5 micron watermaker prefilter cleaning

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

My saltwater wash down pump only has a strainer on it, not a filter. Would think you could get some good-sized debris inside the filter and into your membrane with that. Although I could see using it at angle on the filter ezterior.

So did we get a spectra dealer recommended cleaning method? JT?

Yes, it's quite simple. Just rinse off the filter with about the same amount of pressure that comes out of a shower head. You'll see the gunk come off. The filter will never be as white as it was when first installed but you can get a few uses out of a filter this way. When they start to get spongy when you gently squeeze them it's time to toss them. Don't ever scrub or bleach them unless you want your 5 micron to be a 500 micron filter.
Pre-filters and the charcoal filters are the consumable parts of all watermakers. Geesh guys, for an investment worth thousands of dollars, don't cheap out on the pre-filters.


www.HaldenMarineSevice.com
(954) 515-7077

[senormechanico]

OK Tellie,
You shamed me into replacing them, but I insist on purchasing them.
You have been so helpful on CF to so many people, I'd be embarrassed to accept.
I'll PM you.

This reminds me of a guy I used to work for many years ago.
One of the brake cylinders on his old 1960's vintage VW bus started to leak and made a mess of the lining, but instead of buying a set of brake linings and cylinders, he went to a junk yard. He bought ONE brake cylinder and picked up a brake shoe out of the dirt next to the donor bus.
When the yard guy asked what he was doing with the old brake shoe, my boss mentioned how the brake lining got fluid on it. He tried to talk my boss into doing it the right way, but being of (thrifty) Scotch ancestry my boss would have none of that.
The yard man just rolled his eyes and gave him the shoe.

Later, my boss told me how smart he had been to get the shoe for free !

The end of the story? Every other cylinder AND the master cylinder eventually had to be replaced along with all the linings.
I wanted to tell him that would happen, but I was just a twenty something at the time.

[Fuss]

I did a test, fresh water cleaning the 5 micron filter with 2 bar and cleaning it with 3.5 bar.


With 2 bar the filter remains brown, needs around 7 minutes of cleaning and when reinstalled shows a significant drop in the time before the feed pressure drops away.


When cleaned with 3.5 bar the filter returns to the white original color, needs around 2 minutes of cleaning and when reinstalled runs for nearly the same time as a new one before the feed pressure drops away.

[Lepke]

Another method is back flush the filter. Either with some plumbing or a 2nd housing.
I run a 20-5-1 set of filters. The 20 and 5 are "washable" and the 1 micron is spun.

[charris]

My cruising is down in Mexico, and we make and use a lot of water. At approx $5 per filter, I don't take a chance on compromising my filters. I just replace them when they get grungy. Have read this thread and seen people rinsing them with dock water (which probably has chlorine in it) and people repeatedly cleaning them for years or 8 times or more. With filters as cheap as they are, and the ease of storing them on board (very light) I just don't see that saving 5 bucks is worth the risk of not filtering well or exposing the membrane to chlorine (or fish LOL)

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by charris

My cruising is down in Mexico, and we make and use a lot of water. At approx $5 per filter, I don't take a chance on compromising my filters. I just replace them when they get grungy. Have read this thread and seen people rinsing them with dock water (which probably has chlorine in it) and people repeatedly cleaning them for years or 8 times or more. With filters as cheap as they are, and the ease of storing them on board (very light) I just don't see that saving 5 bucks is worth the risk of not filtering well or exposing the membrane to chlorine (or fish LOL)

I'm the one who mentioned rinsing with dock water.
Sorry, I forgot what most people have to deal with.

I live on an island which is a 70 mile long pile of sand, and it has no rivers.
It also is relatively lightly populated.
All water is sourced from rain, and our local water district which is owned by our community uses NO chlorine or any chemical additives.
A UV system has been added, but not needed just to make the clean freaks happy.
It meets all the state tests with ease, but the water is a bit heavy on calcium.
It's to be expected from an island which is slowly rising by tectonic plate movement.

[Kenomac]

Reviving and old thread with a question:

How long do the 5 micron filters need to hang in the sun to be essentially sterilized by the UV rays?

Cheers,

Ken

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Reviving and old thread with a question:

How long do the 5 micron filters need to hang in the sun to be essentially sterilized by the UV rays?

Cheers,

Ken

I don't know how much sterilization takes place, certainly the sun kills a lot of nasties, but leaving the filter out to sun dry is more for allowing any chlorine to gas off. Once the filter is completely dry I'd say you've done about as much as you can do.

Best Regards
J.T.
HaldenMarineService@yahoo.com
(954) 515-7077