Little Wonder By Village Marine Watermaker
Our water maker is only 6gph however we feel it is more than enough (it managed to make enough water for us to wash Jessica's cloth diapers on a routine basis once she moved aboard!) . It is of a low enough current draw that we can leave it on all day till the tanks are full and then two hours of engine running gets us back to charge, with a cold fridge and a couple of loads of laundry to boot. The machine was brand new in 2001 and has caused us no problems at all.
The water maker is a self contained unit however it also uses a pre-filter located under the galley floor to the aft of the Racor twin fuel filters. It also needs a pre-pump for the salt water supply, this is located under the floor in the corridor opposite the head. This pump has an on off switch since when making from a bucket as we need to do when cleaning, this pump needs to be turned off.
Pickling (you do this when not in use for a length of time, you will receive the boat with the unit pickled) is similar with a special filter cartridge for that too.
For exact details on cleaning and pickling refer to instruction manuals as I always do. Notes on using filters is on a cheat sheet in with the filters in the bottom shelf of the NavStation.
Notes:
The water maker is a self contained unit however it also uses a pre-filter located under the galley floor to the aft of the Racor twin fuel filters. It also needs a pre-pump for the salt water supply, this is located under the floor in the corridor opposite the head. This pump has an on off switch since when making from a bucket as we need to do when cleaning, this pump needs to be turned off.
- A. Electric motor
- B. High pressure pump
- C. Twin membranes
- D. Flow meter showing output, normally 6gph
- E. Cleaning/reverse osmosis selection switch
- F. Pressure meter, normally around 800-900psi
- Ensure the water around the boat is crystal clear to avoid killing the pre-filter, also any oils in the water from harbors will not do the membranes any good at all.
- Switch the sample valve located under the sink to direct the output to a bucket (Sample line has duct tape on it). Ensure the water input valve is set to pull from outside and the discharge valve is set to discharge into the sink. Ensure the pre-pump under the floor by the head is switched on.
- Put the unit into cleaning mode, see notes below for easiest method of accessing valve.
- Turn on the unit at the NavStation Control panel (the Power switch on the unit itself has been bypassed due to a faulty connection.)
- After 5 minutes of running in cleaning mode (I do this to eliminate any air that may have entered the system as water makers do not like air being forced through the membrane) switch to reverse osmosis.
- After a full bucket or two ( I use these for washing down the boat as they are almost salt free and not worth wasting), , I get a cup and take a sample. It it tastes salt free then I switch the valve to make into the tanks. Alternatively we have a saline tester a blue thing that looks like a highlighter located in the 4th draw next to the washing machine. We owned the boat for 4 years before I found out what this was, it needs batteries but works fine.
- Measure the tank levels using the dipstick which is marked in to 4 quarters (25-gallons per mark) and calculate at 6gph how long to run the water maker on each tank.
- To switch making from one tank to the other, unscrew the tiny white plastic input valve on top of the tank and transfer to the other tank (take care on thread crossing) and put the dipstick in the old hole.
Pickling (you do this when not in use for a length of time, you will receive the boat with the unit pickled) is similar with a special filter cartridge for that too.
For exact details on cleaning and pickling refer to instruction manuals as I always do. Notes on using filters is on a cheat sheet in with the filters in the bottom shelf of the NavStation.
Notes:
- To access the water maker cleaning/reverse osmisis switch (normally the only thing you need to touch). Unhook the companion way stairs top hooks, but leave in location, then whilst sitting in the quarter berth tilt stairs forward 6 inches, raise water maker shelf access and rotate valve then close up. We normally leave the stairs un-hooked except for sailing.
- A future enhancement might be to make the sample 2-way valve into a 3 way valve such that you can eliminate the bucket, just have the water go over board then pull of a taste sample then into the tanks. As I said I like using this 'waste' water however making water at sea with a heel would benefit from above solution.
- With time, the saltwater feed from the front of the boat to the water maker and the sink sprayer grows bacteria and comes out smelling of rotten eggs. This can be cleaned by pumping a week bleach solution through the lines taking EXTREME care not to have any traces left in the pipes that may enter the water maker. If I smell eggs from the kitchen sink I normally run the water maker for 5 minutes in cleaning mode before switching to make water. My logic is to not force bacteria through the membrane although I am sure it would not be a problem as its job is to remove stuff like that. Your call.
- The water maker can be used to make battery water just by running it through twice. I normally fill a bucket from the galley drinking faucet. This has a carbon filter just incase there are traces of chlorine in the tanks as chlorine and water makers do not go together well. Then with the pre-pump switched off, I adjust valves to suck from this bucket and make into a new bucket. Hold the input line up and fill with water before putting in the bucket to eliminate air bubbles, water makers do not like air being pushed through the membrane. In theory this has been through the water maker twice at this stage however I do it a second time. Bottles for battery water are kept in the head in the locker flush with the counter top along with a special funnel/tube arrangement for filling the hard to reach batteries
- High pressure pump re-build kit
- Cleaning filter 1 set
- Pickling filter 1 set
- Pre filter x5
- special oil for water maker
- Electronic saline tester.
- Various tubs of old style cleaning powders
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