Update on watermaker and question on salinity

[phorvati]

Hi Guys,
Yesterday I finally opened the membranes and added them to my high pressure system of the watermaker. The membranes were very hard to assemble into the pressure vessel, but I am very very pleased with the output. I have a cat pump 2SF15SEEL run by a leeson DC motor 3/4HP and two 2.5x40 membranes in serial. My brine flow is about 1 GPM and the product is through the roof. The meter goes as hign as 30GPH but the little ball is hitting the ceiling. So I am probably at 40GPH or so. The pressure regulator(needle valve) is after the second membrane and the product starts at around 700psi. The motor and the feeder pump together draw a wapping 70-75amps . But I fill up one of my tanks (30gallon) in under an hour. Salinity is still a question. I have a TDS meter. at 700PSI its showing 370ppm for the product. at 800+ PSI its showing 300ppm for the product. Our bottled drinking water is at 270ppm. The salt water intake is at 470ppm. Does anyone have any clue as to what numbers should I be getting? I tasted the product at 370ppm and its pretty good. We also have a charcoal filter on the galey sink and that reduces the product to about 220ppm. For now I intend to use the product for showers and dishes, perhaps cooking. Since we are still coastal cruising we'll be buying the drinking water.
Anyway, thats it for now. More to come as we continue.
Petar

[senormechanico]

We cruisedMexico for several years with a PUR 35 and eventually a PUR 80, but with our current boat I love my Spectra 180. 300 ppm is ok, but I get about 225 ppm after about ten minutes of running. On battery use, I get about 180-200 gph @8 amps, but with the engine running I get 250gph.

I never have useed chemicals to pickle any of them, just product water. In Mexico it was only good for a month or two, but in the cool Pacific Northwest that's good for at least 6 months of nonuse.

Steve B.

[northerncat]

sounds good, is there any way to pull the amps down a bit, i would have thought a 3/4 hp motor would pull around 40 a?
sean

[Talbot]

On battery use, I get about 180-200 gph @8 amps, but with the engine running I get 250gph.

I assume you mean gallons per day!

Spectra now only list a 150 and a 300 gallons/day and these are US gallons = 125 and 250 real gallons

your current seems a little low as well as again spectra quote 9 amps for the 150 and 15 for the 300. Either way, this is easily catered for with a decent set of solar panels

[phorvati]

sean the cat pump is rated I think around 60 amps. I also have a feeder pump. I could have accidentaly overestimated the reading because it was off the main battery monitor. I am not sure if there was anything else running on the boat.
Petar

[senormechanico]

Sorry bout that, yes it's gpd. I am reading the amps off an e meter, and I figured the output by filling a calibrated container.

Steve B.


the

Originally Posted by Talbot

I assume you mean gallons per day!

Spectra now only list a 150 and a 300 gallons/day and these are US gallons = 125 and 250 real gallons

your current seems a little low as well as again spectra quote 9 amps for the 150 and 15 for the 300. Either way, this is easily catered for with a decent set of solar panels

[Talbot]

senormechanico, which spectra system is yours? is it an old one that is no longer produced or is it a derated version of the 300

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Talbot

senormechanico, which spectra system is yours? is it an old one that is no longer produced or is it a derated version of the 300

It's an older one. It has a feed pump, a Clark Pump Intensifier, and a single membrane. It's mounted slightly below the waterline.

I live in the Pacfic Northwest where the water temp is in the high 40's f.

Steve

[phorvati]

Hi guys I justwanted to share with the list that our watermaker is still going strong. We are near VA/NC stateline in the ICW. Since Newport, RI we filled up our water tanks once in Port Jefferson, Long Island. The rest of the time we've been filling the tanks with the watermaker. I ran it in Block Island Sound, in the middle of LI sound, outside of NJ coast twice, and twice in Chesapeake Bay. Water quality has been great. I drank all the water accpet for Chesapeake bay. That water we've been boiling for cofee and tea. Now that we are in the ICW, I have some spare water for flushing every 3rd day and the rest of the time we are gonna be filling the tanks when we get fuel or pumpout. We also have the britta type filter at the galley tap which we used for drinking and cooking.
I am really pleased at the product flow. Couple of hours of motoring and we get about 60gallons of water. That from the two SW 2.5x40 membranes in serial. The cat pump is great. The current consumption is outrageous but if it filles up 60gallons of water in 2 hours or so, who cares?
Petar