Sanitizing an OPUS Water Filtration System Housing

If you have already been using your OPUS water system for several years, or have gone too long between changing the filters and flushing the system out, or have simply stopped using it for too long, bacteria and/or mold may start adhering to the walls of the housing chambers or even the tubing, requiring the system to be sanitized before changing the filters.

To accomplish this, one must basically empty the system of water and filters, clean the chambers with a solution (we use hydrogen peroxide) and possibly a bottle brush, and possibly reassemble the system but without filters in it to flush the cleanser and tubing out.

If you are unfamiliar with or do not recall how to disconnect the various union connectors and take apart the system to replace filters in the first place and do the initial prep work to change them, you can just go to Youtube and search for and watch the initial part of videos on "HOW to CLEAN RO System" - although they would be about Reverse Osmosis systems, so some of their steps (e.g., pertaining to an RO membrane, or needing to drain a whole tank before opening the housing) will not apply to OPUS systems).

Basically, one needs to first shut off the ball-valve on the tube that feeds water into the system and open the drinking water faucet to relieve the pressure, so you can disconnect the whole system.

Then, while situated over a sink or tub, remove the old filters, especially the ones in the chambers, with the semi-circle wrench that came with the system. Then get your cleaning solution: some use household bleach, but we use a 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution. Fill the containers with it, and let them soak for 15 minutes. If you still see black mold or rust on the cylinder walls that hasn't dissolved away on its own, use a clean bottle brush to scrub it away.

Then discard that solution, and rinse the containers with tap water.

If you can see or strongly suspect that some of the tubing after the initial input may also have developed microbial growth, you can also put some Hydrogen Peroxide in the cylinders and reassemble and reattach the system without filters in it, and run some water through the system with the drinking faucet open, to flush that tubing and the actual faucet out.

Then disassemble and drain the system again as you did to start with, and install and flush the filters one by one with just tap water, in the order described in each OPUS system's user manual.