Common Mistakes That Reduce Water Filter Lifespan

Maintaining and preserving your filtration and osmosis system, and keeping it in good working order is essential for healthy and efficient output.

However, many gardeners, from beginners to seasoned growers, make minor mistakes that substantially reduce the lifespan of their filters. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them…

1. Not changing filters on time

This is by far the most common mistake growers will make. Each type of filter (sediment, activated carbon, osmosis membrane) has a specific lifespan. Using them beyond their capacity can reduce flow, contaminate the treated water, and even damage the entire system.

Recommendation: Create a maintenance schedule and regularly check the status of each filter.

GrowMax Advice: How often your filters should be changed is dependant on the number of litres filtered. [See Table 1]

(However, please note that water quality varies greatly from one area to another — therefore sometimes these guidelines apply, and other times the filters and membranes may last longer or shorter.)

For this reason, we usually recommend changing the pre-filtration (sediment and carbon filters) every 4 to 6 months, and the membranes every 1 to 1.5 years. Membrane lifespan will be much longer if the pre-filtration is replaced regularly, because the activated carbon protects the membrane from chlorine, which is its number one enemy.