Visit our Popular Forums

colemj · 02-01-2014, 17:09

I'm sorry for my astonishment, but everything you are doing and the performance you achieve is counter to all advice, manuals and data specs that I have ever seen.

14yrs on a single membrane with routine TDS <100ppm, running the HP pump without water flow, storing membranes dry for long periods. They are just counter to everything I thought I knew.

Given your model's abilities, maybe our recent brand choice for a new watermaker was a big mistake!

Mark

**Tellie** · 02-01-2014, 18:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack1966

And it is the pressure gage Thai is not working, the flow meter is working fine reading around 7

The reading I got from the sea water was 750 x10 ppm

You'll want to get a new pressure guage to be sure. It is an important feature on your unit both for trouble shooting potential issues with your system and to be assured your system is working up to specs. I'm not a big fan of using the TDS meter to measure the water you are floating in for salinity. The error rate is pretty wide for many reasons with the inexpensive hand held units. They generally work just fine for testing product water after it's been run through a salt water membrane. With that said, I know Harbor Towne Marina very well and have done a lot of work there. Florida is different than a lot of places when it comes to testing the salinity of the water. Where Harbor Towne is located it sits over part of the Florida aquifer and several water management canals feed this area from surrounding lakes and rivers. So it would not be totally unlikely that your TDS readings are around 7,500 in this area. It seems even a bit low for that area but considering a hand held TDS meter I'll buy it. But the real test is just offshore where, unlike the Pacific, salinity can be in the 35K-37K+ PPM range. This accounts for why ShaktisBoy, who is just a few miles from you, has a different TDS reading (200PPM is a very good reading here in saltier water.) The southern east coast and the offshore Atlantic waters for the most part have the highest salinity readings in the world. Though this isn't extremely important to know for the average crusier, it explains a lot of misconceptions of why your watermaker has higher TDS readings here on the east coast and your buddy's watermaker on the other coast has better TDS readings. It means nothing as to the condition or quality of your watermaker. To truely understand your particular watermakers condition you need that new pressure gauge, a flow test, (for both product alone and brine and product together) and a good offshore product TDS reading.
If all is good with your unit and the reading of both 7,500 surrounding water is fairly accurate and the product PPM is 60 I'd expect your system to be making product water offshore in the 280-350PPM range which for a system that has sat for five years is very good.

Did I mention...get the pressure gauge?

**Tellie** · 02-01-2014, 18:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemj

I'm sorry for my astonishment, but everything you are doing and the performance you achieve is counter to all advice, manuals and data specs that I have ever seen.

14yrs on a single membrane with routine TDS <100ppm, running the HP pump without water flow, storing membranes dry for long periods. They are just counter to everything I thought I knew.

Given your model's abilities, maybe our recent brand choice for a new watermaker was a big mistake!

Mark

It is astonishing! But following senormechanicos post over the years it is not at all surprising to me. He has shown that he is a very meticulous person when it comes to the care and understanding of his ship and it's systems. His watermakers performance proves it. He has posted such great results over the past years here many times. Though it would not be a recommendation I would give to others because there are sooo many variances in conditions and people it works for him. I have seen it work for a few others as well in colder waters. Again, I would not recommend it. I've worked in this business for a long time and have worked on practically all brands and models of watermakers. I've learned to never say never. For every watermaker that seems to be a problem I have many more that work flawlessly. Kinda like cops, I see all the problems and rarely see all the good ones out there.

hydelotter · 07-01-2014, 09:39

I had the pleasure of meeting JT known as Tellie on this forum. He is based in Fort Lauderdale. Halden Marine Services, 954-515-7077. I called the local Spectra Distributor to purchase some pickling paste for my 150 and was referred to him.
Firstly I like a guy whose tech vehicle is cleaner than a brain surgeons laboratory, I mean you could eat off the floor. I also like people who have all the knowledge and arent a little bit frightened of sharing it. He was so helpful! I kept expecting the line you get from most people that work on boats : "well I could do it for you for a fee"
But this man is the real deal. I cant recommend him more highly. He just wanted to help and spent a long time coaching me through the installation of a fresh water flush system. No dollars charged. If I need work done on a watermaker or need to buy another in the future. I know where I will be going! Thanks JT (Tellie)