Spectra Cape Horn Extreme 330

[PLANET EXPRESS]

We have had to go to one pump making 10gph with a pressure of 80psi. If we turn on 2 pumps it jumps to 120ish and trips the high pressure on one pump. The water is clear can see bottom in 10 feet the temp is around 70f. Is this normal operation for 70f water?

[PLANET EXPRESS]

Thanks for all the help thought I could find some here I guess not.

[Tellie]

Patience Grasshopper.



You have a blockage somewhere after the two feed pumps. A blocked brine discharge line or possibly a clogged membrane.

[PLANET EXPRESS]

Ok hooked up the service Brine discharge hose and ran it with same results, so not a blocked discharge. I find it hard to believe the membrane has gone bad only been running it in Bahamas for 3 months. It is a brand new unit and I would not think the membrane would go bad that fast. We flush with the Zion after every use.

[billknny]

If you are asking for help here it is usually a good idea to list the things you have already and eliminated as the problem. It can give your post more "cred" and save a lot of bandwidth.

For example... Have you changed the 5 micron filter? Maybe even tried running for a short bit without it? That's usually the cause...

[PLANET EXPRESS]

So what pressure can I run it to? I tested the pressure switch on the one pump and found it to cut off around 115. So I increased it to 125. It’s now running to 110, 115psi making about 17gph which I am happy with. It use to only go to 105 the specs say 90-100psi is normal operating.

[Tellie]

If you are making 17gph at 110-115psi, what is your voltage at each feed pumps terminal strip? The system is rated for 14gph at 90-100psi as you stated. More pressure from the feed pumps is going to produce more product water. But if you are slowly seeing increased pressures on the gauge I would still suspect the membrane has some fouling. Also what exactly is your fresh water flush regime. The feed pumps and Clark pump sound fine.

[PLANET EXPRESS]

Talked to place we bought it from. He said at 15gph and pressure at 110-115psi was ok to adjust pressure switch to stop 125-135psi and it would be ok.

[Alistair242]

We have a Cape Horn extreme 330 that was factory installed but we have not run it as I was away for 6 months and prior to that had easy access to good dock water.
We fired it up last week as per the instructions. All seemed fine but we were unable to run it with the selector valve going to the tank. The pressure went up too high and the pump tripped. Tracing the lines we realised that the sampling valve had the “to tank” line and the line from the Clark pump reversed. When we reversed those lines to have them as the manual suggests they should be, we are unable to prime the pumps with salt water. The system primes with a fresh water flush but not when the source is salt water. Salt water seacock is open, using the pressure relief valve still does not prime the pump(s). The intake is open and clear.
Any help would be appreciated. It looks as though when installed they were unable to prime the system and then reversed the two lines so that it appeared to work?

[Tellie]

A new CapeHornExtreme (CHE) should easily be able to pull intake water up to itself. Not being able to see your install it's a bit hard to tell. But your manual has a very simple layout of the plumbing. I'd follow each line as diagramed in the manual to make sure all the plumbing is correct. The CHE is a very simple system, one of my all-time favorite watermakrs on the market. But the plumbing though not difficult is easy to get wrong. I do not trust OEM installations at all. Spectra used to never allow OEMs because it was more problems than they were worth. Here's another one to look for. It's rare but I have seen this before. When the CHE is shipped, it is shipped with a small black cap on the input of the first feed pump module. I've seen these OEMs shove the 5/8" input line right over this cap without removing it. This would allow you to fresh water flush all day but stop a drop from coming from the intake thru hull. Usually all it takes to start a CE for the first time is to freshwater flush the system by opening the grey flush valve, let the system flood with water with both pumps running, this should also draw the salt water up to pump #1. Once the input is flooded and leaving the system running you should hear the two feed pumps working the salt water through the system. Then close off the pressure relief valve and you should be in business. How did you flush the membrane, or have you yet? If this gets too deep give me a call, I'm sure it is a simple fix.

[Alistair242]

Thanks Tellie. There were a few issues with the installation. The tank line was badly kinked on a hidden corner. The water tank line and the feed from the Clark pump were reversed at the T valve and for some reason it will not prime directly with salt water. I have to run fresh water through the pumps and then switch to salt water when they are primed.

Initially I flushed the membrane with no issue but was unable to send water to the water tank. After then giving it a fresh water flush the salt water would not prime on its own?

Everything is back as per the manual plumbing(kink removed) and the unit is working fine. As said, I just need to prime the pump(s) with fresh water before switching to salt and making water. Strange because when I removed the salt water line into the first pump there was good pressure. The pumps are only about a foot above the water line and the Clark pump below it. I’ll keep an eye on it but for now I have water production.
Thanks again.

[jt11791]

On my old Spectra 380 I always had to prime the feed pumps individually by opening a Tee valve before the primary filters.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Alistair242

Thanks Tellie. There were a few issues with the installation. The tank line was badly kinked on a hidden corner. The water tank line and the feed from the Clark pump were reversed at the T valve and for some reason it will not prime directly with salt water. I have to run fresh water through the pumps and then switch to salt water when they are primed.

Initially I flushed the membrane with no issue but was unable to send water to the water tank. After then giving it a fresh water flush the salt water would not prime on its own?

Everything is back as per the manual plumbing(kink removed) and the unit is working fine. As said, I just need to prime the pump(s) with fresh water before switching to salt and making water. Strange because when I removed the salt water line into the first pump there was good pressure. The pumps are only about a foot above the water line and the Clark pump below it. I’ll keep an eye on it but for now I have water production.
Thanks again.

Yeah, a kinked hose will cause all kinds of havoc and they are always hidden. Glad the production came up. On a new system those pumps should easily pull the water up. Check every fitting from the intake thru hull to the input of the first pump module. An air ingress leak can cause this as well. Double check the raw water strainer for any air ingress. If you see no air bubbles in the intake but see them on the out take of the strainer this could be your problem

[Alistair242]

Having another issue with our CHE. After using the unit last week with both pumps and fresh water flushing as per normal after use everything seemed fine. Then once again a couple of days ago I could not get the system to prime with salt water. I tried everything but it would not prime. Normally when this happen I will operate the system with the flush valve open to prime the pumps with fresh water from the tanks and then close it and it will keep its prime with salt water. Tried this a dozen times since without luck.
Today I removed the line from the sea water strainer to pump 1 module and plumbed it directly to the intake at pump 2. It worked fine and easily pulled up the seawater from the strainer.
There does not appear to be any leaks but the tone of pump 1 is high as if there is no load or resistance at all, unlike pump 2 which always sounds as though it has some load. I assume the issue is with that pump or the valve in that module. What could the problem be? An air lock maybe? I removed the line out from that pump and ran it but it was still not pulling up sea water. I changed both the 5 micron pre-filter cartridge and the carbon filter cartridge in the Zion housing. Both were not dirty at all. I assume the membrane is OK as it worked when pump 2 was plumbed directly to the intake?
Thanks in advance.

[Alistair242]

Any help or ideas would be much appreciated. I assume its the pump. I will have to pull it out. The installation is a little cramped and I am away from the boat for a few days.