Watermaker rinse

[IguanaSwim]

Hi
How often should I rinse my seawater pro and for how long?
I use it every other week.
When do I pickle it? When it’s off use a month? More?
Thank HK.

[sailorboy1]

I now have learned to flush or run my at least every 5 days. When I flush I was doing about 3 gal, but now am doing 5 gals as I finally figured out that making the extra 2 gal of flush water was better than having to replace the membranes.

You can do the flushing every 5-7 days for ever as long as you don't forget (you can decide if you trust the timer) or just lay it up with $10 of glycol and be done with it till time to use again

[IguanaSwim]

Thank you Sailor!
To do 3 or five gallons, I assume thats like ten minutes?
And I have pickle pills. I guess those are like glycol? And I do that if I’m not going to use it the Watermaker for a few weeks or a month? .
Just now my water tastes like turtle farts. I let the 25 micron go too long. Hoping I didn’t gum up the membrane!
Maybe I should picks it to clear it out?

[sailorboy1]

Well I think you need more direction than I am willing to type. Do a search and there will be written procedures available.

My potable fresh water pumps 3 gpm so if you need to run yours for 10 min to flush it must be a small pump.

Your "turtle farts" probably indicates you aren't flushing well and also aren't allowing the product water to flush out before putting in your tank.

[bstreep]

Check their website. As I recall, it’s 10 minutes every 3 days. They use a simple irrigation hose timer for it.

[sailorboy1]

but the time in SW Pro directions are based that you don't back off the regulator

[BlueH2Obound]

I have a SeawaterPro, I do not pickle. I remove the 20 and 10 micron filters, as well as the pre-pre-spa sized filter I installed on mine, and set the timer to 3 minutes every 3 days. I DO back off on the high pressure regulator. I also change our charcoal/carbon filter (for the backflush) since I am backflushing with city water, which contains Chlorine. To place back in service, all I have to do is install the spa filter, the 20 micron and 10 micron filters and turn it on.

Note: There IS a battery in the back flushtimer, which if allowed to die, will stop your back flushing! I change that once a year. I installed this water maker a little over a year ago, have run it about 80 hours and generated about 2,470 gallons of water. I only use it when we cruise.

[IguanaSwim]

Thanks

[Xavierp]

Originally Posted by IguanaSwim

Hi
How often should I rinse my seawater pro and for how long?
I use it every other week.
When do I pickle it? When it’s off use a month? More?
Thank HK.

I haven’t flushed yet
Do I need to turn both pump on and then start flush?

[Xavierp]

Actually how do you even flush? I looked at my system and I don’t have a tube going to the top of the timer….
Where is the water coming from?

Thx!!

[BlueH2Obound]

You do NOT turn on either of your pumps on the SeawaterPro control panel to back flush. You are using boat system water, and the boat fresh water pump to provide the pressure. Speaking to Mike, the owner of the SeawaterPro, he stated that if you kept the high pressure valve screwed in, a proper flush takes a considerable time, but if you unscrew the valve, a flush can take place in 3 to 5 minutes.
I back off the pressure on the hi pressure side every time I finish using our water maker.
We are now two years in (next month), 270.3 hours of running, and 7,605 gallons of fresh water produced.
While our very first gallon of fresh water cost us $4,724.00 (that was the total cost of the water maker, the installation, and two spare membranes) we are now down to $0.62/gallon, and by the time we get to Florida (currently in Panama City, with expected transit through the Panama Canal in two days) we anticipate we'll be down to about $0.55/gallon.

But it's not about the cost, it's about the freedom of not having to be constantly searching for potable water, and believe me, coming down from the PNW to Panama, potable water was really scarce! We've only filled with dock water once since leaving Seattle area, and that was yesterday.
What the water maker is really about is Freedom, as stated! Last month a finished installing the fresh water wash down system, which allows us to fresh water rinse the windows, fishing gear, and whatever when on passage, and also allows us to take fresh water showers on the back deck anytime we come out of the salt water! Wasteful? Perhaps, but the fresh water is there to be used! Also have a washer dryer, and use it whenever we need.
For us, it's not about cost, it's about convenience!

[Xavierp]

Originally Posted by BlueH2Obound

While our very first gallon of fresh water cost us $4,724.00 (n:

Hahahah
I see on top of the timer box an empty connector. Am I supposed to hook up a line?
1-Where does the water comes from to flush?
2-Where does it go out?
3-Does the timer need batteries? How is it powered?

[BlueH2Obound]

Originally Posted by Xavierp

Hahahah
I see on top of the timer box an empty connector. Am I supposed to hook up a line?
Pressurized water from your fresh water system is routed into one side of the timer box.

1-Where does the water comes from to flush?

Water coming out of the timer box is plumbed to the intake of the filter housing holding the carbon filter.
2-Where does it go out?
The water that flows out of the charcoal filter then goes into the 20 micron, then 10 micron filter, and from there flows into the membranes, flushing all the organic matter out of the raw water side of the membranes and thence overboard through your brine water discharge.

3-Does the timer need batteries? Yes, the timer box used two AA batteries, which I replace annually. How is it powered?

Hope this helps!