PUR / Katadyn Watermaker Help from an Ex-Cruiser

[AmericanVagrant]

I seem to have found the answer to my question. Pentek 158116 appears to be what is sold with the kit (though I may have the inlet/outlet sized wrong). I'd like to find a housing with a bypass built-in. That way, I can mount a 30 micron and 5 micron inline with one another, and only use the 5 when conditions require (without using separate T-Valves).

[ErikFinn]

Hi all,
could anyone tell me what usually goes wrong with PUR watermakers please?
I may be able to purchase a non-working PUR, but owner has no idea what is wrong with it, he inherited it from his father.
Im sorry I missed the model, it was in a beige colored plasting casing, definitely a PUR. (what PUR models were available with plastic casing?)
What are suspectible parts to go wrong and how much to replace or service?
Any parts bulletproof and "never" fail?
Thanks

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by ErikFinn

Hi all,

could anyone tell me what usually goes wrong with PUR watermakers please?

I may be able to purchase a non-working PUR, but owner has no idea what is wrong with it, he inherited it from his father.

Im sorry I missed the model, it was in a beige colored plasting casing, definitely a PUR. (what PUR models were available with plastic casing?)

What are suspectible parts to go wrong and how much to replace or service?

Any parts bulletproof and "never" fail?

Thanks

That's an impossible question. How long ago did it quit? What fluid has been left in it? No mechanical parts never break.

Branded Pur it's pretty old, may be worth screwing with if it was free, but I wouldn't pay for it.


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[ErikFinn]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

That's an impossible question. How long ago did it quit? What fluid has been left in it? No mechanical parts never break.

Branded Pur it's pretty old, may be worth screwing with if it was free, but I wouldn't pay for it.


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Thanks for your reply Sailmonkey, I was hoping to read something like that. Unfortunately it is impossible to answer your questions as the owner passed away.
A watermaker would be nice to have but they are so bloody expensive. This one is possibly a "80". A new one is about 5k USD. If I would replace all the seals and membranes an what consumables are there, how much would I be looking at? I recall the OP said the pump is robust. I never had a watermaker so I'm on thin ice here.

[Sailmonkey]

There was a material change somewhere after PUR to the piston and seals. From what I understand if the piston or seals failed, the damage can be extensive. If the seals leaked saltwater onto the gearbox it's not financially viable to repair.

Otoh if it's just a membrane and rebuild kit it may be worth something......there's just no way of knowing from here.


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[unclemack]

Rebuilt my 80E a couple of years ago, going from memory here.

The pump's piston shaft is visible between the gearbox and pump without dismantling anything.
If it's black-ish in colour it'll be the coated older shaft and probably hasn't been touched.
That coating surface used to scratch/chip and wear away at the pump shaft seals causing leaks.
Later replacement shafts don't have that coating and look like shiny stainless steel.

To see what's involved look for expert member ishipaco's posts and his repair video showing the smaller 40E model. Still very relevant to your questions.
First post in this thread has links to his website and the video.

PUR/Katadyn membranes are ridiculously expensive and nothing else fits that I know of.
And I looked hard

[ErikFinn]

Thanks guys. This one is a PUR 80E judging by the Katadyn owner's manual (ink printed) we found. I reckon they are still identical products.. I might be able to see the actual unit next week.
So I understood I should try to check the piston and the gearbox before anything else? If they are toast or seawater in gearbox then the whole unit is a write off?
But if they are ok then a new membrane and a seal kit might suffice? Sounds about right?
I will research his site also ty.

[unclemack]

Remember the 80E needs two membranes Erik.
edit: membrane housing is 2.5 feet long x 2" diameter and the 2 membranes inside are end-to-end.

Strongly suggest learning everything you can about them before committing.
The modified part I referred to is the piston shaft not the piston itself.

Seal kit was £100 plus IIRC but was pretty comprehensive.

Testing the output water with a TDS meter and seawater input is the only way I know of to tell if the membranes and the system are working OK.

I've read that acid, then alkaline (or vice-versa) solutions can sometimes help recover fouled membranes but I haven't tried that.

If stored ashore it seems unlikely it will have been flushed & re-pickled every six months as I've seen recommended.

[daletournier]

The Katadyn membranes are crazy expensive....last time I looked approx $450 each I think, and as mentioned you need two.

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[unclemack]

I did have one further thought about buying a watermaker with membranes in unknown condition.

Even if the product water isn't drinkable it'll almost certainly be fresh enough to be used for showers, dish-washing, cleaning etc. - everything but drinking.
Need to be able to store product water separately obviously.

