How to Maintain Your RO System

Flushing the RO membrane

As you use your residential or professional RO system, various particles accumulate on the membrane's surface and may eventually clog it, requiring early replacement. To extend its service life as much as possible, we have implemented a flushing system for the RO membrane or membranes. This system is manual or automatic, depending on the RO system model.

When it is manual, it consists of a small valve, often blue, that you should regularly open for 2 to 3 minutes. The frequency depends on how you use your RO system, but roughly every 5 hours of use.

On most OJA RO systems, this draining process is automatic, so you do not have to worry about it. For example, on the Ultimos, it runs for 5 seconds after each use, when you close the RO water faucet.

Replacing the filters

After filtering several thousand liters of water, the pre-filters lose their effectiveness:

The PP filter clogs and reduces the flow rate of the entire RO system;
The GAC and CTO filters no longer completely remove chlorine, which may then gradually dissolve the RO membrane;
The membrane clogs and eventually produces less and less RO water while discharging more and more water down the drain;
The post-membrane filter cartridge lets through any tastes and odors that develop in the tank.

To avoid these issues, we recommend regularly replacing the pre-filters:

The PP filter every 6 months;
The GAC and CTO filters every year;
The membrane every 2 years;
The post-membrane filter cartridge every 1 to 2 years, if your RO system has a tank.

If in doubt, the OJA team encourages you to check your water's purity with a TDS tester. The reading should be between 10 and 100 ppm.

Caution: When replacing a filter, remember to turn off the water supply, close the tank valve if you have a tank, and open the RO water faucet to reduce the pressure in the RO system. This prevents a small flood each time you perform maintenance.

Tip: Use the plastic wrenches supplied with your RO system to unscrew the filter housings. If you are lucky enough to have a model with bayonet fittings, such as the Ultimos, you do not need a wrench: a simple quarter turn is enough to detach a filter!