLASTIC WRAPPING
FROM AROUN THE MEMBRANE!
The membrane has a plastic core in the centre of the membrane material. You will
see there are two small black o-rings. It is recommended that both the two small
black o-rings and the large black O ring are given a VERY light smear of petroleum
jelly such as Vaseline to aid insertion. Holding the housing unscrew the housing cap
complete with pressure gauge and insert the membrane with the two small, black o-
rings first, it will stop at the large black gasket seal located on the outer edge of the
membrane material. Push the membrane into the housing sometimes it’s a tight fit so
push with adequate force. You will feel it “seat” into the housing.
Once the membrane is seated properly, make sure the housing “o ring” is fitted and
moist. Then screw the housing cap onto the housing.
(YOU OULD DAMAGE THE MEMBRANE IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS)
Disconnect the pipe from the CCB filter housing (see page 3 or 4) and connect the
supplied green pipe to this connector. The other end to go to where the waste water
will be discharged
Switch the water supply back on by opening the saddle valve (see previous
Installing Supply Feed) by slowly turning the saddle valve wing nut counter clockwise
until fully open. Check seal for leakage, If necessary tighten the bottom nut lightly.
Now allow at least 2 UK Gallons of water to run through the system
Turn the water off.
FLUSHING THE FILTERS
FLUSHING THE MEMBRANE

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Disconnect the existing pipe from the right hand side of the membrane housing that
goes to the DI Unit and connect one end of the supplied blue pipe to replace it. The
other end of this pipe goes to a collection vessel.
Disconnect the green pipe from the back of the CCB filter housing and connect it to
the Tee piece with the green cap found on the top right of the RO system. The pipe
that you previously disconnected from the CCB filter housing and which runs to the
pressure gauge and the membrane housing should now be reattached to the filter
housing.
Ensure that the Flush Valve in the green pipe at the top of the system is in the
“Production” setting, turn the supply water back on at the saddle valve and allow the
system to run until 5 gallons of production water has been produced. During this
period check the complete system for leaks.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
DO NOT USE THE FIRST 5 GALLONS PRODUCTION WATER
DO NOT DRINK THIS WATER
This first 5 gallons removes the factory Installed sanitizing solution from the
entire system
PLEASE NOTE THAT WATER THAT HAS PASSED THROUGH DI RESIN IS NOT SUITABLE FOR DRINKING
WATER.
After you have run 5 gallons of PRODUCTION water through the system turn off the
feed water and insert the DI cartridge in the DI unit.
Put system the system back together and run another two Gallons of production
water off and test the TDS, you should now get a low reading
Now get a good light and check over the entire system carefully.
When the system is under full pressure is when any tiny leaks will occur if they are
going to so remember to keep your eye on it for a couple of days!
ONNE TING THE DI UNIT

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Remember the one and only time you will do this. Expect a couple of bugs They Will
Be Worked Out!!!
Please Note You should use a TDS meter so you know when to change the
DeIonization Resin. (Failure to change the resin when the TDS starts to rise will
cause the resin to dump unwanted minerals back into the product water)
To manually turn off your RO system it is recommended that a 1/4 inch Ball
Valve is fitted in the red supply pipe. Should you anticipate frequently
moving your system then a ball valve should also be fitted to the blue
production pipe and the green waste pipe, this will ensure that your
membrane is ept wet at all times.
To have the system turn off automatically when the collection vessel is
full you can fit an Auto Shut Off Kit which comes with its’ own
instructions.
Should you have a pump fitted to your system you can fit a High
Pressure Switch, Float Valve and Solenoid
All the part mentioned in these instructions can be easily found in the www.ro-
man.com shop by typing the name of the part in the “Quick Find” search box that
can be found at the bottom left of the page.
PRESSURE GAUGE
There are two reasons for fitting a pressure gauge :-
RO-MAN OPTIONS
Turning off your RO System

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1. To read the water pressure in order to check whether it is within specification.
System pressure is very important too little pressure will make the production rate
very slow and too much pressure will make the seals fail
Low pressure will make the TDS higher e.g. a system running at 5 psi may have a
TDS of 5 while the same system running at 40psi could have a reading as high as
15.
2. To work out when the sediment filters are blocked.
DEIONISATION (DI)
Deionisation is used to polish the water making it 100% pure. TDS reading should be
near zero if using a DI unit.
IN LINE TDS (TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS) METER
TDS meters are used to work out how well the reverse osmosis system is running.
By measuring the feed water TDS and then measuring the output you can work out
the rejection rate.
92% Rejection is OK,
95% Rejection is GOOD
98%+ Rejection is EXCELLENT.
WASTE LAMP
This can be bought from the www.ro-man.com shop and can be used to attach the
waste pipe from the RO system to a 3 mm domestic plastic waste pipe.
IT IS IMPERATIVE TO FOLLOW THE SEQUEN E AS OUTLINED
FLUSHING THE SYSTEM WITH THE FLUSH VALVE
MAINTENAN E

