In need of a new R/O system. Wondering if any of you good folk have thoughts on systems you like and systems you don't. Seems the Merlin Garden Pro looks good but then you can find an R/O at Sears at a fraction of the cost.
I have owned Spectra Pure's, sun lights supply's filters and hydro logic units. I would go w/ Hydro Logic simply because of their stellar customer service.
dude i got one off ebay for 108.99 plus some shipping and damn its a 5 stage, totally fucking worth it man 0ppm and 7ph on the money boooy. ill post a link here one second.
You have 0ppm after the RO? You sure? That would mean you have pretty good water to start with. Obviously that's cool.
I have heavy minerals in well water. So after the RO I'm at 40ppm.
I have a new water pump right before the filter. The increase in pressure will result in lower PPM. Also have a 2-stage de-ionization filter after the RO. Should get mighty close to pure water.
picked up a used hydrologic bigboy for 43 bucks from my fav online resource.bought a little boy for a friend from greentreehydroponics for 98 dollars.their output is tremendous compared to most home r/o systems,and they leave minerals your plants needs while taking out the harmful chlorine.
I needed the electric pump because my tap isnt of high enough pressure. all the ebay ro/di setups seem to use the same components, more or less. assembly is slightly different but the clamps brackets housings filters hose fittings et al are the same. i got mine from filtersdirect and no leaks out of the box.
the electric pump will also let it waste less water as the more you force through the RO membrane, the less that gets bypassed to waste. RO generates a ton of waste water. thats not to say the water couldnt be used for other things.
I run the merlin garden pro. Ive had zero probs with it. I could of gotten by with a way smaller unit but.... I have a napoleon complex I guess! It is pricey though.
Just a cheap 4 stage here, it leaves some minerals but overall its much better than the tapwater. No booster pump required as i`m blessed with mains water pressure of 5 bar.
What are you using to measure psi of H2O pressure? I am not unthrilled with the pressure, but adding a pressure pump adds a dimension I had not considered and now it opens new possibilities. The tall boy having garden hose connections seems incompatable with a pressure system which would steer me towards the Merlin or?
Merlin is amazing, but make sure you get a booster pump or you will most likley be running at the lowest psi that the merlin is rated for. The lower the pressure, the less effective the filtration is. I was filtering 600ppm well water with no booster pump @ 40psi and my product water was 40-50ppm. Thats not that bad, but if your gonna drop 600+ dollars, you minus well spend a bit more and get the results you are paying for by buying the boost pump. You easily mod an r/v pump as long as you match the specifications to the merlin booster pump. Then simply add the fittings for the tubing to connect. I thought bout doin this, but i had the extra cash laying round so i just bought one from hydrologic.
Jessrabit, you can buy a water pressure guage very cheaply,(i guess under $20) they usually have a short (1ft) braided hose terminated in a tap connector.
Just screw it onto the washing machine outlet or outside tap to check the pressure. Mine reads to 160psi.
I bought my new RO 5 stage off ebay 2 years ago for $100 shipped (no tank). its still works great. RO ppms @ 20 from tap around 400. I didn't get the tank as I have it fill a 35 gallon rez with a float valve to shutoff when full.
Kinda depends on the volume you need.
This one does something like 20-25 per day. My well is set to kick on at 30 psi. Started w/ 300ppm and finished at 25. I didn't bother bumping the pressure up. 3yr warranty. Came w/ a pressure tank and faucet, but i dump into barrels. Too confusing when comparing that i went w/ the Watts name brand because didn't seem worth the effort to study up on ROs. I had other uses for the pressure tanks. The tanks cost about 50 bucks separate so i got a second unit. No complaints. Again, i'd base the choice on the volume you want.
Personally, i would stay away from hydro-logic. i bought a float valve from them, and the threads didnt match on the quick connect that came with it. i called and told them that, and they said "thats just how it is... just tighten it down more." wtf is that?
I splurged and went with the Merlin and I feel it's a great decision. It takes me about 1 1/2 hours to fill my 45 gal trash/reservoir. The ones my buddy uses takes about a day or so to fill the same trash bin. I guess you can say time is $$$.