Reckon that would at least triple how long I could sail between tank fill ups.

Probably take a small 12 Volt (drill) battery with me so I could run it for a second or two if owner agreed. Motor only draws about 8 amps - just two wires, red & black, easy.
Some pickling fluid would be ejected - pickle it again soon as I got home.

I'd buy it if it ran, looked OK and the price allowed for the cost of replacement parts.
If it's had replacement membranes fitted recently the membrane seals will be the newer type. You can look it up.

[Tellie]

If the unit is free it can't hurt to take it and play with it. Repairing an older PUR -80 can get pricey for what it is and even then you have an older repaired unit that can have other issues creep up. Just to start, membranes are $440 each, the 80 has two, the repair seal kit is $160, the Plunger rod kit is $248. You could shop it around a bit but any more money invested wouldn't make sense as opposed to buying a known working unit or starting new.

Halden Marine Services – Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

[unclemack]

Originally Posted by Tellie

If the unit is free it can't hurt to take it and play with it. Repairing an older PUR -80 can get pricey for what it is and even then you have an older repaired unit that can have other issues creep up. Just to start, membranes are $440 each, the 80 has two, the repair seal kit is $160, the Plunger rod kit is $248. You could shop it around a bit but any more money invested wouldn't make sense as opposed to buying a known working unit or starting new.

Halden Marine Services – Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

I'm UK based - we usually pay £ for $ so I checked my bill out of curiosity.

Paid £125 ($179) for the seal kit and £42 ($60) for the "plunger rod" that I've been calling the piston shaft - on its own I think rather than part of a kit though.

Think I remember Jim & Ann at Mactra in the UK (nice people) might have split a plunger rod kit for me as I was buying the seal kit at the same time.

$248 seems expensive but I don't know what else is in the plunger rod kit.

[ErikFinn]

Thanks for all the posts uncklemack and all,
I'm falling behind with my replies already but I try to catch up with few notes and questions.

Cheapest membranes I found so far were at Defender at USD 340 each:
Katadyn Watermaker Membrane

For anyone interested, the plunger (piston shaft) is the thing at Gary's site, this page about half way down page:
Information on PUR and Katadyn Watermakers

Would anyone have a link for me where to buy this part at a good price? I was not able to locate it at Defender's site.

Furthermore can one say if a membrane is bad or not just by taking a look at it? (I have never seen one) I do understand its a bit stupid question but if it was never used for example and showed no dirt or coloring could you presume its ok? Or will it expire even if not used?

Finally, here are the only photos I have been able to find in internet about a similar item with the casing (that is NOT my listing neither anyone's I know)

Powersurvivor 80 E 12 Volt Watermaker | eBay

But yea, I will try to see the unit next week and my feeling is that if it has question marks in addition to the membranes I would be looking at a minimum of 1'000 USD which is too much...

Originally Posted by unclemack

I'm UK based - we usually pay £ for $ so I checked my bill out of curiosity.

Paid £125 ($179) for the seal kit and £42 ($60) for the "plunger rod" that I've been calling the piston shaft - on its own I think rather than part of a kit though.

Think I remember Jim & Ann at Mactra in the UK (nice people) might have split a plunger rod kit for me as I was buying the seal kit at the same time.

$248 seems expensive but I don't know what else is in the plunger rod kit.

[ErikFinn]

I found something of interest to all PUR/Katadyn watermaker owners: apparently Cruise RO Water can supply the pressure vessels (membrane casing) and different type membranes to retrofit to PUR/Katadyn watermakers as per here:

Custom Boat Watermaker by Cruise RO Water & Power

The cost is unclear to me as I'm not sure what exactly would be required, but food for thought.

Maybe s/v Jedi could shed light on this as a marketing opportunity if he sees this post, as I believe he is associated with the Cruise RO Water company.
Cheers,
Erik

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by ErikFinn

I found something of interest to all PUR/Katadyn watermaker owners: apparently Cruise RO Water can supply the pressure vessels (membrane casing) and different type membranes to retrofit to PUR/Katadyn watermakers as per here:



Custom Boat Watermaker by Cruise RO Water & Power



The cost is unclear to me as I'm not sure what exactly would be required, but food for thought.



Maybe s/v Jedi could shed light on this as a marketing opportunity if he sees this post, as I believe he is associated with the Cruise RO Water company.

Cheers,

Erik

That would be SV Third Day, not Jedi.




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