Patent ID: 7316774

Claim:
A reverse osmosis system comprising: a system control assembly including a housing, said control assembly defining an inlet for feed water to be treated and an output from which permeate is discharged; a reverse osmosis membrane cartridge, external to and removably attached to said housing, said membrane cartridge adapted to receive feed water from said housing and to discharge permeate to said housing; and a membrane flushing system located within said housing, said flushing system including a permeate accumulator located within said housing and having separate feed water and permeate storage chambers separated by an elastomeric member such that pressurization of said feed water chamber is operative to urge permeate from said permeate chamber under predetermined conditions, and a flush pilot valve assembly that initiates a flush cycle in response to sensing a predetermined permeate pressure in a permeate storage tank, and during said flush cycle said flush pilot valve assembly operative to disconnect feed water from said cartridge and supply permeate from said accumulator to said cartridge to flush said membrane.