Dinosaur Bones Bought at yard sale

[alansmith]

Gigged you, huh?

I found this old Reverse Osmosis unit at a garage sale for 10 bucks. It was manufactured by Village Marine Tec out of S. California. God only knows when. It is heavy and must drink electrons like Koolaid at a 7 year old’s birthday party.

The question: Can it be resurrected or should I just donate it to the Smithsonian?

[AiniA]

Interesting find, it may turn out to be a genuine bargain. Couple of things come to mind ... Is is 12v or 110v? Does it use a standard size cartridge? Might cost you a few hundred books to see if it works. I would try it without the new cartridge and see what happens. Does it generate the pressure you need (I seem to remember something like 700 psi)? Good luck

[billknny]

An RO watermaker is actually pretty simple. It consists of a very few basic parts.

* A high pressure pump, and a motor to make it work.
* A pressure vessel to hold the membrane.
* A pressure control valve and pressure gauge.
* Hoses to connect it all together.

Everything else is optional bells and whistles. Your pressure vessel is for sure good. Your pump almost ceratinly can be rebuilt to make it right. The motor might be iffy. Those are the pricy bits.

All membranes are made in standard sizes by Filmtec, less than $300

The high pressure hoses are standard hydraulic hoses, can be made at at hydraulic shop.

With a little knowledge and handiness you can turn your old bones in to a working desalinator.

[Captain Bill]

From the pictures, it pretty obvious the gauge is toast, but those are pretty cheap. The valve might be a problem if it wasn't flushed with fresh water before it was taken down. You can usually take these valves apart and check the needle and seat. It looks like a 21 inch membrane and those can be had for between $150 and $175. If it's a 14 inch membrane it will cost a little more. It's a production volume issue. The seals in the housing might be dried out, but those are usually just o-rings. It's a 12V so get some jumper cables and see if the motor spins. Remove the belt first. If the motor spins try turning the pump by hand and see of it's free or frozen. If it's frozen it might not be able to be rebuilt, but if it spins it might be worth rebuilding. Even though the membrane is probably after you've checked it out put the belt on and see if the pump will generate 800 PSI. Obviously you'll need to replace the gauge first. Good luck.

[SV Siren]

I have the same one sitting in my shop that I just pulled off my boat...I have not messed with it yet, so I am interested in what you find out.

[akprb]

Looks like a little wonder 12v by village marine!

6-8gph, great little machine, resurrect her!!!!

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by AiniA

Interesting find, it may turn out to be a genuine bargain. Couple of things come to mind ... Is is 12v or 110v? Does it use a standard size cartridge? Might cost you a few hundred books to see if it works. I would try it without the new cartridge and see what happens. Does it generate the pressure you need (I seem to remember something like 700 psi)? Good luck

I think you have lucked on to a real bargain. It is a 12 volt unit from Village Marine. They still operate and provide parts and service. Their web site is
Village Marine Watermakers - The World's most trusted RO watermaker manufacturer

[Cheechako]

If the motor works, you likely mostly just need a membrane. Clean and test the valves, pump etc etc. Not sure if their membranes are custom. If so, and if expensive, just buy an aftermarket housing and membrane.
But the pump may be pitted and bad....

[Bleemus]

A boat I worked on had two Village units that were 110ac units. They each did 60 gallons an hour and never had an issue in three years of constant use.

[akprb]

I have to comment again, these units were pretty efficient energy wise. We crossed the Pacific with one. Ran it about two hours a day or when we had an engine on (yes, that happens). Paid well over 3K for it.

I'll give you 20.00 bucks for it! You'll double your money! For a sailor that's a big deal :-)

[Nicholson58]

I put a lot of money in my VM 120 VAC 5 HP unit. I finally gave up and installed a Spectra 24 VDC 200H.

I would say that if you can get everything operating at pressure, then consider a new membrane. That is the only real money needed to fix it if all else works. You may have to take the motor apart and service/clean it’s guts.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by AiniA

Interesting find, it may turn out to be a genuine bargain. Couple of things come to mind ... Is is 12v or 110v? Does it use a standard size cartridge? Might cost you a few hundred books to see if it works. I would try it without the new cartridge and see what happens. Does it generate the pressure you need (I seem to remember something like 700 psi)? Good luck

If you zoom in you can see 12V spec on the motor label.

[stormalong]

I have one sitting in my garage. About 200 hours on it but was pickled in 1998. Comes with spares, extra oil and manual. Custom panel with hour meter. Needs a new high pressure hose as I had to cut the old one to get it out.

Anyone interested send me a pm. Located near Seattle.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by stormalong

I have one sitting in my garage. About 200 hours on it but was pickled in 1998. Comes with spares, extra oil and manual. Custom panel with hour meter. Needs a new high pressure hose as I had to cut the old one to get it out.

Anyone interested send me a pm. Located near Seattle.

Best to sell it in the Classifieds.
But you have to have a price

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by akprb

I'll give you 20.00 bucks for it! You'll double your money! For a sailor that's a big deal :-)

We all know making money on a used boat or boat parts is unheard of. Heck, doubling your money is like hitting the lottery!

He should take you up on it!