Spectra 150 Manual or Connect?

[LaBrisa]

I'm about to buy a spectra 150 for our eventual cruising season in the baja. Currently in the PNW and a 50/50 chance we are here for one more winter before heading south. From what I've read maintenance is a key issue. If we go straight to Mexico this upcoming fall I'll be able to run the water maker at least once every 5 days as required. However, if we stay put for one more winter I'd rather not go down to the marina every 5 days and I'd rather not pickle if I don't have to in case we decide to shove off for some winter exploration. This is where the connect sounds promising as I can have it automatically flush every week.

Is the connect worth it or just one more complicated system to babysit? Can I upgrade an existing spectra 150 manual system in the future? Lastly, are there aftermarket automatic flushing timers for Spectra?

Willem

[tkeithlu]

Willem, I've been running a Spectra since 2012. It often sits for months without running. All I have had to do to it is run the smelly product into a jar for a few minutes until it doesn't smell, and then I've got water with fewer free ions than our city stuff. It's ice cubes for the single malt quality. I do use water from our tank for the flush cycle.

Maybe where I dock is special (Florida panhandle, darn close to pure seawater in a small river), but you might use it awhile and see just how far you need to go, relative to the specifications in the manual.

[Ssas5342]

I’m planning to use my old spectra soon. For Maintanance I intend to run a line in through a charcoal filter connected to the house water pump and a tap timer. Just leave everything in the open position so that fresh water flows through the system for about 10 minutes and is discarded. Once a week should be fine. You might need to do a little diy but heaps cheaper than the spectra solution.

[carstenb]

Write to Tellie (he's on this forum) He is the world's premier Spectra dealer.

WE ahve a 200T and have been suing it for 4 years. If you flush it for 4 minutes or longer you should be able to leave it for longer periods of time, although the water will smell like rotten eggs the first few minutes you use - the clear up. You probably also shorten the membrane life by not pickling or running it every weeks or so.

As far as I know there is no way to retrofit an autoflush system to the watermaker.

[LaBrisa]

Originally Posted by Ssas5342

I’m planning to use my old spectra soon. For Maintanance I intend to run a line in through a charcoal filter connected to the house water pump and a tap timer. Just leave everything in the open position so that fresh water flows through the system for about 10 minutes and is discarded. Once a week should be fine. You might need to do a little diy but heaps cheaper than the spectra solution.

Interesting. This sounds very doable.

[LaBrisa]

Tkeithlu - I've seen others on this forum report similar findings who are able to leave the spectra alone for long periods of time. I know where we are in the PNW; spring growth would be the time when I would want to really stay on top of it.

[Boatguy30]

You're suggesting that you leave it for months in FL with no pickling?

Another forum members has mentioned 2 weeks in PNW, but your membrane must be toast after more than a month in FL.

[sailjumanji]

Willem,

Pickle if its not going to be used for long periods. I pickled my 150D in June of 2016, and restarted in April 2019 without any impairment to water quality or quantity. If in the meantime you do one of your short trips, just fill your fresh water tank before you leave and live off the tank water. We keep our tanks very clean, and run RO water thru the tank before drinking it, with no issues.

[laika]

I've had a cape horn for about 5 years now. We pickle it every year for the 8 months we are not on the boat. It's about a 15 minute procedure and very painless (using either the sc-1 spectra-proprietary blend or polypropylene glycol).

We get back on the boat 8 months later and do a 20 minute flush to clear out the pickling agent. Bam, ready to go again.

If you decide not to go this year, just throw some glycol in there and it will require no maintenance until you are ready to go the following year.

Unless you are off the boat regularly for short periods of time doing prolonged inshore travels while cruising, I personally don't see the attraction of complicating the setup with auto-flush. YMMV

[Jon Hacking]

Willem, I agree with these last 2 posts. We've had our Spectra for 18 years. When we go home (or even on an extended shore excursion) we pickle it. Takes only a few minutes, & costs ~$10 for the stuff from Spectra (we keep a couple on board). Only problem we've had was when we left it pickled for 2.5 years during a refit, which apparently did nasty things to the seals in the Clark Pump, so we shipped it back to Spectra for refirb ($450).

I don't know the "connect" but it sounds overly complicated, & a watermaker is complicated enough already. Keep it simple, mate!

FWIW, our Watermaker page may help you with some decisions. I'd recommend getting the valve-panel, as that makes things much easier once you get it all installed. We only put watermaker water or rainwater in our port tank, as that's what we flush from.

And good luck on your cruising! (from a fellow PNWer)

[LaBrisa]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Sounds like automatic flush is not really needed. It also sounds like pickling is a very straightforward affair. I'm looking forward to getting the watermaker.

[Tellie]

I wouldn't recommend a Connect system on a Ventura150 in your case I would go for the Cape Horn Extreme330 instead. You'll spend less money on the Cape Horn Extreme330 than you will on a Ventura 150 with the Connect system. You'll get twice the production with the CHE and you can add a simple timer to the CHE for auto flushing. This is always been one of my favorite watermakers and set ups for smaller sail boats. Let me know if I can ever help.

[briblack]

We've got a Spectra Z-ion on our 200T (manual). Works fine for situations like this, up to maybe a month they say. For longer, pickle.

[LaBrisa]

Originally Posted by Tellie

I wouldn't recommend a Connect system on a Ventura150 in your case I would go for the Cape Horn Extreme330 instead. You'll spend less money on the Cape Horn Extreme330 than you will on a Ventura 150 with the Connect system. You'll get twice the production with the CHE and you can add a simple timer to the CHE for auto flushing. This is always been one of my favorite watermakers and set ups for smaller sail boats. Let me know if I can ever help.

Thanks Tellie. That's a good recommendation. I wasn't aware the CHE had the ability to add a simple timer for auto flushing.

[Tudorsailor]

Originally Posted by briblack

We've got a Spectra Z-ion on our 200T (manual). Works fine for situations like this, up to maybe a month they say. For longer, pickle.

I too had the Z-Ion retrofitted to replace the charcoal filter. I now do not pickle if leaving for up to 4 weeks
https://www.spectrawatermakers.com/d...l-ae080116.pdf

Pickling is dead easy and not a big deal. Follow the instructions and its done in about 1/2 hr

TudorSailor