Water maker Discharge Question

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ancala	Water maker Discharge Question		Lead	[-]
Posts: 10 03/11/08 21:41:31	Tags : watermaker Hi we have a little wonder 250GPD modular water maker on our 99 Catalina 42. It has not been used in the by prev owner for last 3 yrs, and as newish owners we are trying to put it back into service. Likely we will have to replace the main membrane. Been tracing thru the pipe worok & valves for normal operation, flushing,pickling etc, and all seems ok except for 1 thing. The Brine discharge Tee's into the same thru hull as the salt water inlet pipe. This will mean that high salt content water will be re-circulated into the desalinator, which doesnt seem like a good idea to me. Never owned a water maker before so not sure if this is common practice or not. Anyone else know if this would be ok or not? Regards Stuart
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davidirvine		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 59 03/11/08 23:53:22	My water maker has a separate discharge . There is little sense in constantly recirculating the water. Since the discharge can be (and probably should be )above the water line it would be a simple change to discharge directly overboard. david 492
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peter	same	#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 257 03/12/08 04:18:44	I would not have the discharge above the water as it would leave a heavy salt residue. Below the waterline it leaves a residue on the bottom paint. Using the same thru hull for intake is not a good idea. It is easy enough to T off another thruhull. If the unit had enough biocide in it ( pickling) more then likely cleaning the membrane with the recommended acid wash is all that is required. A rebuild of the rubber seals might be required.Also I am sure you have a prefilter as well as a hydrocarbon filter( filters out petrol products which destroys the membrane) Hope this helps Peter 466- MK I-2 cabin
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sashay567		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 201 03/12/08 15:23:20	You might try contacting Little Wonder. According to their website, they show the brine discharge as directly overboard. My AquaMarine watermaker discharges the brine/excess membrane flow directly overboard at the stern about 6" above the static waterline. I've had no issues with salt residue. See info at this link: http://www.villagemarine.com/ Rodney Kidd, C-42 #567 Sashay, 2 Cabin Fin, Marina Village, Alameda, CA
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ancala	Thanks for all the responses	#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 10 03/12/08 20:25:12	I traced a final pipe which does go to an above w/line outlet at the stern. But there is another line going bck to the inlet seacock, and am not sure what its purpose is (thought initially it was the discharge, but its not). both LP & HP pumps seem to run, so will experiment with the unit, and the various valves, see if any fresh water is made b4 replacing the carbon 5micron & 20 micron filters & membrane so I dont make any expensive mistakes..
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sashay567		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 201 03/13/08 06:33:28	The line running to the intake could possibly be associated with a freshwater flushing system. Most watermakers include some way to flush the system clear of salt water after use. Rodney Kidd, C-42 #567 Sashay, 2 Cabin Fin, Marina Village, Alameda, CA
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captrick		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 199 03/13/08 19:41:54	Stuart, there are diagrams and info on the VM website. Get the cleaning cartridges if you don't have them and talk to VM before replacing the membrane. It may be a lot sturdier than you expect. Rick 704-3
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symandalay		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 144 03/14/08 03:34:04	My membranes are 8 years old and are running fine. You will know yours are fine if you can get close to the specified flow rate through your flowmeter. You may find leaks in an older system that has been sitting. You can fix all of them yourself if you want. The ends of the membrane housings can be removed (with some difficulty) and the O-rings replaced. I would not get into that unless you have a problem though. You can also buy all the parts, seals, etc. from Village Marine - we use the Fort Lauderdale store. Colin Colin Mandalay Guide to Cruising here http://symandalay.googlepages.com/home
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