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sdowney717 · 05-08-2011, 14:05

This is the kind with the manual timer.
I can get the meter into the green but it needs a cup of salt or more
to do that.
Unit has a new electrode pack.
Boat is next to Langley AFB on Harris creek right off the Back river off the Chesapeake bay. The water is brackish.

peghall · 05-08-2011, 19:10

4 tablespoons (a coffee measure is two tbls, so 2 coffee measures) added to EVERY FLUSH should crate enough salinity...A cupful is way too much. Too much salt OR too little can damage the electrodes.

The two chambers hold a total of 3 gallons of water...ALL of which has to have a high enough level of salinity. If you ran it more than few times without adding salt, and without replacing the fresh or brackish water in it with a couple of gallons of brine that's has the right level of salinity, you may have damaged the electrode pack.

When, if ever, was the the system cleaned last? A buildup of sea water minerals on the electrode pack "insulates" it from sea water, preventing it from working. The directions for cleaning it using muriatic acid are in the manual for later versions...you can download 'em from here:
Raritan LectraSan

Running it when it isn't working properly can destroy it...so avoid using it till it working properly again. I suggest you give Raritan a call on Monday to discuss the problem in detail: 800-352-5630 x 6. Meanwhile, download and READ the manual...it's for a later version than yours, but the only thing that's newer is the controller...everything that pertains to the treatment unit also pertains to yours.

sdowney717 · 06-08-2011, 04:11

This unit is spotlessly clean on the inside, cleaned when I replaced the pack.
Boat has seen no use and was recently put back in the water after long term repairs.
So the Lectrasan is fresh had no water in it until last week.

Reading thru the manual says to use an entire cup of salt if water is fresh.
2 3/4 ozs if brackish, and various amounts if variously brackish as attempts to get it into the low end of the green.
I tasted the marina water and it is not very salty.
Manual does not mention electrode pack getting damaged with a low salt condition, just add more salt. I can understand damage if too much current flows. But too little?
Anyway It has only been electrified about 5 times
I emailed Raritan and I am going to use a different amp meter to see how much current flows thru the pack. I been wondering if the meter has a fault.

HopCar · 07-08-2011, 07:33

Are you using a salt feed tank? If you are it should have concentrated brine in it and you adjust the feed valve to increase or decrease the salinity of the water entering the tank. No need to measure salt and add it to each flush. Raritan sells both 2 gallon and 4 gallon brine tanks.
Here are instructions for using the brine tank: http://www.raritaneng.com/pdf_files/...galsfv0607.pdf

sdowney717 · 07-08-2011, 09:38

nope dont have one although it would be nice to have one.
I priced their tank and recall a lot of money for what I though was not much, so If I think of going that way, I likely would try and make my own. Needs a valve, a check valve, tubing and some fittings and a plastic tank. The pump motor sucks in a mix some coming from water under boat and some from tank. So I dont think it would be too hard to figure out.
The boat is not used right now, just sits at the dock.

sdowney717 · 07-08-2011, 10:32

after musing about how this could work and do it cheaply came up with this idea.

Aquarium 10m Air Hose Tube+3 Airstone + Backwater Valve | eBay

1/4 tubing
small backwater valve
and then use a blue water tank, I have a 5 gallon square one sitting here.
A small 1/4 plastic ball valve top control the flow rate or something similar attached to bottom of tank,
and a plastic Tee to go into the seawater hose.
This backwater valve keeps the seawater from entering the salt tank.
Place the Tee in the water supply line, normally sea water pressure will keep the plastic backwater valve shut. When the pump draws seawater, the back water valve opens from the pressure drop and feeds a mix from the brine tank thru the tee.

using the ball valve to control the flow out of the tank.

sdowney717 · 07-08-2011, 11:04

here is another one of those valves for aquariums
Air Pump Accessories: Air Check Valve by Tom Oscar Aquarium Products

Quote:

* Universal check valve allows water to flow in one direction only
* Essential for protecting your aquarium air pump from back-siphoning damage

so I can likely get all this locally somewhere.

