The answer depends on the ...

The answer depends on the type of the membrane, the quality of the water, the way of operation, the type of fouling, Etc. It cannot replace good and suitable pretreatment. It is possible to use it when a  relatively small tank of the product is located on the roof of the RO room, so every time the plant shuts down, the backwash starts to operate automatically. It is suggested to design properly the thank and it is good for a system that may be shut down from time to time. It is important to note that the operation may be effective only on low fouling. An established thick layer of fouling will not be removed by the backwash and large fouling particles may damage the membranes.