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Merlin FQA
First I would like to say
that the Merlin is really quite a breakthrough in Reverse Osmosis systems
capable of one half gallon to one gallon per minute production rates.
It will put a great deal
of pressure on the small commercial RO market. The cost factor will be very
difficult to surmount. The Merlin offers a great deal for its price. The machine
is brilliant and is mass produced. So if you currently market a 720 – one gallon
per minute RO system you have real contender to compete with.
Small Commercial
application:
If you intend to make over
10 gallons of water per day the single filter supplied with the Merlin will not
be adequate. You should add additional external pre-filters to the inlet side of
the Merlin. You can run a Merlin 24 /7 and expect good results, as long as you
properly protect it. The minimum and maximum water quality requirements are
clearly stated in the manual. As long as you do not exceed any of these you
should not experience any problems at all.
Water Quality:
The initial water quality
is weak due to TDS creep. Once the small amount of production at start up is
rinsed away you can expect exceptional quality water at very good rates of flow.
In fact after 24 years in Reverse Osmosis I was actually shocked at the
production rate and water quality at only 40 PSI.
You really do get one half gallon of production at only forty pounds of water
pressure. Keep in mind we are located in
Florida so we test with warm tap water. Now
that I have lauded the accomplishment I have some comments as pertains to the
use of the Merlin.
Residential drinking
water usage (under sink)
The Merlin comes equipped
with quick connect fitting on the main unit. So hook up is real simple. The
Merlin is equipped with an air gap faucet. This faucet is actually required by
code in many areas. The faucet has three connections and requires a larger hole
be drilled in the sink top. In fact the hole is larger than the skill and
equipment level of the novice handy man.
Another sort of difficult
portion of the installation is the drain connection. Since the Merlin will waste
water at rates of at least two gallons per minute a rather substantial waste
connection must be made. This new connection requires you to cut away a portion
of your waste plumbing. I have installed hundreds of under sink RO systems in my
time. We as a company have sold thousands of under sink RO systems to the do it
yourself market. I can say this in our experience this is not a novice project.
Greater understanding and better equipment is required to install a Merlin under
sink than is required to install the typical under sink reverse osmosis
system.
TDS CREEP:
What on earth is TDS
creep? Membranes produce pure water with the aid of water pressure. Greater
pressure, more water and better quality water to a point. When an RO is running
up to full pressure the water quality can be really exceptional. However when an
RO is in the off state with no water pressure the membrane is still sitting in
water. The membrane continues to try to process this low pressure water. The
water produced at this pressure level will have a much greater amount of
TDS.
This initial poor quality production has been an RO problem all along. The
problem is that the larger the membrane the more creep you can expect. The
average home RO system will have a membrane that is 2 inches in diameter and
only twelve inches long. The Merlin employs two 3 inches in diameter by
seventeen inch membranes. The amount of creep could easily equal the entire
first glass of water drawn. The good news is once the initial water is dispensed
the regular production is exceptional. The Merlin is very well made and once
installed and TDS creep is understood it
is a very difficult unit to find fault with. No complex set of tubes under the
sink everything is straight forward and stream line.
- Great rate of
production
- Non complex
installation but, some what higher degree of difficulty to accomplish
- Great full production
water quality
- Only one pre-filter
is good for six months when used for residential applications only.
Commercial applications may vary.
- Major name brand with
a really good warranty program
- Probably millions
spent on research, molds and production
- As produced,
consistent quality
- Pricey when compared
to other standard home reverse osmosis systems
- Maybe more of a
project for your plumber than your home handy man
You will not be
disappointed, you will be impressed. It’s different and the difference is a good
thing. But just like every other product the Merlin has its pros and cons.
A personal comment from
The H2O Guru
If you are asking about
small commercial applications I have nothing but praise. In fact you might
consider selling short any stock you hold in a company that makes small
commercial reverse osmosis systems.
A small commercial machine
as the current state of the art exists can not begin to compete cost wise. The
membrane, membrane housings and the pre-filter system far exceed the cost of the
entire Merlin unit. In my opinion “It is only a matter of time”
Not all brilliant products are immediately
recognized
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