5 Most Common Water Treatment Mistakes — and How to Avoid Them
In industries like mining, manufacturing, food processing, and municipal services, water treatment plays a central role in operational efficiency, environmental compliance, and cost control. But despite its importance, many facilities make common mistakes that reduce system effectiveness, increase costs, or create downtime.
At JMark Systems, we’ve engineered and serviced treatment systems across North America. Whether it’s mobile units in remote locations or large-scale industrial solutions, we’ve seen patterns emerge in what can go wrong—and what to do about it. Below are five of the most common mistakes we’ve encountered in the field, along with strategies to help your operation avoid them.
Undersizing or Oversizing the System
Getting the system size wrong is one of the most costly and widespread mistakes. A system that is too small may not handle peak loads, causing untreated water to overflow or bottleneck the operation. Oversized systems, on the other hand, waste money and operate inefficiently, particularly when components like reverse osmosis (RO) units or clarifiers are constantly running under capacity.
We’ve seen undersized slant plate clarifiers that couldn’t settle out solids during surge events, leading to carryover and overloading downstream RO units. In contrast, some facilities overinvest in RO capacity without fully understanding their actual permeate demand or pretreatment requirements.
To avoid sizing issues, conduct a comprehensive analysis of your influent water quality and flow variability. Account for both normal and peak conditions. Consider mobile or modular system designs that offer flexibility and scalability—whether that’s a containerized RO skid or a filter press line with expansion room.
At JMark, we regularly design systems with built-in adaptability. For example, we’ve provided clients with mobile RO trailers that can be paralleled or daisy-chained to scale with project growth, as well as slant plate clarifiers sized for staged sediment loading. This level of foresight helps operations avoid costly rebuilds or overhauls later.
Using the Wrong Media or Treatment Technology
Choosing the wrong treatment technology—or applying it in the wrong sequence—can severely limit system performance. One common misstep is installing an RO unit without adequate pretreatment, causing premature membrane fouling from high turbidity or suspended solids. Another is using basic filtration when a more advanced approach like chemical clarification or ion exchange is needed.
We’ve encountered sites using cartridge filters to handle heavy solids when a slant plate clarifier would have provided a far more effective and lower-maintenance solution. Similarly, we've seen operators rely on outdated sand filters for polishing when a properly sized RO system would better meet the discharge requirements.
The key to solving this is matching technology to the contaminant profile. For high solids loading, slant plate clarifiers or filter presses should precede fine filtration or membrane systems. For dissolved salts or organics, RO units can provide effective polishing—but only if the upstream water is properly conditioned to prevent scaling and fouling.
JMark's engineering team begins every project with a full lab analysis and real-world site evaluation to determine the best combination of physical, chemical, and membrane technologies. Our goal is to ensure every system component—from the clarifier to the filter press to the RO unit—works in sync for optimal performance.
Neglecting Sludge and Residuals Handling
Focusing solely on clean effluent while ignoring sludge and waste handling can quickly derail a treatment operation. Solids must go somewhere, and if your system doesn’t manage them efficiently, you’ll end up with clogged tanks, unexpected shutdowns, or soaring disposal costs.
We often find facilities relying solely on chemical settling without a downstream dewatering solution. Over time, this leads to bloated sludge lagoons, constant pump-outs, and frequent downtime. In systems using slant plate clarifiers, the settled sludge must be periodically removed and dewatered—ideally with an integrated filter press.
A well-integrated sludge handling system—whether for primary solids from a clarifier or secondary waste from an RO reject stream—can significantly reduce disposal costs and environmental risk. For example, one of our clients was sending wet sludge to landfill three times per week. After installing an automated filter press system, they reduced that to a single dry haul every 10 days, cutting costs by more than half.
At JMark, we build sludge management into every treatment design. Whether it’s dewatering with a plate-and-frame press, separating solids in a slant plate clarifier, or managing RO concentrate waste, we ensure the entire lifecycle of water and waste is accounted for.
Poor System Monitoring and Data Logging
A treatment system is only as good as its monitoring. Relying on manual sampling or legacy SCADA systems means you may not spot failures or inefficiencies until they’ve already caused a problem. In systems using RO or clarifiers, even a small drop in flow or change in pH can signal an issue that, if missed, leads to irreversible damage.
For example, we’ve seen RO systems run for days at high differential pressure due to unnoticed membrane fouling, leading to complete system shutdown and costly replacements. Similarly, slant plate clarifiers can develop flow channeling or sludge buildup if influent conditions change and no one notices.
To avoid this, modern systems should feature comprehensive real-time monitoring of flow, pressure, pH, conductivity, turbidity, and more. JMark Systems equips clients with cloud-connected dashboards and alarm systems that flag problems early—before they escalate. This is especially critical in remote or multi-site operations where downtime is expensive and rapid response is essential.
Whether we’re deploying a containerized RO unit, a filter press trailer, or a standalone clarifier, we ensure every component is paired with smart controls and remote visibility, so operators can react faster and manage more proactively.
Skipping Preventive Maintenance and Operator Training
Even the most advanced water treatment system won’t perform if it’s neglected or operated incorrectly. Skipping routine maintenance or failing to train staff is a recipe for poor performance, emergency repairs, and costly system failure.
We’ve worked with facilities where filter presses go months without plate inspection, leading to leaks and downtime, or where RO membranes were damaged due to improper cleaning procedures. Clarifier performance can degrade quickly when sludge rakes or underflow pumps aren’t checked regularly.
To avoid these issues, every system should be supported by a preventive maintenance plan and a well-trained team. JMark provides comprehensive onboarding and regular training refreshers to ensure your operators understand how to maintain every component—whether it’s cleaning RO membranes, adjusting polymer dosing on a clarifier, or troubleshooting a press plate alignment issue.
Our clients see better system performance, longer equipment life, and fewer service calls when training and maintenance are treated as core parts of the treatment strategy—not afterthoughts.
Final Thoughts
Avoiding these five common mistakes—poor sizing, mismatched technologies, neglected sludge handling, inadequate monitoring, and weak maintenance—can dramatically improve the performance and reliability of your water treatment system. And with the increasing complexity of environmental regulations and discharge standards, getting it right matters more than ever.
At JMark Systems, we engineer complete, integrated solutions—including slant plate clarifiers, filter presses, RO units, and mobile platforms—designed to fit your needs today and grow with your operation tomorrow. Whether you're solving a site-specific challenge or scaling up for expansion, our team is here to guide you every step of the way.
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