At 10:11 AM 6/22/2009, Philip R. McGovern wrote:
Actually, we ran it for a couple of days. I think a big part of the
problem was that the pre-filter cannister was nasty (and smelled
nasty) and had the wrong kind of filter element in it (rubber
instead of paper).
NOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! NEVER NEVER use
paper. It will slowly clog up the membrane and nothing will remove it.
Use only polyester (plastic) filter elements. For the 20-micron, a GE
FXUSC is a good choice.
If the pre-filter was all buggy, the product water will smell and
taste bad. Some decomposition products can make it though the
membrane, notably hydrogen sulfide - that rotten egg smell. usually
this is gone in a few minutes but if the pre-filter was filthy....
It sounds like the membrane should be "fixable" unless it is cracked
-- which I doubt. Probably our biggest problem is a lack of
maintenance and they sell a $250 or so "cruising kit" that should
allow us to fix that.
You really just need to get the seal kit. I think that's about $90.
Pickling. Note that the watermaker should be run daily. You can go
for about 3 days in warm waters, 5 in cold water. If it's going to be
idle for longer it really needs to be pickled.
Knowing our PO, it may never have been pickled. Who really knows?
Hopefully he did. There's a chance it's kaput if not. The water flow
test will tell you.
A good idea is to run some product water into a container, then run
it though just before shutdown. This cuts down on bacteria growth.
Do you mean to run the product water back through the system? If
so, I can see how that might help to flush the cooties out of the system.
Correct. I used to "save" about 1/2 gal in a jug and use the alt
intake to run it through. It does make a difference.
If not in clean offshore seawater, pick up another pre-filter from...
Would this Home Depot filter replace the pre-filter I now have or
would I add it to the system. If I add it, I assume it would be
upstream of the current pre-filter - sort of a pre-pre-filter. We
don't plan to spend much time in silty water and would be using the
watermaker either off shore or in places like the Bahamas where RO
water can cost $0.50 per gallon and is a big PITA to fetch. Yiuck!
Add to the system. Go though one pre-filter, with a 20-micron filter,
then to the next pre-filter, with a 5-micron filter. We do spend a
lot of time in silty water at the moment, so it's necessary for us.
Even in the Bahamas it's a good idea because of suspended fine sand.
Also, I didn't know that the pre-filters could be cleaned....I
thought you just replaced the cartridges. Can they be "flushed" or
is there a chemical involved?
Just "flushed". As long as the element is not collapsed or otherwise
viably damaged they're good. That's a quote from Katadyn. I've used
elements for over a year of everyday running. You can slip a rope
through it and drag behind for a bit or toss overboard and "agitate"
it. You can also use your washdown hose if you have one. We have 2
sets of filters so we can clean a set, allow to dry in the sun and
put up for the next swap.
This reminds me. Two things will quickly ruin the membrane: Oil and
chlorine. Never ever put city water through the system.
You could also pick up 2 of the cheapest 6A battery
chargers you can find and connect the outputs in series. Yes, this works.
So, I'd plug the chargers into a nearby AC outlet and just run the
pump directly off the chargers? That sounds too easy.
Sometimes things really are easy :-) Do not use automatic chargers.
You want "dumb" ones. If you can find a large electrolytic capacitor
that would smooth out the output.
Bottom line though is the extra battery and "charging" switch is
really the simplest, cheapest and most efficient solution.
I would agree, except that the house bank is probably 15' from the
watermaker as the cable snakes and would take a long, heavy,
expensive cable and, besides, there's not a good place to run
it. That's why I hope I can set the new batteries right next to the
watermaker.
You mentioned golf cart batteries. Yes it would take 4 of them! But,
why not do this since you said an extra pair for the house bank would
be nice. Get 2 more and mount them with the house bank. Connect the
two new ones in series as usual. Then get a DPDT switch. You don't
have to run large wires to the watermaker. #16 even would do it, but
I'd use #12 or even #10. Remember you're only drawing at most 2.5 A.
I just ran the numbers for a 30 foot run (15 there and 15 back) and
the recommended wire size was #18!
Connect the switch this way.
Switch
House bank negative
----------------------------| |---------------------------
House bank positive
Added negative
------------------------------------|
|--------------------------- Added positive
House Bank Positive
----------------------------| |---------------------------
Watermaker positive
In one position the middle and top connect so you've added the new
set to the house bank / in the other position the middle and bottom
connect to turn on the watermaker with 24V going to it.
30 to 50 A DPDT switches are available from Radio Shack and most auto
parts stores. #10 wires can carry 60 A with an 8 ft run. This is fine
for an added battery to the house bank.
You still could just add a small 12V battery with the same switch
setup. Heck, a utility (lawn tractor) battery would run the
watermaker for almost 10 hours and it won't hurt to have it
paralleled with the house bank for charging.
Rick 'n' Cathy
S/V Valkyrie
http://www.morelr.com/valkyrie
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