Auspicious · 07-08-2011, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdowney717

I priced their tank and recall a lot of money for what I though was not much

I went through the same logic. I just dump some salt into the head before using.

sdowney717 · 07-08-2011, 19:34

as an update, I went to boat with an amp meter.
I flushed head for a couple of minutes to clear out the lectrasan
Then I took 1/4 to 1/3 cup of salt and poured it into lectrasan thru the plug in the top. (There is a divider into each chamber by way of this plug)
I ran the mixer motors for a minute or two alone by themselves to mix the salt into the water.
Then I ran the electrode pack alone by itself and measured the current at 23 amps.
I noted that the lectrasan meter was reading in the low end of the green.

So does this sound like a normal current draw for the electrode pack?

Using the old timer control is easy to pull the fuses and jumper another meter across the fuse terminals. I actually like the old control better. I read the new one is electronically sophisticated and likely not as robust.

peghall · 08-08-2011, 16:04

Wouldn't it be just as easy, once you get the right salt level in the LS, to just put 2 coffee measures of table salt into the bowl with each flush? I know a LOT Of people who do that...they keep a Rubbermaid box in the head full of solar salt (it works better than table salt 'cuz it dissolves faster).

sdowney717 · 09-08-2011, 13:07

interesting idea on solar salt.
people might forget to add in the salt with every flush?
I talked with Vic and the normal amp reading is 17-23 so I am right on.
He said the meters in the manual timer control lose accuracy.
So I adjusted the meter stop which he also suggested to where it makes sense when it is running.
(pry off plastic cover, grab round adjustment disc and twist).

I came up with a 5 gallon salt tank idea.
here is what it looks like so far.
I need to put a one way water well backflow valve between the pipe nipples.

HopCar · 09-08-2011, 20:20

I like your brine tank. Your valve is actually more sophisticated than the one that comes from Raritan.

sdowney717 · 10-08-2011, 04:27

I had the tank and hose. I just had to buy fittings and valve.
that tank is a 5 gallon coleman fresh water tank made of HDPE plastic that someone tossed. It had a spigot but the spigot was broke. If you can make another setup then a spigot is also a metering valve if you figure out how to attach a hose. For this one, I cut off the broken spigot, tapped threads of 1/4 pipe thread, screwed in a nylon hose barb.
1/4 thread by 3/8 tube nylon barb $1.60
pvc valve $2.65
barb for pc valve 1/2 thread by 3/8 barb $2.00
plastic grey pipe nipples 2 for $1.00
grey plastic tee $1.25

The plastic water well valve is $9 which I did not get yet.
It has 3/4 thread but you can get a 3/4 to 1/2 reducer bushing.
The well valve feels like it has a very very low cracking pressure.
Feels like an anti siphon valve used on gas tanks for boats.
So I will test to see if it works perhaps with a dye in the tank.

I had thought maybe a swing check but that would not be right as the
tank water would just flow out of it. Any valve you use needs to hold the tank water in until the head pump creates a suction then open.
Lowes also has PVC check valve backflow preventer 1/2 inch thread I could try.

The weight of the water in the tank will help open the valve.

The well valve is similar to this one here.
http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Slc75.../dp/B000BQUQGQ

sdowney717 · 10-08-2011, 20:47

Very happy to say , it works!
Run toilet for 30 seconds, and it sucks 1 inch out of a 1 gallon milk bottle with both valves wide open, seacock and brine valve.

To prime the setup and get rid of the air, close head seacock, open brine valve, pump the head.
I am thinking of maybe using an old small igloo cooler I have instead of the 5 gallon tank. A cooler you can pop up the lid and it would be easier to put in salt. Disadvantage might be brine sloshing out if boat rolls heavily.

All parts bought from lowes
3/4 inch pvc Check valve which works

some pics of the setup. Vic said to put the brine feed as close to head as possible, cant get closer than this!
A temporary setup, I plan to put this assembly behind the toilet instead on if front as it was useful for testing.
If you have trouble with PVC hose, heat it either in boiling water or a heat gun and then it slides onto the fittings easily.