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What is the best Reverse Osmosis System..?

stasis

stasis

Registered Non-Conformist
Veteran
Hey All,

Going to enter the World of RO...

Opinions requested from you Wise Growers out there...

Regarding easiest to use.... Will be utilizing either Soil/Soiless or Ebb And Grow system from CAP (with a 50g reservior)... Haven't decided yet...

Was on hard Well Water in CA, dealt with that.. Now elsewhere, and utilizing Tap water...


Thanks In Advance, and Cheers..!!
 
Lazyman

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
Most of them are fairly comparable, it just depends on how much RO you need per day.

My system uses a:

Tallboy prefilter (10 micron sediment filter, 5 micron sediment filter)
GE Merlin RO (10 micron sediment prefilter and dual RO membranes)
Merlin flush kit
Merlin Automatic Shutoff cartridge (ASOC)
Hanna inline TDS monitor for measuring PPMs in and out of the filters
The output line tees off, main line runs to 5 barrels (each with a shutoff valve) and the other leg of the tee goes off to a Carbon polishing filter (for drinking water)

I can make about 600 gallons of RO per day at 50 PSI well water, water comes in at 590 ppm, comes out at 30 PPM.
 
mdk ktm

mdk ktm

Member
I have a hydro logic Stealth RO 200 at one spot. And I run it for like 4 hours a week to cover 4k. All you do is screw it on a faucet and get yourself some RO. Nice and portable you can even take that bitch to different spots if you want to be cheap. Lazyman has a sweet RO system for a large amount of water usage. At my last grow the in ppm was around 750 and the out ppm averaged around 50. I have used it for almost a year, and the filters are still working good.
 
PoopyTeaBags

PoopyTeaBags

State Liscensed Care Giver/Patient, Assistant Trai
Veteran
if you ever plan on upgrading just buy the merlin from the start its alittle bit of money but you can find them online for 460$$ which is a great deal and you cant beat 30 gal an hour lol.... mine comes in tomorrow .... i love new toys....
 
PoopyTeaBags

PoopyTeaBags

State Liscensed Care Giver/Patient, Assistant Trai
Veteran
holy said:
0 ppms = 0 ppms, all ro systems should* give the same results. if you have really hard water you need to replace the ro membrane relatively often, every 6 months or so to maintain minimal tds levels. this 100 gpd unit works like a champ and replacement membranes are like $35. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...5331&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_10579wt_1363 $86 shipped can't beat that, or buy a $400 unit with a fancy name.
Click to expand...

decent find may work for some but the 400 dollar units are commercial RO systems and do 760GPD when that does 100....

but for someone that doesnt need alot of water thats a good find.
 
stasis

stasis

Registered Non-Conformist
Veteran
Thanks, All. Knew I could count on you..

I wonder... Lazyman, The Merlin is the one I had in mind as well.. It is tankless right..? More convenient..? It had some less than favorable reviews.... Loud noise - other probs.. But you are having success with it presently..? That means a lot... Thx for your input..

mdk, That Hydrologic one seems good.. How long does it take to fill up a 50 gal rezzie..?
 
SupraSPL

SupraSPL

Member
$137 shipped from eBay got me a 5 stage undersink kit. Sediment filter->Carbon1->Carbon2->Filtech Membrane->Carbon3. Input water is ~100ppm, water out is ~2ppm. Comes with storage tank, cold water adapter, drain adapter, automatic shutoff, faucet etc. I think it is 75 or 85 GPD.
 
1

1quixotix

I don't recall the GE Merlin making a lot of noise. Normal sink sounds at most. Tankless and more efficient. I would advise letting it run for a minute or two to get the ppm way down before collection. I never had any problems with it, and I used it for indoor gardening as well as drinking water. Pricy for sure, especially when you consider replacing the filters down the road. I'm surprised that something new hasn't come along to compete with it.
 
Lazyman

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
SupraSPL said:
$137 shipped from eBay got me a 5 stage undersink kit. Sediment filter->Carbon1->Carbon2->Filtech Membrane->Carbon3. Input water is ~100ppm, water out is ~2ppm. Comes with storage tank, cold water adapter, drain adapter, automatic shutoff, faucet etc. I think it is 75 or 85 GPD.
Click to expand...

