How long does a pickeling last?

[irwinsailor]

My watermaker was pickeled 5 years ago. Is there any hope that the membrane is still good?

[GordMay]

Five years is a long timefor the membrane to sit (even 'pickled').
I'd run some distilled or R/O water through it, and have the product tested for potability.
If it passes the sterility test, then you can test it for 'operability' (does it desalinate) when you get back into salt water.
Regards,

[exposure]

I have two watermakers (one electric and one hand pumped) that have not been installed or used since they were purchased in about '95. I am not sure how much hope there is for these membranes.

How much do new mambranes cost?

[catlady]

My Power Survivor 35E watermaker has not been used for over 3 years. Before that it gave 5 years of almost daily use - I found it excellent (but a bit noisy).

Question: Can anyone tell me the name of a supplier of these machines in the UK? I might be able to get advice from them about the following question, but all my attempts to track a supplier down, either in the UK or the USA, have failed.

Question: I want to find out if there is any reason why I should not install the unit vertically, instead of horizontally - I have changed boats, but kept the watermaker. Has anyone any experience of this?

If you can help, please email me - eleanortims@yahoo.co.uk.

[Brent Swain]

The longer it sits pickeled the less the output. Fortunately , I've been told, with use the pickling leaves and the output gradually increases. You should let it soak in fresh wate( non chlorinated )overnight and replace the pickling every six months. Using it to make water every six months would be better. It should never be allowed to dry out.
Brent

[Pblais]

Mailing Address
Katadyn North America, Inc.
9850 51st Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55442 USA

This is actually less than 1/2 nm from where I used to live. They don't list locations other than US and Canada but here is the contact information I could find.

Marine User questions:
e-mail: marine@katadyn.com
Phone: 800 755 6701 option #3; International callers may use
763 746 3500
Fax: 763 746 3540

There was some consolidation in the industry as Katadyn was not really the original manufacturer as I think they used to be Resource Recovery or Recovery Resources located in St Louis Park, Minnesota. I have a different product for fresh water that I used for mountaineering way back when I was not sailing. I know I went to the headquarters about some warranty problem that they solved eventually after 2 replacements. I really think that the same people are connected so you might try them.