As a business, the worst thing that can happen is having a system fail. We know that staying productive is crucial to the success of a business. A system failure will ruin your productivity and push back deadlines you need to meet. You might be wondering, “How do you prevent downtime caused by water system failures?” Let’s take a deeper look at how to prevent water system failures.
Common Causes for Water System Failures
Improper Pretreatment
There are a lot of different components to water systems, and it’s only a matter of time until something puts your water system in recovery mode. One of the biggest causes of a water system failure is improper pretreatment. During your prefiltration, if a suspended solid is not removed, this can lead to fouling and blocked membranes. This can be caused by changes in your feedwater source that your pre-treatment system was not designed for.
Recovery Rate
Exceeding the recovery rate is another common cause for a water system failure. If you push your RO system beyond the recovery rate percentage it was designed for, it can cause a strain on your system. A high recovery rate can bring a risk of scaling, especially when the membrane array is at the end of the rate it was designed to handle.
Feed Water Changes
If you have a change in the quality of your feed water, you can overwhelm your water system. This can be as easy as including an increase of particulate or a scaling ion concentration.
Create A Plan
What happens if your water system fails? The best thing to do is to be proactive rather than reactive. It’s better to plan ahead about safeguarding your water system performance. You need to have a contingency plan in place to prevent an extreme shutdown if a failure occurs.
Without a plan, you might have to wait weeks, if not months, to wait for a new water system to be manufactured. Below, we’ve included a small list of safeguards to have in place to ensure bacteria-free water in an emergency situation.
5 Step Safeguard Plan
1. Have Portable Exchange DI Tanks
Portable exchange DI tanks are produced in an FDA-registered facility to deliver bacteria-free water, and are necessary for a quick integration if your water system goes down. This should also include the requisite pumps, membranes, and other parts.
2. Schedule Preventive Maintenance
This is a surefire way to make sure that your system is operating properly.
3. Have A Support Crew On Call
You want to make sure that you have connections to a parts provider with a high-quality infrastructure for support. This will come in handy if you need a field engineer and specialists to come to your facility quickly to help troubleshoot and repair your equipment.
4. Know Your Available Inventory
Check to see what water system parts have a long lead time. Work with your service provider to see when DI tanks will be needed and to prevent being down longer.
5. Emergency Solution
In the worst-case scenario, your provider should be available to help you get your system up and running again.
Schedule Preventive and Routine Maintenance
Preventative Maintenance
1. Monitor the System Remotely
2. Annual Membrane Autopsies
Membrane fouling can be hard to distinguish sometimes. Prevent missing this by performing annual membrane autopsies to receive definitive insights on how your water system is performing.
3. Schedule Servicing
This is the biggest way to prevent a major breakdown of your system. Not sure how often you need to schedule serving? Check out our blog on how often you should be scheduling servicing on your water system.
Routine Maintenance
1. Visual Inspections: Technicians typically inspect the RO water system’s components for abnormalities
2. Keep Records: Keep detailed data from each maintenance call to double-check historical trends and declining performance.
3. Change the Filters: This varies based on the quality of the water and the rate of usage, but filter changes can happen during scheduled maintenance.
4. Clean: Make sure to clean the tubing, pump, and other parts of the system to remove dust, stains, and debris.
Let Complete Water Help If You Experience a Water System Failure
The last thing you want is not to be prepared for an emergency like a water system failure. Make sure you are always staying on top of your maintenance and monitoring your system. Have a game plan for if your water system does fail. If you’re not sure where to get started, feel free to reach out to us at Complete Water Solutions! We’d be happy to answer any of your questions and help you with your water system.
With over 30 years of hands-on experience in the water treatment industry, Nathan Olszak is a trusted water treatment expert. He specializes in designing, engineering, and servicing water treatment systems. As the owner of Complete Water Solutions, Osmonics, and Membrane Cleaning Pro, Nathan has built a reputation for delivering customized water treatment solutions that enhance efficiency, reliability, and water quality across various industries, including the medical, commercial, and manufacturing sectors.
Nathan’s journey in water treatment began as a service technician. He gained in-depth knowledge by working with all major brands of equipment, including Veolia, Suez, Bruner, Culligan, Pentair, Aquamatic, Osmonics, GE Water, Marlo, Lakeside, Fleck, Autotrol, US Filter, ION Pure, Siemens, Evoqua, and many others. This hands-on expertise, combined with his technical certifications, has made him a leader in water system engineering and water management.
Credentials & Expertise
- Certifications: David H. Paul Reverse Osmosis Certification, PLC Programming
- License: Power Plant Operating Engineer 3rd Class
- Specialties:
- Design & engineering of water treatment systems and advanced water systems
- Custom water filtration systems and solutions
- Installation, automation, and repair of water treatment systems
- Expertise in Reverse Osmosis (RO), Deionization, Water Softening, Carbon Filtration, Iron Filtration, UV Treatment, Ultrafiltration (UF), Process Filtration, CEDI/EDI, and more
- Specialized knowledge in Boiler Feed Water, Tower Makeup Water, and drinking water production for industries such as bottling, pharmaceuticals, and food processing
- Project management and reclaiming of water system waste for other uses
- Evaluation of raw water sources and potential contamination risks
- Industrial water treatment strategies to prevent corrosion and optimize system performance
- Boiler water treatment to enhance energy efficiency and system longevity
Nathan’s commitment to excellence extends beyond equipment sales and service. He works closely with clients to develop tailored water treatment services that optimize performance and meet their operations’ unique demands. His expertise covers methods that mitigate water impurities, ensure fresh water accessibility, and maintain regulatory compliance. It also includes the design of high-efficiency reverse osmosis systems for industrial use.
Nathan focuses on the latest technology in water conditioning, water softeners, filters, and pumps to improve maintenance and efficiency. His experience in laboratory testing and biofilm control ensures the highest industry standards in water treatment processes and water management.
Additionally, his deep understanding of infrastructure and water data analysis provides long-term, cost-effective solutions that promote health and safety. His expertise ensures that businesses receive top-tier, quality water treatment solutions.
For insights into the latest industry trends, innovations, and best practices, explore the Complete Water Solutions Blog, where Nathan shares valuable information on water filtration systems, sustainability, and water solutions engineering.
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