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Contents
1.0 IMPORTANT NOTES ON SYSTEM MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.0 Aquarium II System Filter Change Schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1 Stage 1,2 & 3 Pre-Filters – When to conduct a filter change.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Stage 4 – When should I change the Reverse Osmosis Membrane?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2.1 Testing to see if your R.O. Membrane needs replacing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2.2 Are you unsure when you last replaced your R.O. Membrane?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.3 Stage 5, 6 & 7 – When should I change the resin in the D.I. Resin Canisters?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
collet
To more easily insert the tubing into the various fittings of your system it
is helpful to remove the blue “C” clip from around the collet and then in-
TIP sert the tubing. After the tubing has been inserted into place, pull lightly blue
on the tubing in order to make room for the blue “C” clip and then place ‘C’ Clip
the blue “C” clip back into its original position. The blue “C” clip holds the
collet in its proper position while the system is in operation.
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Example: If you have one 100 gallon aquarium that you perform a 30% water change on every
week that would be:1000 gallon pre-filter capacity / 33 gallons per change = 30.3 water changes.
TIP So your filters will last 30.3 water changes or, if you do them once a week as in this example, about
7.5 months. We would suggest, based on this example, changing the filters every 6 months to en-
sure that the water quality for your aquatic pets stays at an optimal level. Mark on your calendar
when to do the filter changes so that you don’t forget and make sure you have spare filters
on hand.
Please Note: Maintaining the pre-filters of your system is key to ensuring system integrity in both wa-
ter quality achieved and overall longevity of its parts and components. The pre-filters are your system’s
first line of defence - protecting and ensuring the maximum lifespan of the R.O. Membrane. If you
have a PSI Meter (included with the combo system) you can also use it to determine when to change
your pre-filters (see option 2, page11).
If the pre-filters are not changed before 1000 gallons of purified water is
consumed from the system, chlorine will bypass the pre-filters reaching and
WARNING chemically damaging the R.O. Membrane rendering it useless. It is important to
understand that even if chlorine is not present, after the 1000 gallon mark, seepage may occur
where very fine particulates will bypass the pre-filters stressing the R.O. Membrane greatly. This
will result in pre-mature fouling of the R.O. Membrane resulting in the R.O. Membrane needing to
be replaced before its due time – a costly mistake.
If you have a TDS Meter a very simple but critical test you can perform in order to determine if your
R.O. Membrane needs to be replaced is to measure the PPM reduction rate of the purified (permeate)
water coming directly out of the R.O. Membrane housing (see Fig. 2 and 3 on the following pages for
how to do this).
1 Depressurize your system (see Fig. 2) 4 Gather some water coming from the
Figure 3 disconnected blue tube and test the PPM count
2 Remove (see Fig 1) the blue tubing coming out with your TDS Meter. The PPM count should be
Testing your 15% (or less) than that of your unfiltered water.
of the R.O. Membrane housing from
permeate water where it connects into the D.I. Resin Canister.
with the TDS TDS Meter
yellow tubing
meter to discharge
saddle clamp
feed water in
NOTE: Manual
Back View - Shut-Off Valve 3 Turn the feed
hanging in “OFF” position water back ON
bracket with the Manual
not shown E-Z Flush
Flow Restrictor
Shut-Off Valve
for clarity
The PPM count should be 15% or less from that of your unfiltered tap water that can be gathered from
any cold water tap in your home.
• Example: if your unfiltered tap water is 200ppm then the purified permeate water coming out of
the R.O. Membrane should be 30ppm or less (200 x 0.15).
If your R.O. Membrane is not producing the 85% or better in PPM reduction as depicted above, you
need to change this membrane.
2.2.2 Are you unsure when you last replaced your R.O. Membrane?
Because the weekly gallon demand varies greatly from one aquarium enthusiast to the next, we
WARNING highly recommend that you test your water immediately as described above to see if your mem-
brane is still producing an 85% ppm reduction from your normal tap water (based on the permeate
water test in Fig 3). If you don’t have a TDS meter to do this with, get one right away. The health of
your aquarium depends on it. If you can’t verify the ppm of your water you can’t guarantee that
your aquarium isn’t being exposed to harmful contaminants.
It can be misleading when trying to observe the color of the resin when the canister is filled
with water as the water gives a darkening effect. To observe the true color of the resin it is best to
TIP hold a flashlight to the canister to illuminate the true color of the resin. Alternatively, disconnect
the tubing from one side of the D.I. Canister to allow a portion of water to drain from the canister
revealing the true color of the resin. Please remember to depressurize your system (see Fig. 22)
before disconnecting tubing from any point on your system.
