{"id":2291,"date":"2026-10-11T10:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T10:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/es_es\/?p=2291"},"modified":"2026-10-11T10:36:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T10:36:01","slug":"industrial-osmosis-produces-less-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/osmosis-industrial-produce-menos-agua\/","title":{"rendered":"My industrial reverse osmosis system is producing less water: what to check before cleaning or replacing the membranes"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"hs-ro-guide\">\n<style>.hs-ro-guide{max-width:100%;overflow-wrap:anywhere;color:#40596b;font-size:18px;line-height:1.75}.hs-ro-guide h1,.hs-ro-guide h2,.hs-ro-guide h3{color:#0b2038;line-height:1.25}.hs-ro-guide h1{font-size:clamp(28px,4vw,44px)}.hs-ro-guide h2{margin-top:1.8em;scroll-margin-top:100px}.hs-ro-guide a{color:#1a5d82}.hs-ro-guide img{display:block;width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:12px}.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-note{background:#f0f7f9;border-left:4px solid #84c45a;padding:24px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0}.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-table{overflow-x:auto;max-width:100%;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch}.hs-ro-guide table{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;min-width:630px}.hs-ro-guide th,.hs-ro-guide td{border:1px solid #dce6ec;padding:14px;text-align:left;vertical-align:top}.hs-ro-guide th{background:#f0f7f9;color:#0b2038}.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-cta{background:#0b2038;border-radius:12px;padding:28px;margin:32px 0}.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-cta h2,.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-cta p{color:#fff!important}.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-cta h2{margin-top:0;border:0;padding:0}.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-cta a{display:inline-block;background:#84c45a;color:#0b2038!important;font-weight:700;padding:13px 20px;border-radius:6px;text-decoration:none;max-width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center;line-height:1.4}@media(max-width:767px){.hs-ro-guide{font-size:17px}.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-note,.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-cta{padding:20px}.hs-ro-guide h2{font-size:26px}.hs-ro-guide .hs-ro-cta a{padding:12px 14px}}@media(max-width:350px){.hs-ro-guide h1{font-size:26px}}\n<\/style>\n<h1>My industrial reverse osmosis system is producing less water: what to check before cleaning or replacing the membranes<\/h1>\n<p style=\"font-size:1.15em;color:#1a5d82\">If your industrial reverse osmosis system is producing less water, the first step is to establish what has changed: operating hours, flow rate while running or membrane performance. This guide helps those responsible for operating and maintaining desalination plants, agricultural installations, hotels and industrial facilities in the Canary Islands work through the checks before deciding whether to clean or replace the membranes.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"hs-ro-hero\" src=\"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/diagnostico-osmosis-industrial-manometros-caudalimetros.webp\" alt=\"Pressure gauges and flowmeters beside a reverse osmosis skid, with a technician recording readings\" title=\"Checking instrumentation on an industrial RO skid\" width=\"1672\" height=\"941\" decoding=\"async\" \/><\/p>\n<aside class=\"hs-ro-note\"><strong>The keys to diagnosis<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Distinguish daily cubic metres from instantaneous permeate flow rate.<\/li>\n<li>Validate the readings and compare periods with equivalent conditions.<\/li>\n<li>Review normalised trends, differential pressure by stage and water quality together.<\/li>\n<li>Lower production alone neither identifies the cause nor justifies replacing membranes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<nav aria-label=\"Guide contents\">\n<p><strong>In this guide<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#produccion\">Lower flow or fewer operating hours?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#lecturas\">Readings to collect<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#normalizar\">Comparing and normalising<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sintomas\">Symptoms and checks table<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ejemplos\">Two illustrative examples<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#limpieza\">When to consider cleaning<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#consulta\">Data for a technical enquiry<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h2 id=\"produccion\">1. Is the plant delivering a lower flow rate or running for fewer hours?<\/h2>\n<p>A drop in the daily total may be due to shutdowns triggered by tank levels, a lack of feed water, alarms, flushing, power cuts or changes to operating schedules. Check the volume meter and actual production hours over the same period. Distinguish the water produced by the RO skid from the volume ultimately supplied for use, particularly where water is diverted to drain or used internally.<\/p>\n<p>If the flow rate varies during the day, use the totaliser or historical records; multiplying a single reading by 24 hours can lead to the wrong conclusion. Also note whether the problem appeared suddenly or developed gradually, and what happened immediately beforehand: filter replacement, pump maintenance, a change in setpoints, blending water from different sources or cleaning.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"lecturas\">2. Checklist of readings before taking action<\/h2>\n<p>Take the readings at the same time, once the process has stabilised in accordance with the site's procedure. Record the date, time, units, measurement point and operating status. Do not mix start-up readings with steady-state readings.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Production:<\/strong> permeate flow rate, cumulative volume, running hours and water actually supplied for use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flow balance:<\/strong> feed, permeate and concentrate (reject) flow rates. Define the system boundary for the balance if there are recirculation loops or bypasses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pressures:<\/strong> feed pressure at the skid, inlet and outlet pressure for each stage where instruments are fitted, concentrate pressure and permeate pressure if the permeate is pressurised. Record the pressure drop across the filters separately.