RO membranes fouling too fast? Let's find out why.
When an RO system scales or fouls, pressure climbs, permeate quality drops, cleanings get more frequent and membranes get replaced years early. Most of the time the cause is pretreatment, antiscalant or cleaning chemistry that doesn't match the water. Hydrovida matches all three to your feed water, and when membranes fail, our lab finds the root cause.
Signs your RO system is in trouble
- Feed pressure or differential pressure creeping up
- Permeate flow dropping, or conductivity rising
- Cleanings needed more and more often
- Cleanings that don't bring performance back
- Membranes replaced well before their expected life
- Recovery set low "to be safe"
What a struggling RO system costs you
Membranes.
Replacing a full set of elements early is one of the biggest avoidable costs in water treatment.
Energy.
Fouled membranes need higher pressure, so the high-pressure pump uses more power.
Water.
Running low recovery to avoid scaling sends more water to drain as reject.
Downtime and labor.
Every unplanned cleaning takes the system offline and ties up your operators.
Why RO systems foul and scale
- 01The wrong antiscalant, or the wrong dose, for your feed water's hardness, silica and sulfate.
- 02Weak pretreatment that lets silt, iron or organics reach the membranes.
- 03Chlorine reaching the membranes, which permanently damages them.
- 04The wrong cleaner. Acid cleaners won't remove biofouling, and alkaline cleaners won't remove carbonate scale.
- 05Guessing. Without knowing what's actually on the membrane, every fix is a guess.
How Hydrovida fixes it
- 01
We model your feed water.
Water analysis and scaling prediction (LSI/S&DSI) show how far recovery can safely go.
- 02
We match the antiscalant.
A Solutec antiscalant chosen for your water's specific scaling risk.
- 03
We protect the membranes.
AntOx dechlorination and Perfloc membrane-compatible coagulants for pretreatment.
- 04
We clean with the right chemistry.
Synetec cleaners chosen by foulant, with a written cleaning procedure.
- 05
We find the root cause.
When membranes fail, a membrane autopsy in our lab identifies exactly what's on them.
Formulated, not relabeled
Many suppliers sell single-component RO chemistry under their own label. Our formulation chemists combine components that work together for higher recovery and smoother operation, which cuts operating cost and can shrink the system you need.
Our RO chemistry
Solutec antiscalants:
- Solutec Ca: broad-spectrum scale inhibitor, NSF/ANSI/CAN 60 certified
- Solutec Ci: premium scale inhibitor and dispersant
- Solutec Si: high-silica feed water, NSF/ANSI/CAN 60 certified
- Solutec Ca-949: calcium phosphate and wastewater RO
- Solutec Eco400: biodegradable, for seawater and desalination
Synetec membrane cleaners:
- Synetec P11: organics, silt and biofilm
- Synetec P12 and P12A: silica scale and mixed fouling
- Synetec P3: iron, manganese and carbonate scale
Pretreatment:
- AntOx L26: odorless dechlorination
- Perfloc Fe, M and Poly: membrane-compatible coagulants
Data sheets are available for every product.
What you get
- An antiscalant dose recommendation backed by LSI/S&DSI modeling
- Written cleaning procedures for your system
- Quarterly performance reports
- Membrane autopsy when an element fails
- New or replacement membrane specification
For RO service companies and equipment makers
We partner with local RO service providers and equipment manufacturers to make sure our chemistry is applied correctly. That means system performance audits, membrane autopsies, water analysis and scaling prediction, custom chemical programs and operator training, all aimed at the highest recovery and lowest operating, energy and membrane replacement cost.
Real findings
When a customer's membranes kept fouling after cleaning, our lab traced the cause to the cleaning itself, and corrected the approach.
Where we support RO systems
San Diego County, Los Angeles and Orange County, the Inland Empire, Imperial Valley, the Central Valley, the Bay Area and Sacramento, plus Yuma, Reno and Northern Mexico.
Questions
How do I know which antiscalant my RO system needs?
It depends on your feed water: hardness, silica, sulfate, iron and recovery. We model your water and recommend the Solutec product and dose that fits.
Why do my membranes foul right after cleaning?
Usually the cleaner doesn't match the foulant, or the cleaning procedure isn't being followed. A membrane autopsy shows exactly what's on the membrane.
Can you help us run higher recovery?
Often, yes. Better antiscalant selection and scaling prediction can safely raise recovery, which means less water to drain.
Do you work with RO systems you didn't supply?
Yes. We support most commercial and industrial RO systems, and work alongside local RO service companies.
Related
Get more life out of your membranes.
A Hydrovida specialist will review your RO data and feed water and show you where the savings are. No cost, no obligation.