1 Depressurize your system (see Fig. 2) 3 Remove and discard old filter. Remove
Figure 4 protective plastic from the replacement
SED (sedimentary) filter and insert into
Changing the 2 Unscrew the first pre-filter housing with the large housing. There is no up or down to this
canister wrench. Please note: There will still be filter.
pre-filters water in the housings of the filters so it will be www.aquasafecanada.com
helpful to have a cloth at hand.
www.aquasafecanada.com
large canister
wrench
4 Make sure the new SED pre-filter is centered in the 5 Replace the second (GAC - GAC filter
pre-filter housing. Screw the first pre-filter housing Granular Activated Carbon) and has a white
back on and tighten using the large canister third (CCB - Coconut Carbon Block) gasket at
wrench. Use reasonable force to ensure a proper pre-filters in the same way. The the top and
compression seal. only filter for which direction mesh on
matters is the GAC filter. the bottom.
Move on to the pre-filter flush.
1 Disconnect (see Fig. 1) the white tubing from the third 2 Connect the yellow tubing to the last
Figure 5 pre-filter housing and the yellow tubing from the output
side of the E-Z Flush Flow Restrictor
pre-filter housing. The flush water will run
through this tube into your drain.
Flushing the to discharge to discharge
pre-filters saddle clamp saddle clamp
NOTE: Manual
Back View - Shut-Off Valve 3 Turn Manual
Shut-Off Valve
hanging in “OFF” position
back ON and flush
bracket
E-Z Flush new pre-filters for
not shown
Flow Restrictor 10-15 minutes
for clarity
4 After the 10-15 minute flush turn Manual Shut-Off 5 If this is the only filter change you are doing at this
Valve back OFF and reconnect the white and time, you can turn the Manual Shut-Off Valve and back
yellow tubes to their original positions. ON and you are
DONE!
Congratulations. You have just completed a full change of your systems three pre-filters ensuring the
purest of water for you and your aquatic pets and the continued performance of your system. Remem-
ber to mark on your calendar when to change the pre-filters again and check for any other filters that
may need changing at this time in the Aquarium Filter Change Schedule starting on page 3.
3.2 R.O. Membrane – How to change the R.O. Membrane of your system.
The fourth stage of your system is the Reverse Osmosis Membrane (Dow Filmtech Material R.O. 0.0001
SHOP NOW!
Micron). For your convenience, the Reverse Osmosis Membrane offered by Aquasafe™ will fit perfectly
into any Reverse Osmosis System Aquasafe™ has offered in the past.
1 Removing The Old Membrane: You will now be able to 2 Inserting the new R.O. Membrane: Your R.O.
see the Reverse Osmosis Membrane inside the R.O. Membrane comes sealed for freshness in a clear
Membrane Housing. The membrane can swell inside its protective plastic. Remove your new membrane
Figure 7 housing making it difficult to remove by hand. Use a pair from its protective plastic. Insert your new R.O.
of needle nose pliers (or the like) to grab hold of the Membrane into the R.O. Membrane housing of your
Removing the old 1 inch white cylinder protruding from the base of the system. The end of the R.O. Membrane that has the
membrane and pull out the old R.O. Membrane.
R.O. Membrane two small “O” rings gets inserted first.
re-connect
white tubing base of the R.O. Membrane to push in and twist slightly. You
this white tube
will notice the membrane slip further into its housing forming to the elbow
the necessary seal described.
Next, screw the R.O. Membrane housing Cap back into place
using the small canister wrench and reinsert the white tubing NOTE:
(Fig. 8). Side View
With the new membrane in place it is important to verify the ppm (parts per million) reduction
rate of the purified water being produced by the R.O. Membrane. To do this you will need to use
your TDS Meter.
Please note: If you do not have a TDS Meter we highly recommend you acquire one as it is the
only way to verify the purity of the water the system is producing.
TIP Follow the instructions in Figure 3 to test your purified water. It is important to note that your
new R.O. Membrane comes saturated with food grade preservative so that it stays fresh and does
not dry out and therefore it may take 10-15 minutes of purified (permeate) water flowing out of the
blue tube to show the ppm reduction rates described in Fig. 3 and just after Fig. 3. If, after 15 min-
utes, you do not see the reductions rates as descibed, it simply means your R.O. Membrane is not
seated properly inside the R.O. Membrane housing and as such you will need to “re-seat” the R.O.
Membrane. To do this simply follow the directions depicted above (Fig. 6 - 8) to remove and re-
insert the same R.O. Membrane. Then re-test the permeate water for ppm reduction percentages.
