[Simon@ Clearview contractors]

Alright fellas, I've just taken delivery of 2x4040 membranes for my van system.  it's a bit of a long story but I bought an ionic 1000lt system off ebay a few years ago and never got round to running the it as a system(had great productivity from the merlin in previous house).

Now the thing is, the TDS has rocketed(from 33 to 175 only a mile away) and the merlin membranes are shot after 8 months...and the thing is I tend to buy things in bulk rather than 1 at a time...so my problem now is I have 4 or 5 merlin carbon filters(cost about £15 each and I don't want to waste them!).

So as the title asks, does anybody know if the merlin housings can be used without the membranes(only until the carbon ones die), as a decent pre filter? btw I was thinking of putting 2x 10" 5 micron filters on then 2x the merlin carbon, With the waste off the merlin blocked.

All of this pre-filter set-up will be going to a twin-RO setup.  

Sorry for the long-winded story but it's been a bit of an outlay, wouldn't want to stuff it up first time of trying!

Any advice would be greatly received.

Thanks in advanced, Simon

[8weekly]

I'll buy them for a tenner each inc postage.

[Smudger]

In theory yes

But the carbon filters would have a short lifespan being so small it would be more hassle than the money you would save.

I'd sell them, and as above you already have a buyer 

Darran

[Walter Mitty]

So as the title asks, does anybody know if the merlin housings can be used without the membranes(only until the carbon ones die), as a decent pre filter? btw I was thinking of putting 2x 10" 5 micron filters on then 2x the merlin carbon, With the waste off the merlin blocked.

All of this pre-filter set-up will be going to a twin-RO setup.  

Although it would look a bit of a kludge, I don't see any reason why what you propose wouldn't work.  I'm not sure though why you would want the water to pass through *two* of each pre-filter as this would effectively partially "waste" the second in line of each type of pre-filter.  I use 20" pre-filters myself and change then after 4 - 5 months.  Presumanly a 10" would need changing after 2 months to be on the safe side (so long as you aren't producing copious amounts of pure water.  Indeed, I reckon you could use 1 x 10" sediment filter followed by 1 x merlin carbon filter.  As the merlin filters are nearly 20", I reckon it would last twice as lonmg.  So you could probably change the 10" sediment after 2 months and the merlin carbon after 4 months (on alternate sediment filter changes).  To be safe though and to save remembering it, perhaps it's better to change both (or all 4) filters at the same time.
I run my RO with 1 x 20" sediment then 1 x 20" carbon - followed by the RO (an HF5 4040).  I have left it as long as 6 months between pre-filter changes but usually do it after 4 these days since reading stuff on here.  6 months worked without mishap though.

[Simon@ Clearview contractors]

Thanks for the replies

Just to add, I do use quite a lot(approx. 1500lt per day) and the merlin slowing right down is reason for switching to the 2x 4040 hf4 with booster.

As for changing the particle filters, at the moment I change them every 2 weeks or so as there's a sandy/rusty residue that comes through our pipes thus thew reason for 2 x 10" particle filters.

I may consider selling the water production system if anyone's interested, there's
1 x IBC 1 X merlin(need new membranes)  1x 10mt reinforced transfer hose 1 X240v Karcher submersible transfer pump 4x carbon filters  £150 for the lot

[Simon@ Clearview contractors]

THE ANSWE TO THE OPENING POST IS A BIG FIRM NO!!!

Way too slow for what was required, many hours wasted on this experiment but nevermind, it's how breakthroughs are born!