Osmosis is a natural process in which water attempts to reach equilibrium by diffusing through a semi-permeable membrane. In osmosis the water moves from a fluid with lower concentration to a fluid with higher concentration. In desalination we use a pump to force the water to reverse this process hence the name “Reverse Osmosis”
By occasionally flushing the system with fresh water we allow natural osmosis to take place which helps to dislodge some of the fouling on the membrane surface. This has a cleaning effect but is no substitute for regular chemical cleaning of the membranes. Freshwater flush also has the added benefit of removing seawater that can corrode vital components and harbor bacteria and algae growth when left to sit stagnant. All Bluecube systems come standard with a manual freshwater flush valve. The automatic freshwater flush option allows the systems controller to automatically flush the system at regular intervals to prevent problems resulting from stagnant water. This is ideal for situations where the unit will not be run for several weeks. If the system is to be idle for longer than this period it is recommended to use a membrane preservative which can be flushed through the watermaker with the membrane cleaning system.
