Top Tips for Winter Membrane Maintenance

Winter is an ideal time to carry out plant maintenance, but without proper preparation, your membranes could be at risk. Use this downtime wisely to protect your system and avoid costly issues later. 

Start by talking with your chemical supplier and services teams to plan your work effectively and reduce the chances of damaging membranes during shutdown.

Tip #1: Membrane Preservation

Remember: membrane preservative plays two essential roles:

  • Prevents bacterial growth when CIP (Clean-in-Place) isn’t possible.
  • Keeps membranes wet, preventing them from drying out which could lead to a loss in flux (permeate transfer) performance.
  • Top up preservative: ensure levels are at the higher end of the recommended concentration before any shutdown or service work (for specific chemical details, consult your chemical supplier contact).
  • Circulate thoroughly: run all pumps to fully wet the membranes and distribute the preservative evenly.
  • Blank off smartly: work with the services team on options for removing, then blanking, pipework to minimise fluid loss, such as taking pipework back to RJT or Tri-Clover union as a suitable blank point.
  • Plan ahead: Schedule repair and maintenance jobs early and carry them out efficiently to minimise downtime.
  • Reinstate with care: Don’t forget to top up preservative and soft water before bringing the plant back online.

Tip #2: Membrane Accessories

Plan well in advance for your membrane installation work and ensure you have all necessary consumable parts on hand. These will include:

  • Lip Seals: replace with Viton (UF) or EPDM (RO/NF) as membranes are replaced.
  • ATDs (Stainless Steel and Polysulfone) – these should be replaced if any damages occur during changeout. It's advisable to carry some spare Polysulfone ATDs (usually 1-2% of the total installed) due to potential damages from incorrect tools, mishandling, or excessive force. Report Stainless Steel ATD requirements early to allow for lead times.
  • Permeate Hoses – replace any showing wear, pressure damage, or deformities from high pressure events. Remember to also replace the hygienic sample point EPDM grommets if these are routinely used to extract permeate samples.

Below is a general guide on seals used by plant/process

Plant / Process Vessel Size SMS P/No. Material Permeate Tube ID Size
RO 8" L-L-EPDM EPDM (Black) 1.125"
NF 8" L-L-EPDM EPDM (Black) 1.125"
UF 6.3" L-L-Viton Viton (Orange) 1.138"
MF 6.3" L-L-Viton Viton (Orange) 1.138"
RO 3.8" S-L-EPDM EPDM (Black) 0.830"
UF 3.8" S-L-Viton Viton (Orange) 0.830"

Lips Seals or O Rings Normally Required per Vessel for ATDs and End Plugs

No. of Vessels Membranes per Vessel Seal Qty Required
1 1 3
1 2 5
1 3 7
1 4 9
1 5 11
1 6 13

Body Seals for Membrane Vessels

SMS P/No. Description of Housing Qty per Vessel
80-OR-EPDM-SS Bolted retainer shim plates 2
80-OR-EPDM-H Bolted retainer shim plates 2
80-OR-VITON Special shim retainer springs 2
63-TRI-NBR White Tri-Clover 2
63-S5-EPDM White Tri-Clover 2
63-TRI-EPDM-B Black Tri-Clover 2

Tip #3: Service Tools

  • It is always recommended to have the correct tools available for the change out, ready to go the day before, this saves time and effort on the day searching for suitable tools.
  • Use food-grade, water-soluble lubricant to protect seals and ensure smooth installation.
  • The SMS toolkit is designed to simplify and streamline membrane changeouts. Watch Video

Tip #4: Map Your Membranes

Mapping the exact location and details of each membrane used in your plant creates a valuable resource for maintenance, troubleshooting, and warranty tracking. SMS have a fast, efficient mapping system to quickly log membrane locations.

This system has the following advantages:

  • Speeds up installation – a clear map means faster membrane loading and easier identification of positions.
  • Easy Point & Click, no specialist skills required.
  • Reduces errors – avoids duplicate entries and manual data mistakes.
  • Supports long-term maintenance – makes it easy to track performance, age, and replacement history.
  • Assists with warranty claims – documentation helps verify installation and service timelines. Enables uploading to central database for analysis.
  • Centralises data – Enables uploading to your database or CMMS for future reference and analysis.

Contact us about our Membrane Installation Service.

Tip #5: Prepare for a safe restart

Restarting your plant safely is just as important as shutting it down properly. Contact us for our Membrane Installation Checklist which includes:

  1. Replacement Setup
  2. Membrane Removal
  3. Installation Preparation
  4. Membrane Installation
  5. Reinstate Plant
  6. Plant Recommissioning
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