PB-TLRO4H50T - 4 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System 1 of 6 Customer Support Troublshooting The number one, essential, tool to good customer service is your SMILE. Even if your customer can t see you, they can hear a smile in your voice just the same. It s extremely important to get to know the system and how it works. Read the installation manual over and over again and always have it close by for quick reference. It would benefit you if there is a system you can have to pull things apart, see what they look like inside and out and understand their function. The operational parameters are critical to memorize and have close by for quick reference. Most homes will qualify under these parameters however, there is always the homeowner (who will appear more often than you would think) that tries to hook the system up to clean-up their water supply. Know what you re dealing with before you get started answering their questions. There are also more homes with High water pressure (above 80 psi) than the average homeowner realizes. There are often water spikes during the night that can cause systems to be under too much pressure and possibly leak and/or run constantly. The only way to determine water spikes would be to install a home water pressure tester, but this may need to be suggested to the homeowner. Learning to ask questions in a way that will help you get information from your customer before you begin to give information to your customer, is tricky, however very beneficial. The best way to start that conversation is to be honest and tell them I have just a few questions to ask you that will help me understand how to serve you better and then start asking the standard knowledge questions so you can be comfortable when you begin troubleshooting. Ask the following questions prior to troubleshooting assistance. 1. What is the model number of your unit? 2. How long have you had your Unit? (if their system is brand new, skip questions 2 & 3) 3. When was the last time the filters were changed? (Only ask if their system has been installed 6 months or longer) 4. Which filters were changed? 5. Where is your unit installed (The kitchen is the standard answer however some installations will be in the basement, next to the refrigerator, in the garage..etc. Refer to pg 9 of the manual) Now you know what type of system you are going to be troubleshooting, approximately how old it is and how well they have maintained it. This is vital information for you to have in order to proceed with helping them.
PB-TLRO4H50T - 4 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System 2 of 6 Unit Leaks Find out if there is actually leaking from the unit (either onto sink top or under counters) or if there is water running into the sink drain? (commonly misunderstood) Leaking from unit; Check for broken or damaged fittings. Tighten fittings if undamaged. All Plastic fittings: Tighten until compression nut grips into tubing. replace fitting. All Quick connect fittings: Be sure the tube has an even and smooth cut, no angles or rough edges. Also check to make sure there is an O- ring in the fitting to hold the tube securely. Leaking into the drain; Customer will commonly state their unit is leaking when in fact they are just hearing the water flowing into their drain from the RO drain line. This sound is normal due to the Air-Gap faucet. Change in noise level line. Leaking from storage Tank; If water is leaking out from the storage tank Schrader Valve, the tank will need to be replaced. This is an indication the bladder inside the tank has ruptured or has a hole in it. If there is leaking at the top of the tank at the elbow, try to tighten the fitting. It may need a little more Teflon tape or if tightened too much, it may have cracked and a new fitting may be needed. Leaks from Filter Housings; Loosen the suspected filter cartridge, turning to the left until it releases. Gently pull down to remove from head. Check the two nozzles and flanges for any cracks. If okay, reinstall holding the cartridge with the label slightly facing left. The two nozzles on top of the cartridge toward the back of the filter system and the two extended flanges should be out to each side. Continue the same with each filter that appears to be leaking. If leaking started after a filter change; Repeat above steps
New install: PB-TLRO4H50T - 4 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System 3 of 6 Leaking from the Air Gap Leaking Faucet making it as short and straight as possible to the drain saddle. (NO loops, bends or kinks) Older system: Leaking from the air gap hole on an older system is usually caused by a garbage disposal and/or dishwashers, as well as just buildup in the line from the brine water discharge of the RO system. Loosen white line from drain saddle only. Do NOT disconnect line from the base of the faucet. (if your customer has already done so he will need to have the faucet replaced) Take a piece of wire (coat hanger will do) and scrape out the white line from the bottom - up. (instruct your customer they will Reconnect the white line to the drain saddle. If water continues to leak out the AG it may need another cleaning. If they are not able to get it to stop leaking, recommend replacement of the faucet. Leaking from faucet tubing The tubing coming from the faucets is not replaceable. If the customer has a crack or leak in careful when troubleshooting cleaning the white line with your customers, making sure you tell them not to remove the line from the bottom of the faucet, but only from the drain saddle)