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ALL RO-MAN systems are fitted with a flush valve, this valve is to extend the life of
the membrane, the more often you can put the system in flush mode the better. Daily
flushing is best but weekly is ok. All you need to do is open the flush valve for 2-3
minutes each time, this lets the water blast away any build up in the membrane.
FILTER HANGING
The filters need changing every 1000 gallons of product water or months (whatever
one comes first) failure to do so will damage the membrane. Note only use RO-Man
replacement parts your guarantees will be void.
1.) Turn the water off by slowly turning the saddle valve clockwise.
2.) Remove the pre-sediment filter cartridge.
3.) Remove the carbon cartridge
4.) Install the new filters and re-assemble system.
5.) Turn on the system and inspect for leaks.
WHEN THE TDS BEGINS TO RISE
1.) Turn the water off.
2.) Remove DI cartridge from the DI Unit
3.) Unscrew the end of the deionization cartridge and remove the foam spacer and
discard the resin.
4.) Refill the cartridge with RO-Man DI resin by holding the cartridge upright fill the
cartridge with DI resin to just past the start of the screw thread approx 1/8” or 3mm,
gently tap up and down to settle the resin. Top the resin up if necessary.
Replace the removed foam spacer and screw the end back on to the cartridge.
5.) Refit DI cartridge
.) Turn on the system and inspect for leaks.
7.) Run off two gallons of product water and test the TDS you should now get a low
reading
ONDITIONS FOR OPERATION
Thin Film omposite Membrane

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Source Water Supply
Community/Private Non-Chlorinated – or chlorinated as long as the carbon
filter is in place and replaced every
months or after THE RECOMMENDED
gallon throughput, whichever comes first.
SYSTEM PRESSURE
(PRE-FILTRATION) 0 – 80 PSI
MEMBRANE
PRESSURE RANGE 40 – 125 PSI
TEMPERATURE 4º-38º C (40º-100º F)
PH RANGE 3.0-13.0
MAXIMUM SUPPLY 1500 MG/L
TDS LEVEL
TURBIDITY <1.0 NET TURBIDITY (NTU)
HARDNESS (CACO.) <350 MG/L (<20 GPG)
IRON (FE) <0.1 MG/L
MANGANESE (MN) <0.05 MG/L
HYDROGEN SULFIDE (H2S) 0.00 MG/L
CHLORINE (CL2) 0.00 MG/L
.
Calcium 93-99%
Sodium 92-98%
Nominal Rejection haracteristics of
Thin Film omposite Reverse Osmosis
Membranes
Ion % Rejection

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Magnesium 93-98%
Potassium 92-9 %
Manganese 9 -98%
Iron 9 -98%
Aluminium 9 -98%
Copper 9 -99%
Nickel 9 -99%
Cadmium 93-97%
Silver 93-9 %
Zinc 9 -98%
Mercury 94-97%
Hardness Ca&Mg 93-97%
Radioactivity 93-97%
Chloride 92-98%
Ion 92-98%
Bromide 90-95%
Phosphate 95-98%
Cyanide 90-97%
Sulphate 9 -99%
Thiosulfate 9 -98%
Silicate 92-95%
Silica 90-98%
Nitrate 90-95%
Boron 50-70%
Borate 30-50%
Fluoride 92-95%
Polyphosphate 9 -98%
Orthophosphate 9 -98%
Chromate 85-95%
Bacteria 99+%
Lead 95-98%
Arsenic 50-90%
Performance of the reverse osmosis membrane element is affected by two key
factors, temperature of the feed water and the net driving pressure across the
element. These two factors must be taken into account before comparing or
Reverse Osmosis
Membranes Performance

