Dessalator DUO60 Pre Filter Specs

[FrankP]

I just purchased a boat with a DUO60 water maker. I have never had a water maker before so this is all new to me. Does anyone know what the specs are on the intake prefilter and where to purchase replacements?

Thanks
Frank

[sailormed]

Contact these people, they are the experts.


https://www.dessalator.fr/en/products/serie-ac-dc-duo/

[FrankP]

Thanks Sailormed, I contacted them and they referred me to a distributor in the US called Balcen however Balcen is not responding. I am hoping that this a standard filter that I can purchase on line somewhere. The manual states that it is a 5 micron filter.


Frank

[sailormed]

I see now it is the intake prefilter, if you know it is 5 micron and you have the dimensions I see no problem, as any 5 micron and fitting filter will do.

[FrankP]

Thanks Again, Unfortunately the boat is 200 miles away and I was hoping to get enough info to order the filter before I drive back down. If no one comes up with the usable part number I will take your advice and measure the one I have.

Frank

[boom23]

It is a 5 micron, 10 inch by 2.5 inch filter. Very common size.

Look at page 13 of this brochure:

https://www.dessalator.fr/wp-content...ochure-ENG.pdf

It can also be seen here:

https://www.advanceyacht.co.uk/dessa...se-freedom-duo

Here it is in Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...+by+2.5+filter

I would get few reusable ones. I have the DUO100 on my next boat...

[FrankP]

Thanks Boom, I will order a couple of them before the trip down

[boom23]

Depending on how far you'll be from civilization, how long you plan to use the watermaker, and the clarity of the water, you might want to get few more... The reusable ones will last longer. They are cheap and readily available in almost any hardware store.

My previous watermaker had a 20 micron filter before the 5 micron, which made the 5 micron last longer, but the Dessalator uses the 5 micron only.

[rom]

Originally Posted by boom23

Depending on how far you'll be from civilization, how long you plan to use the watermaker, and the clarity of the water, you might want to get few more... The reusable ones will last longer. They are cheap and readily available in almost any hardware store.

My previous watermaker had a 20 micron filter before the 5 micron, which made the 5 micron last longer, but the Dessalator uses the 5 micron only.

Yes everywhere and somewhere between 5 to 10 EUR. Dessalator DC100 here, I usually change the filter every 100 hours or so.

[a64pilot]

I would fit a dual cartridge filter, a 20 micron and a 5 micron. That spreads out the filtering, just like your Diesel engine does, two filters will last more than twice as long as a single one.
Use the standard 10” filters you can get at any home supply store, or you can save some trouble and buy one here.
http://www.cruiserowaterandpower.com...aker_Parts.php

Then for the filters themselves. Be sure to use only the pleated paper filters and not the ones that look like they are wound string, reason is the pleated ones have much, much more surface area and will hold lots more contaminant before restricting flow. You can rinse them off once or twice and reuse them if needed.
I buy mine from Amazon.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by boom23

It is a 5 micron, 10 inch by 2.5 inch filter. Very common size.

Look at page 13 of this brochure:

https://www.dessalator.fr/wp-content...ochure-ENG.pdf

It can also be seen here:

https://www.advanceyacht.co.uk/dessa...se-freedom-duo

Here it is in Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...+by+2.5+filter

I would get few reusable ones. I have the DUO100 on my next boat...

All 5 micron filters are not created equal. The string wound filters shown in the above quoted post are NOT the best to use for this application.

They are a "nominally" rated filter, and will pass a significant fraction of particles of 5 micron and greater. The pleated paper elements are a better choice to protect your membranes.

The pleated elements are also "surface" filters instead of "depth" filters. This means that their capacity is a bit lower for dirt before the pressure drop rises, but they can be cleaned, which is not possible for depth filters where the captured particles are buried deep inside.

String them on a line, with a stopper knot at the end, and tow them behind the boat at < 5 knots. Clean in 10 minutes.

The 5 micron rating is the correct one for your watermaker.

[FrankP]

Thanks for the info everyone. I will go with the pleated filter.

Frank

[boom23]

The reusable filters I use are pleated. The picture I posted in my previous post is from a Dessalator parts dealer...

You can get better/cheaper filters from other places.

If you find that you go through 5 micron filters too fast, add a 20 micron filter before the 5 micron, as a64pilot said. It will help.

As I said, my next boat has the Dessalator Duo100 and I plan to cruise Europe for few seasons. I am curious what I'll learn from it. From a quick Internet search, the motor capacitor seems to fail often. Again, it depends how far from civilization you'll be most of the time.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by billknny

String them on a line, with a stopper knot at the end, and tow them behind the boat at < 5 knots. Clean in 10 minutes.

I actually no longer recommend this method of cleaning pre-filters. This will clean the outer surfaces of the filter but will also shove massive amounts of un filtered water through the opening of the prefilter and actually cause the filter to work in reverse collecting anything larger than 5 Microns on the wrong side of the filter. Anything that is caught in the inside of the filter will be released when reinstalling the filter and starting the system. These larger particles will go straight and un filtered to the membrane which will have a hard time passing these larger particles and more likely to clog the membrane earlier.

[David B]

Originally Posted by FrankP

I just purchased a boat with a DUO60 water maker. I have never had a water maker before so this is all new to me. Does anyone know what the specs are on the intake prefilter and where to purchase replacements?

Thanks
Frank

It is a standard wound prefilter element, so you can get these online for reasonable prices (like around $20 each at most). However, when you are back-flushing and you have chlorinated water in your tanks from shore, then you are risking the membrane.

Ideally there should be a separate prefilter and then a carbon (block, not granulated) filter there. But failing installing another filter housing (and there is usually not much room), then consider a combination filter. That's what we do - wound pre-filter on the outside, with granulated carbon on the inside (and then another filter layer to prevent carbon fines getting to your membrane).

The Desalator units are good, robust products - not as sophisticated as some of the others, and with no electronic management of pressure or back-flush etc, but then when you are somewhere where you need RO water, you want the least chance of something going wrong. With the Desalator, there is a pump, a prefilter, a membrane and a pressure switch (which can be bypassed in an emergency), so you have a good chance of keeping it going when you need it.

Be sure to pickle the membrane when you are leaving your boat at the end of the season. The material in the pickling kit is sodium metabisulphite. Home brew shops usually sell it very cheaply, so if you already have the pickling canister, all you need is more of the chemical.

I hope that helps,

David