PB-TLRO4H50T - 4 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System 4 of 6 Low or No Water Production No water in the storage tank? Or, No water from the faucet? Most of the time when a customer calls in complaining of no water production, they are referring to the fact they are no longer getting water from the RO faucet. Finding out how old the system is, again, is vital to troubleshooting this problem. It could be the details (your standard questions) it will help you in the long run. heavy or light LIGHT Tank: If the storage tank is light you first want to ask them if they have the reverse osmosis water also going to their ice-maker. (If they have emptied the water supply in the tank they will need to close the ice-maker line to let the tank fill completely. They need to do so EVERY time the fill.) It also could be that the customer has added air pressure to the storage tank. Because the label how much air the tank will hold before bursting. NOT what we want to have in order to use the RO system. If the air pressure in the tank is between 5 to 7 psi, then ask them if they can hear water running down the drain. YES: Okay, this means we have a light storage tank but we also have water going Have them get a towel and a pitcher/bowl, plus a measuring cup. The towel and pitcher just in case it starts spraying water and the measuring cup for our test. Loosen the Tubing on the inlet side of the water tank. If it starts spraying have them try to reconnect it quickly. If it is only dripping, have the customer let it drip into a measuring cup for one minute and then tell you how much water they have collected. the tank.
PB-TLRO4H50T - 4 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System 5 of 6 Ask them to remove the White Drain line from the drain saddle and then measure how much they get in the drain line after a minute. There should be a 4 to 1 ratio against the drain water, or close to it. This is another instance where we want them to tell us what they get, not us telling them what to expect) If the reading is nowhere near a 4 to 1 ratio we need to consider replacing the membrane at this time. Depending on how old their system is would determine whether the membrane would be under warranty or not. (30 days or newer, yes under warranty. Over 30 days old, consult with your manager) NO: Okay, this means we have a light tank and NO water running down the drain. The system water is actually getting before it stops. (the critical question to the customer before moving on would be to know how long the system has been installed and/or when the filters were last changed) and let it hang in a bucket/pitcher for our tests. Following the instructions in the installation manual on how to remove a filter, ask the customer to remove the Post carbon filter (#4) and push in the check valve to see if water is making it to the cartridge. If there is still no spray of water coming through reinstall the cartridge and move to the pre-carbon filter (#2) and test the check valve for spray. If there is still no spray, reinstall the pre-carbon filter and move to the sediment filter. (if there is spray then move to the membrane cartridge instead) It could be a clogged membrane or pre-filter. This is a process of elimination at this point. We are looking for the clogged filter.
PB-TLRO4H50T - 4 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System 6 of 6 HEAVY Tank: Ask your customer to get their digital tire gauge and see how much air pressure there is in the tank. The air valve is located near the bottom of the tank. There is a blue cap they will need to twist off to get to the valve. (Wait for the customer to tell you the reading he/she is getting) what their reading actually is, waiting to see if they tell us whether or not they are getting water from the Schrader valve. If sure to ask if they saw any water or moisture while they were getting the reading. A ruptured bladder in the tank means the storage tank needs to be replaced. pressure gauge, it could be the tank just needs to be re-pressurized. (Meaning, it needs to have air added. Remember, it is the compressed air in the tank from the weight of the water that pushes the water out when they turn on the faucet.) In order to add air to the tank we first need to empty the tank of water. 1. Leave the RO faucet in the open position. 2. Turn off the incoming water supply to the unit. 3. Using a bicycle pump or small compressor, start pumping air into the tank. The water should be coming out the RO faucet. 4. When the tank is empty of water (nothing coming from the faucet), check the air pressure reading. 5. If there is more than 7 psi then let some air out by pushing in the stem of the Schrader valve just like a regular tire, checking the pressure as they go. 6. cap back on the valve, and turn on the incoming water supply. 7. Wait until the faucet starts dripping with water and then close the faucet to let the tank fill with water. (If the customer has a line going to their ice-maker they will need to close that line so the tank can fill.) They will now need to wait the normal 4 to 6 hours before the tank will once again be full of water. If they continue to have problems with air pressure, they may try changing the needle valve of the Schrader valve. These are a normal tire size valve and can be purchased at a