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Temperature:<\/strong> feed water temperature, along with any change in source or blending.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Quality:<\/strong> feed and permeate conductivity, measurement temperature and the compensation used. Add concentrate conductivity, pH and water analyses where these form part of plant monitoring.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Operation:<\/strong> recovery, current setpoints, pump frequency or speed, recorded valve positions, alarms and shutdowns.<\/li>\n<li><strong>History:<\/strong> membrane model and arrangement, start-up baseline, cleaning, membrane element replacements, filters and chemical treatment programme.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For a system with no additional streams, the feed flow rate should be consistent with the sum of the permeate and concentrate flow rates, within measurement uncertainty. Recovery is calculated as the permeate flow rate divided by the feed flow rate, multiplied by 100. Do not confuse recovery with salt rejection.<\/p>\n<p>Before interpreting a deviation, check the sensors' units, scale and range, calibration date and agreement with an independent check specified in the procedure. A frozen reading, an incorrectly configured totaliser or two pressure gauges with different measurement errors can mimic a process problem.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"normalizar\">3. Compare equivalent conditions and normalise performance<\/h2>\n<p>Colder water, more saline feed water or a change in pressures can reduce the observed flow rate without a corresponding deterioration in the membranes. It is therefore important to retain a reliable baseline and apply the manufacturer's normalisation method for the installed model and configuration. Correcting for temperature alone is not the same as full normalisation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.water.toray\/knowledge\/tool\/trak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Toray describes normalisation as comparing current performance against the starting conditions<\/a> and provides tools for different plant arrangements. Use the appropriate version and inputs; a result calculated from incorrect data can also be misleading.<\/p>\n<p>Keep trend plots of normalised permeate flow, normalised salt passage and normalised pressure drop, together with the original data. A stage's differential pressure is the difference between its inlet and outlet pressures: it is not the pump discharge pressure or the pressure drop across the cartridge filter. Compare equivalent measurement points and account for changes in flow rate.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sintomas\">4. Symptoms, possible causes and what to check<\/h2>\n<p>This table provides a starting point for investigation. No single row confirms a fault on its own. On mobile devices, the table scrolls horizontally.<\/p>\n<div class=\"hs-ro-table\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Symptoms, possible causes and checks\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Observed symptom<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Possible explanations<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Useful first check<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Fewer m\u00b3 per day, with a steady flow rate while running<\/td>\n<td>Fewer production hours, diverted water or changes in demand<\/td>\n<td>Cross-check the totaliser, operating hours, tank levels, alarms and where the permeate is being sent.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sudden drop following maintenance or an adjustment<\/td>\n<td>Incorrect reading, configuration, valve, feed supply or pumping conditions<\/td>\n<td>Compare records from before and afterwards, and check the instruments and system status without altering protective functions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lower measured flow, but stable normalised flow<\/td>\n<td>A change in operating conditions<\/td>\n<td>Check temperature, salinity, pressures and recovery against the baseline.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lower normalised flow and rising differential pressure in one stage<\/td>\n<td>Fouling or blockage in the feed flow path, among other causes<\/td>\n<td>Identify the stage, validate the readings and review pretreatment, flow rates and operating history.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lower normalised flow without a clear increase in differential pressure<\/td>\n<td>A problem that does not present as channel blockage; conditions or data that have not yet been resolved<\/td>\n<td>Review normalisation, permeate pressure, quality and operating history. The absence of an increase in \u0394P does not prove that the membranes are in good condition.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Rising permeate conductivity or salt passage<\/td>\n<td>Changes in water or operating conditions, blending, internal leaks or deterioration, depending on the circumstances<\/td>\n<td>Validate conductivity meters and samples; investigate water quality and its trend before attributing the change to fouling.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>To investigate water quality further, see <a href=\"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/permeate-conductivity-rises-ro\/\">what to check when permeate conductivity rises<\/a>. For pretreatment, the <a href=\"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/sdi-reverse-osmosis\/\">guide to SDI in reverse osmosis<\/a> explains the role of monitoring particles and colloids. SDI does not identify every type of fouling.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ejemplos\">5. Two illustrative examples of interpreting the data<\/h2>\n<h3>Example 1: daily volume falls because of fewer running hours<\/h3>\n<p>A hypothetical plant produces 10 m\u00b3\/h for 20 hours, totalling 200 m\u00b3. On another day it maintains 10 m\u00b3\/h, but only runs for 16 hours, totalling 160 m\u00b3. Daily production falls by 20%, although the flow rate while running has not changed. The priority is to investigate the four lost hours and their cause before attributing the reduction to the membranes.