WFP System Maintenance
- 18 Dec 2019
Lifespan - Three to six months. These items will take the most wear as they get dragged along the ground and even run over by vehicles. If they start to get stiff, make sure there is no grit in the mechanism. Use of protecta-balls can help to prolong their life and ease of use. This also helps prevent accidental coupling release.
Lifespan - Six months to two years. This has a fairly high wear rate depending on the type of work you carry out. Domestic work tends to incur higher wear than commercial due to more frequent reeling in and out and dragging round buildings. You can prolong the hose life by being careful when pulling around sharp corners and also in not allowing vehicles to drive over it. The damage to this will not always be visible as often the inner core of the hose will wear first. You will know when your hose needs replacing as it will either burst (inner and outer layer failure) or it suddenly starts to enlarge along its length (inner core failure). You can successfully repair the hose if you have a simple inner and outer layer failure, ie, your hose gets cut through. Using one of our 6 mm inline hose menders and two 11-13 mm O rings, you can effect a good repair – we keep spares of these in the vehicle. If the inner layer of the hose has broken down in an undefined place, we have found the simplest method is to replace the hose.
Lifespan - Six months to ten years. This is purely dependent on its usage. On commonly used poles, we replace them every 12-18 months but our larger (more expensive) less used poles, last for years and years. Regular care and maintenance will prolong the life of the pole. Please see our Pole User Guide for full details. If poles get gritty (you can hear this as your extend the sections), extend pole fully and hose down from the inside and the outside. Grit will accelerate the wear on the pole surface and clamps. From time to time, when dismantling and servicing the pole, the sections and overlap areas can be sprayed with a dry film PTFE lubricant. Checking and replacing the joint overlap tape in both places on each section is one of the best ways of reducing carbon wear from the inner surface of a pole. We recommend doing this every 2-3 months. Instructions on how to do this are on the Pole User Guide.
During the life of the pole you will need to adjust the clamps. As sections of the pole wear, our Smart clamps will automatically adjust to compensate. However, every so often the nuts on the clamps will need adjusting up slightly. As wear progresses, you will need to tighten the clamp bolt by a turn. Individual components of the Smart clamp can be replaced as they wear such as the shims, which are a serviceable item.
REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO) UNIT
Lifespan - The actual unit can last for decades. However, the components will need regularly replacing. We recommend that you flush the membrane by turning the flush valve at least once a week and leave running for at least ten minutes. It is also good practise to flush the membrane for a few minutes before each full tank fill.
Pre-filter changing is the single most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your RO membrane. Failure to change these pre-filters, whilst not immediately affecting water quality, will gradually start to damage the membrane. Recommend change intervals are dependent on the type of pre-filters being used and their recommended service life. This information can usually be found on the manufacturer's product pages. Filter life usually varies from between 10,000 litres to 75,000 litres depending on filter size and type.
After replacing filters, disconnect final filter output from membrane housing and allow unit to run for at least ten minutes. This will enable any damaging particles from new filters to flush through. Reconnect and start processing again.
Resin bead (DI) change is the final stage in the unit and this will need changing whenever your output TDS reading rises above 000-001ppm. To change resin beads, unscrew the head of the resin vessel, remove head and riser tubes, dispose of spent resin and refill with fresh resin to about ¾ full. Fill resin vessel with water and then carefully refit riser tube and head unit. Filling the unit with water first will allow the riser to push down through the resin much more easily. Ensure the screw thread is clear of any resin beads and the rubber O ring seat before re-fitting the head.
IN-VEHICLE HOSES (connecting tank to pump, pump to hose reel)
Lifespan - Long life. Periodically check for wear and tighten jubilee clips.
Lifespan - Unlimited life span. We haven't had one wear out yet! From time to time small bits may accumulate in your tank. When this happens, either drain the tank and clean it out or using a very fine mesh sieve, fish them out. Don't be too fussy about these bits as they will not affect your TDS.