If you are done replacing filters for now, you can re-pressurize your system by turning on the feed
water line via the Manual Shut-Off Valve. Please note: Your new R.O. Membrane comes saturated with
food grade preservative so that it stays fresh and does not dry out and therefore it is wise to flush 6
gallons of water before you start using the water from the new membrane. This concludes the steps to
change the Reverse Osmosis Membrane of your system. Remember to mark on your calendar when to
change these again and check for any other filters that may need changing at this time in the Aquari-
um II Filter Change Schedule starting on page 3.
Figure 9 1 Depressurize your system (see Fig. 2) 3 Now pull the D.I. Canister out of its canister clips
Replacing the D.I. 2 Remove (see Fig 1) the blue tubing from
Resin Beads both ends of the D.I. Resin Canister you are
going to work on.
to saddle clamp/drain
RO/DI
permeate
water feed water in
NOTE: Manual
Back View - Shut-Off Valve
hanging in “OFF” position
bracket
not shown
for clarity
7 When the new D.I. Resin has entirely filled the DI Canister, inspect the threads of the DI canister and remove any
resin beads which have found their way into the threads of the canister. Also rinse out the blue end cap with
water.
8 Tighten the blue end cap back into its place with reasonable force. You can now position the D.I. Resin Canister
back into its normal place on the Reverse Osmosis System by pushing the canister down onto its canister clips.
Repeat for second and third D.I. Canisters.
9 Reinsert the blue tubing into the elbows on both sides of the D.I. Resin Canister. Turn on the Manual Shut-Off
Valve to repressurize your system.
This concludes the instruction for changing the D.I Resin canisters of your Aquasafe™ Reverse Osmosis
System.
Thank You for choosing Aquasafe™ Systems, we greatly value your business!
blue
To prevent a leak on any threaded fitting that screws into the ‘C’ Clip
Reverse Osmosis System you simply need to employ Teflon tape.
The main instructions pages indicates the preventative measure
of wrapping the threads of the various threaded fittings 4-7 times
with Teflon tape.
Threaded Fitting Teflon Tape
This preventative measure will ensure against any potential leaks from the various threaded fittings through-
out your Reverse Osmosis System. ADDING SUFFICIENT TEFLON TAPE IS KEY!
If you are experiencing a leak from a 1/4 inch tube inserted into a quick connect fitting, you simply need to
insert the tubing into the threaded fitting further. To do this you may need a small pair of pliers to assist you
in gripping the tube. If the use of pliers is needed, grab the tubing 3/4 inch from where the tube inserts into
the threaded fitting in order to not scratch the section of tube that will be inserting further into the threaded
fitting. A scratched section of tubing that is inserted into a threaded fitting can act as a path for water to flow,
which in turn may result in a small leak.
To more easily insert the tubing into the various quick connect fittings of collet
TIP your system it is helpful to remove the blue “C” clip from around the collet
and then insert the tubing. After the tubing has been inserted firmly into blue
‘C’ Clip
place, pull lightly on the tubing in order to make room for the blue “C” clip
and then place the blue “C” clip back into its original position. The blue “C”
clip holds the collet in its proper position while the system is in operation.
Option 1. If you are on a well water system, and you think you may have
lower then 50 psi throughout your home’s plumbing, a good
place to install the PSI Meter is on the feed water line to your
Reverse Osmosis System (between the Manual Shut-Off Valve and the inlet to the first pre-
filter housing). This will allow for easy monitoring of the source water pressure entering
your Reverse Osmosis System. Your system needs consistent pressure at 50 psi or above.
Typical well water systems will top out at 60 psi and bottom out at 40 psi. If your pressure
dips below 50 psi we highly recommend an automatic booster pump available on our
website – found on the General Parts & Accessories page. SHOP NOW!
Option 2. Installing the PSI Meter on the section of white tubing coming out of the third pre-filter
housing (that attaches to the auto shut off valve) will allow you to monitor the psi of the
OUTPUT water of the 3 pre-filters. When you install new pre-filters make a note of the psi
reading at this point. Write down the psi measurement with some permanent marker on a
piece of masking tape and stick it somewhere visible on the system. Now you can check to
see when the psi on this line drops to 15% below the initial reading you wrote down (0.85 x
initial psi reading). When this happens it is time to replace your pre-fllters. You might want
to also write down on the masking tape the number you are watching for, 0.85 x initial psi
reading, to make it easier to determine the status of your system.
Note: Your TDS Meter has an auto shut off feature but try to remember to shut off the TDS Meter when
you are done testing your water to save on batteries !