DIY: RO Filter maintenance

Another Tool/Gadget to finger my D.I.Y. Itch,

Will be Using it to monitor RO Water and would skip the service contracts, cause spares are easily available now a days
and for those who know how it works, can easily save a couple of thousand a year.
Basic operation is, You can check TDS level twice a month, The least the reading is, purer the water is.
my current reading is 21 after 1 year of usage. I am not spending 4.5k on contract this time.
New Filters and membrane installed would give readings, near 0(Zero) while normal home usage of 1 yr. should not be more
than 15-25. and if you change the sediment filter in 6 months, your membrane would last twice its normal life of 1 yr as suggested by companies, but all that counts is the TDS Count, So watch and act.
new filter set would be around Rs.900 ( 3 filters)
One Decent Filter membrane would be Rs.1200-1400
and companies charge 4K + for annual AMC so what they would cover extra is PUMP, and that's only Rs.1000 tops, so all in all even in worst case scenario (Blown Pump) you can save Rs.1000 and if pump doesn't needs to be replaced you save Rs.2000+ a year.
other parts are considered as consumables and would be charged by AMC providers so its out of equation for D.I.Y. cost.

Last pic from phone cam before it went down for 2 days 🙂
Bought Pocket Digital TDS Meter from this seller delivered a day earlier than ebay estimated time.
Paid Rs.550/- after ebay discount coupon.

 

[kramkumar]

Good. I am also paying Rs.4200 every year as AMC, only filters are changed. Only one visit of service person to change filters and get the AMC charges. RO purifiers are not required in city water supply.

 

[ghpk]

RO purifiers are not required in city water supply.

City water supply (normal TAP water) has TDS count of 400+ which is certainly not hygienic (my city supply had TDS count of 450+)
But people who have never had filtered water can easily digest it, and those who have been using RO and other method will certainly have
stomach issues if they switch back to normal Tap Water with that much TDS Count.
Our body becomes habitual for pure water and once you feed normal water you are going to have issues for sure.

 

[rvisharma]

some of my relative residing outside India face the same problem even with the purified water we drink from Aquaguard filter.
They either have to drink boiled water or have to purchase mineral water.

 

[udayan]

@ghpk

How's the tds meter working out? I also need one but the listing is off, can you guide me the product you ordered?

 

[bhojv74]

I have too bought a tds meter from ebay under shipment. My doc however prescribes boiled water over ro.

Lets share link of resources here, like supplies, diy guides, etc

 

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[ghpk]

udayan: I bought it few months back, but I am sure ebay.in must be having multiple listing already.
mine was from some gujarat based seller. and price seems to have dropped now for TDS 3 model.
check this

Newer model is AP1 but its costly as compared to mine.
Just for info there was some friendly seller from ghaziabad, and ebay did gave discount using free coupon from bank/vodafone.

 

[d5aqoëp]

How accurate is this device?

 

[amish]

We use plain water straight from tap! Just filter it through cloth.

Never had health issue.

City=Mumbai

 

[Sushubh]

That stops working if your body get used to the RO water. If I switch to tap water now, I would probably get food poisoning in a week's time.

 

[amish]

Yes, thats why I am never going to switch to water purifier! 🙂

 

[udayan]

I have too bought a tds meter from ebay under shipment. My doc however prescribes boiled water over ro.

Lets share link of resources here, like supplies, diy guides, etc

which one you bought?

 

[bhojv74]

I bought this one:

Aquapro Water Quality TDS Tester Meter HM Digital AP 1 With Temp Thermometer | eBay

And here is a good video to learn the RO system maintenance:


Source

 

[udayan]

Handheld Digital TDS Meter Thermometer Test Water Purity HM Digital | eBay

ok bought this via mobikwik coupon for 465 rs

 

[bhojv74]

I'm now thinking of buying this kit:

RO Complete Service KIT With 80 GPD CSM Membrane FOR Water Filters Purifiers | eBay

Just not sure if my ZeroB Prestine can accept all these filters. Need to open the filter this weekend and figure out.

Zero B used to charge be 7.5k for biannual AMC, it was a complete rip off. They gave me the candles & kit only once in 2 years, and the last change happened 2 yrs back. They never come and change the pre-filter which should be changed every 3 months. They only respond oncall.