Spectra Newport running too well?

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Anjin

I've accumulated a lot of data and there is a slight correlation to voltage and production. over a fairly large number of runs, 12.5-12.8 volts typically yields 13.3 to 13.8 GPH, 13 volts (when the generator is running) yields about 14.1 to 14.2 GPH. I get sporadically higher readings especially at the start of a run and product quality is always right around 100PPM.

Looks like it will get me through the season and I will do more serious diagnostics and repair when I'm back in civilization.

Thanks for all your help and advice!!

- Art

I agree, you should be fine for the season. Enjoy, and when you're back and ready to tackle this just give me a shout.

[Anjin]

Originally Posted by Tellie

I agree, you should be fine for the season. Enjoy, and when you're back and ready to tackle this just give me a shout.

Thanks for the kind offer - as always, very generous of you Tellie! I will call you in a month or so.

- Art

[Anjin]

Thought I was done with this thread, but I have an update. I was changing pre-filters tonight and, while I was "down there" I started it in auto mode. I was watching all the numbers settle in to their usual - pressure ~105, salinity~100ppm, prefilter flow 17.29, and product flow 13.3. Some of the tests I needed to run on the high pressure side involved adjusting the pressure relief valve so I tried opening it half a turn and closing it just to make sure it was free. When I did it the sound on the pump changed momentarily - it seemed to surge. So I did it a few more times. The pressure dropped to 55 but then came back up and stabilized at about 112-113. Product flow jumped first to 15.2, then 16.0 and after a few minutes it stabilized at 16.6 for the whole run. See photo.

Dunno what any of this means. Was there pressure - an air lock of some sort - that needed to be relieved? Whatever, I'm thrilled to have it working normally again. Will keep my fingers crossed that it lasts.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Anjin

Thought I was done with this thread, but I have an update. I was changing pre-filters tonight and, while I was "down there" I started it in auto mode. I was watching all the numbers settle in to their usual - pressure ~105, salinity~100ppm, prefilter flow 17.29, and product flow 13.3. Some of the tests I needed to run on the high pressure side involved adjusting the pressure relief valve so I tried opening it half a turn and closing it just to make sure it was free. When I did it the sound on the pump changed momentarily - it seemed to surge. So I did it a few more times. The pressure dropped to 55 but then came back up and stabilized at about 112-113. Product flow jumped first to 15.2, then 16.0 and after a few minutes it stabilized at 16.6 for the whole run. See photo.

Dunno what any of this means. Was there pressure - an air lock of some sort - that needed to be relieved? Whatever, I'm thrilled to have it working normally again. Will keep my fingers crossed that it lasts.

Working like it should. As soon as you open the pressure relief valve the pressure drops off. It will make a squealing sound if you open the valve while it is running, no harm done. Close it off and it will take a few moments to build proper pressures and start to give good readings on your control panel. Plus the read outs are a bit dampened.

[Anjin]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Working like it should. As soon as you open the pressure relief valve the pressure drops off. It will make a squealing sound if you open the valve while it is running, no harm done. Close it off and it will take a few moments to build proper pressures and start to give good readings on your control panel. Plus the read outs are a bit dampened.

I agree Tellie, but did this actually 'fix' the problem of (months of) low product output? And if so, why?

I started his thread because the product output was low and the prefilters were showing no sign of clogging. With the help of folks on this forum (THANKS!), I went through what I thought was pretty methodical testing to isolate the problem to the high pressure pump which I was resigned to repairing at the end of the season. So if this simple procedure actually 'fixed' whatever was wrong with that pump, seems like it would be worth knowing about. I'm thrilled that my watermaker seems to operating correctly now and want to help others if this simple fix is applicable.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Anjin

I agree Tellie, but did this actually 'fix' the problem of (months of) low product output? And if so, why?

I started his thread because the product output was low and the prefilters were showing no sign of clogging. With the help of folks on this forum (THANKS!), I went through what I thought was pretty methodical testing to isolate the problem to the high pressure pump which I was resigned to repairing at the end of the season. So if this simple procedure actually 'fixed' whatever was wrong with that pump, seems like it would be worth knowing about. I'm thrilled that my watermaker seems to operating correctly now and want to help others if this simple fix is applicable.

It sounds more like the pressure relief valve was never really tighten down. Many people think this is a needle valve type set up. It is not. The knob is either tightened down with slight firmness or it is open. Did you hear any squealing sounds when it was producing lower volume? This is usually an indication that the knob is not all the way down. Remember this is a plastic valve so only use slight firm pressure between your thumb and fore finger. Any thing more is too tight.

[Anjin]

Never noticed any squealing but I'm not normally next to the HP part of the system when it's running. So it's possible and if that's all it was then I'm certainly relieved. Will monitor it's performance over the next few cycles and post any updates. Thanks again for the help!