With a 100ppm starting reading, I wouldn't bother filtering my water at all, it's uneccesary unless you live next to a toxic waste dump ;)

Stasis, no my Merlin has been great, no noise at all, most systems are tankless (we are using them in an "on-demand" configuration) but the flush kit consists of a small tank and line. I found a good site in filtersfast.com, they let you order replacement filters on a regular schedule with no hassle. I have mine set so they send me a new set of filters every four months automatically. Saves time and money (they give you a discount for setting that up) plus my water production won't slow down anymore. It's amazing how nasty filters get!

Oh, and if your water is over 300PPM naturally (well or city) they recommend a water softener be installed before the prefilter, then the RO, to preserve the membrane life. Apparently its easier for RO membranes to remove sodium from the softener than it is for them to remove calcium. Just a tip!
 
Madrus Rose

Madrus Rose

post 69
Veteran
Lazyman said:
With a 100ppm starting reading, I wouldn't bother filtering my water at all, it's uneccesary unless you live next to a toxic waste dump ;)

Stasis, no my Merlin has been great, no noise at all, most systems are tankless (we are using them in an "on-demand" configuration) but the flush kit consists of a small tank and line. I found a good site in filtersfast.com, they let you order replacement filters on a regular schedule with no hassle. I have mine set so they send me a new set of filters every four months automatically. Saves time and money (they give you a discount for setting that up) plus my water production won't slow down anymore. It's amazing how nasty filters get!

Oh, and if your water is over 300PPM naturally (well or city) they recommend a water softener be installed before the prefilter, then the RO, to preserve the membrane life. Apparently its easier for RO membranes to remove sodium from the softener than it is for them to remove calcium. Just a tip!
Click to expand...

Good tip LM...and www.filtersfast.com

...& for well water with high sediments the Tall Boy prefilter unit alongside the Merlin a good idea for membrane life extension. All these units are made to work properly with at least 40psi or above . But agree why bother filtering water with only 100ppms in the first place ??
(Would love to have ppms starting off that low)

Reintroducing Cal/Mag into the feeding regime probably a must, till 4th week of flower using r/o water . Anyone else agree?

rgards

mr

PS: That's a nice little cheapie unit on eBay, poopy ....
for those with just 100gal rez
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...5331&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_10579wt_1363
 
PoopyTeaBags

PoopyTeaBags

State Liscensed Care Giver/Patient, Assistant Trai
Veteran
not to high jack the thread but the merlin will remove the sodium from a soft water system??? will the hydro logics?
 
mdk ktm

mdk ktm

Member
Good tip Lazyman! I havn't had a water softener for a long time, but at the house that did, The RO water came out at 5ppm. So it would make sense why my ppm's have been higher without a water softener.

To the OP, it really depends on your water pressure, but right now It would fill it in a few hours.

And to HOLY, not all RO systems are the same.... That 100 GPD one you are looking at is really probably like 50 gpd. Alot of times their numbers are full of shit. They either use a booster pump, or huge pressure. One house had a RO system pre installed from Home depot or something, it claimed like 100 gpd...... Actual output was like 10 gpd it was pretty sad.
 
D

DevilWeed

Member
Spectrapure makes some of the best units out. Pricier, but worth it IMO. I have a MaxCap for my reef setup. Double deionization = super low conductivity.
 
stasis

stasis

Registered Non-Conformist
Veteran
Great info Folks...

So, MDK, how long does it take to fill a 50 gal rezzie.? Are the feed times interrupted..?

Cheers..!
 
Hackk

Hackk

Member
might be a stupid question, but is there a difference between the GE merlin and the Hydrologic merlin?
***EDIT*** difference between the two*** http://www.bghydro.com/mmbgh/Others/Merlin-GP vs Merlin-RES.pdf

But if you guys can help me with the few following questions...

Im in the market now, since I sold my stealth 200 (which was a bad unit imo) to a friend in an RO emergency.

Im going to get the merlin unit whether GE or HL, Im also going to get the float valve with autoshutoff. Is there anything else you guys think I will need? Im not well water, and water isnt too hard. Dont need an inline TDS meter since I check my in and out water often enough (plus, how do you know if it loses calibration?) I mean honestly, just the stealth 200 has treated me well for over a year, I just need larger output without all the bells and whistles (unless you guys think something is mandatory)

and is every line 3/8"? Up to this point, I've been running a very sketchy looking setup with the hose line outside my apartment leading into a window, then into my kitchen. I would really like to hook it up to my sink, but Im not exactly sure what valves/fittings I would need to accomplish this

Thanks
 
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