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evaluating the performance of the membrane element of a reverse osmosis system
The higher the temperature, the more the product flow and vice versa.
All reverse osmosis membrane elements and systems are rated at 77º Fahrenheit
(25ºCelsius).. To find the membrane permeate rate at different temperatures follow
these steps:
Find the t Temperature Correction Factor (TFC) from the table below..
Divide the rated permeate flow at 77º F by the TFC.
The result is the permeate flow at the desired temperature.
Feed Water Feed Water
Temperature Correction Temperature Correction
ºC ºF Factor ºC ºF Factor
5 41.0 2.58 18 4.4 1.29
42.8 2.38 19 .2 1.24
7 44. 2.22 20 8.0 1.19
8 4 .4 2.11 21 9.8 1.15
9 48.2 2.00 22 71. 1.11
10 50.0 1.89 23 73.4 1.09
11 51.8 1.78 24 75.2 1.04
12 53. 1. 8 25 77.0 1.00
13 55.4 1. 1 2 78.8 0.97
14 57.2 1.54 27 80. 0.94
15 59.0 1.47 28 82.4 0.91
1 0.8 1.39 29 84.2 0.88
17 2. 1.34 30 8 .0 0.85
Example Question :- If a thin-film membrane permeate rate at 77 degrees
Fahrenheit = 100 gallons/day. What is the permeate rate at 59 degrees Fahrenheit?
Answer
Temperature correction factor (from table above) = 1.47permeate flow at 59
degrees Fahrenheit = 100÷1.47 = 8.03 gallons (us)/day
The membranes used in the systems referred to in these instructions are rated with
water at 0 psi pressure and a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius.
To calculate your expected production rate you will first need to establish your
expected production at a given temperature as explained previously. This will be
called T F =Temperature Correct Flow
Net Pressure orrection

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Now multiply T F by the membranes rated pressure, which for these membranes is
0psi and then divide by the water pressure from your supply call that WPS
So expected production rate will = (T F*60)/WPS
It's OK to contact your Retailer or send RO-MAN an email [e-mail] ).
It is best to try first and remember, we cannot see it from here digital photos are
great. All problems are fixable and in general they will show up in the first 24-48
hours after the system is fully charged.
1) "I have leakage from a push-in fitting"
Solution: The push-ins rarely leak but on the rare occasion that they do try pushing
the line in harder. If this fails take the line out and check the end of the tube. Is it a
clean square cut?? If not, take a pair of sharp scissors (or a sharp knife) and cut it
then push it in again, firmly.
2) "The system is making water very slowly"
Solution Time in seconds how long it takes to produce exactly one pint of product
water. Multiply the measured seconds by 8 to give time in seconds to produce 1
gallon and then divide 8 ,400 by the time to produce 1 gallon. You now know how
many Gallons Per Day(GPD) the system is producing. Make a note of the psi on the
pressure meter and take the temperature of your feed water.
Go to http://www.ro-man.com/ro-man_support.html and choose the “System
Support “ option using the down arrow select your RO-Man system and then input
your psi , temperature and if known your input TDS. Click on “Calculate” if the
answer to this calculation in UK gallons is markedly higher than what you are
producing please contact [e-mail]
Remember that your psi needs to be 40 psi if it is not again please contact
[e-mail]
3) "The system is not making water "
Solution This is almost always a psi problem. 40 psi is about as low as you can go. If
the psi is low it can be a bad hole on the feed water pipe. try drilling it out.
If you have good psi to the inside of the pre-filters, then check the following:
TROUBLESHOOTING

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a) Check to see if the water is flowing out the Green discharge line... if so, then the
membrane is getting water.
b) Disconnect the blue line from the RO membrane housing.... is there any water?
c) If the Green line is flowing and the blue is not, it may be blocked, check the valve
at the RO Housing. There are two outlets on the out end of the RO membrane. One
goes to the discharge saddle and the other is purified water. This outlet has a built in
check valve inside the chrome plated brass part... take it out ... is there any water
there?
d) If unit has been in service for a while, the problem is probably clogged filters. Pull
the filters out, test them one at a time by putting them into the first filter position and
seeing if it flows. Clogged filters are usually only associated with well water or with
really turbid water.
e) The RO Membrane has silted up. Very rare unless very bad feed water. The RO
Membrane is self-flushing. Try back-flushing the membrane.
4) "My filters are leaking"
Solution Loose O-Ring. Take housing off and make sure they are properly aligned.
Housing not tight enough... tighten.
5) "I have leakage from a screw-in connector"
Solution
a) Not tight enough ... gently apply pressure ... too much and you will strip the
threads
b) If that does not work, remove and apply ptfe tape.
Last tip: nothing lasts forever... The system you bought will wear out. The things that
wear out are the RO membrane, ...the flow restrictor and the green line get caked
with the junk that is being sent down the drain ... The rubber "0" rings will get old and
crack, just like gaskets on your car. If you start replacing them one by one, you are
going to go crazy and will spend lots of time and money. A membrane will cost
around £40.00 to replace. The bottom line is that it is cheaper and easier just to junk
the system (or keep it for parts) and buy a new one every few years, or when the RO
membrane dies. You will know when the RO membrane dies ... The water will start
tasting bad. We recommend that you invest in a TDS meter and check the TDS of
the feed water and the TDS of the RO water. When there is no difference, the RO is
dead. It will not happen overnight ... There will be a gradual decay.
Remember-change filters every months. If you have fairly heavy duty use, adjust
accordingly to fit in with throughput specifications.