A reverse osmosis (RO) system is described that is connectable to a dialysis machine and is capable of using heated purified water to clean and disinfect an external connection section or portion disposed between the RO system and the dialysis unit (or any other external heat tolerant device) without forming a closed loop system between both systems before and during a heat forward process. This can be accomplished without the need for direct/indirect or wired/wireless communication with the dialysis unit or the need to introduce a chemical cleaner or process that would require further rinsing after chemical disinfection.