<\/p>\n<h3>Example 2: the normalised trend changes the priority<\/h3>\n<p>In another hypothetical installation, normalised flow falls from 10.0 to 8.9 m\u00b3\/h: a decrease of 11%. The normalised differential pressure of one stage rises from 1.00 to 1.12 bar: an increase of 12%. With validated data and a comparable baseline, this combination warrants investigating fouling or blockage and considering cleaning in accordance with the manufacturer's guidance, rather than continuing to compensate for the loss without understanding its cause.<\/p>\n<p>The figures in both examples are invented to explain the diagnostic process; they are not customer case studies or recommended design values. The second example does not identify the deposit or determine which cleaning product to use.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"limpieza\">6. When to consider cleaning and when to investigate another cause<\/h2>\n<p>In section 6.3 of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dupont.com\/content\/dam\/water\/amer\/us\/en\/water\/public\/documents\/en\/RO-NF-FilmTec-Manual-45-D01504-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FilmTec manual, revision 19 (February 2026)<\/a>, DuPont gives the following cleaning criteria: a 10% reduction in normalised permeate flow, a 5\u201310% increase in normalised salt passage or a 10\u201315% increase in normalised pressure drop. These are the manufacturer's criteria relative to the baseline, not universal safety limits or an instruction to clean without diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p>A relative increase is not the same as an increase in percentage points: if baseline salt passage of 1.00% increases by 10%, it becomes 1.10%, not 11%. Before deciding, rule out problems with pretreatment, pressure control, recovery and instrumentation. The manual itself warns that these conditions can explain a loss of production without cleaning being necessary.<\/p>\n<p>If the trends and investigation justify cleaning in place (CIP), the procedure must specify the type of deposit, compatibility with the membrane model, permitted conditions, the handling of chemicals and effluent, and the criteria for checking performance afterwards. There is no single pH, temperature, pressure or duration that applies to every plant. Also investigate the cause of the problem to prevent it recurring.<\/p>\n<p>If scaling is suspected, review the water analysis, recovery and <a href=\"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/anti-scale-reverse-osmosis\/\">antiscalant selection and control programme<\/a>. Increasing the dose based on intuition does not demonstrate that the problem has been resolved.<\/p>\n<p>Membrane replacement requires a documented assessment of recoverable performance, integrity, the required water quality and operating history. It should not be decided solely on membrane age or an isolated flow reading.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"hs-ro-note\"><strong>Safety before making any adjustment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Do not increase pressure to recover production without checking the design and manufacturer limits. Do not override alarms or interlocks, or open membrane pressure vessels or pressurised lines. If there are leaks, critical alarms or conditions outside the established limits, follow the plant's procedure and seek help from qualified personnel.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<h2 id=\"consulta\">7. What to send for an initial diagnosis in the Canary Islands<\/h2>\n<p>Prepare the installation's location, the intended use of the water, the membrane manufacturer and model, the skid configuration and the date when you first noticed the change. Add a table of current and baseline readings: flow rates, pressures by stage, temperature, conductivities, recovery and production hours. Include alarms, recent maintenance or adjustments and the results of previous cleaning.<\/p>\n<p>For farms, hotels, industrial facilities and desalination operators in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and the other islands, a well-organised record helps establish the scope of the inspection, spare parts or maintenance needed. Avoid buying membranes or scheduling cleaning solely because \u201cless water is coming out\u201d.<\/p>\n<section class=\"hs-ro-cta\" aria-label=\"Industrial reverse osmosis technical enquiry\">\n<h2>Is your reverse osmosis system producing less water?<\/h2>\n<p>Send us the location, plant model and its flow, pressure, temperature and conductivity readings, together with the maintenance history. These details will help us guide the technical assessment of your installation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/contact\/\">Ask about diagnosing my reverse osmosis system<\/a><\/section>\n<h2>Sources and scope<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dupont.com\/content\/dam\/water\/amer\/us\/en\/water\/public\/documents\/en\/RO-NF-FilmTec-Manual-45-D01504-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DuPont: FilmTec technical manual, revision 19 (February 2026)<\/a>, sections on record-keeping, normalisation, cleaning requirements and troubleshooting.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.water.toray\/knowledge\/tool\/trak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Toray: TORAY TRAK, performance normalisation and monitoring<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><small>Reviewed: 11 October 2026. General guidance for operation and maintenance; it does not replace equipment manuals, design limits or a site-specific diagnosis.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What to check when an industrial reverse osmosis system produces less water: operating hours, readings, normalisation and criteria for investigating the problem or considering cleaning.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2291"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2295,"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291\/revisions\/2295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hidrosolucionescanarias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}