Fresh water filtering and softening - suggestions

[Portofino]

I think the difference is that when I fill my tanks, I allow any standing water in the hose to run out before it goes anywhere near my tanks. That's not really possible with a fixed connection i.e. any nasties in the pipe end up on your boat.

Yup along those lines .I refill the tank after wash down ensuring many Litres have purged not only the hose but hopefully the embedded pipe in the jetty .After all the colder the better .
I do put a preparatory biocompatible disinfectant tab in too .

The 40 L capacity was a guesstimate of the static storage of the unit, and MarksC is right when that runs out mid wash down ( you don,t know ) your hosting plane vanilla dock water - it dries it’s streaky huh ,pointless .

Fresh rain water is best ,nature provides that free especially in the off seasons.
During the season red rain in the med , cocks up any water filtered wash .
With the static filters one see s on the dockside — kinda fine ,but one wonders if they can cope with the massive flow rates .
In other words 1 st 10 mins or what ever de calcified , then the filters saturated , so the next 30 mins out of a 40 min wash down - useless in terms of residual residue after evaporation / drying .

I find ( in the high season ) easier said than done just do a little at once and leather it off on the white / blue hull or sqweegee the glass BEFORE it dries .

Leaves an in marked finish .

 

[jrudge]

All of these systems are "powered" using ion exchange resin and the resin seems to have a live of about 4000 litres before it needs regeneration.

If you have say 2 pairs of these in parallel ( water flow) you are getting the same thing.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Naturewater-10Inch-Resin-Filter-Cartridge-RS-10D/dp/B00AAUS5FC

So £40 of cartridges and about £50 or so for 2 x twin holders http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PENTEK-10...848543?hash=item362230a9df:g:OAEAAOSwDmBY5Nhu and few plumbing bits and you are done.

To regenerate you just backlash with dishwasher salt - so another filter holder filled with salt.

All in you are probably going to spend £120 ( which I just might do!)

 

[markc]

All of these systems are "powered" using ion exchange resin and the resin seems to have a live of about 4000 litres before it needs regeneration.

With a small resin bed I don't think you'll get anywhere near to 4000 litres, maybe 1/10th if you're lucky in a hard water area.

 

[jrudge]

The cartridges claim 4000 lts, but they are regenerable with salt. If they say 4000 i suspect you will get more than 400!

My " method " was 2 banks of 2 in parallel. So in theory you have 16000 lts of capacity for £120.

So its half - it is still 8 tanks full or probably 20 wash downs.

 

[markc]

The cartridges claim 4000 lts, but they are regenerable with salt. If they say 4000 i suspect you will get more than 400!

My " method " was 2 banks of 2 in parallel. So in theory you have 16000 lts of capacity for £120.

So its half - it is still 8 tanks full or probably 20 wash downs.

Resin cartridge you referenced on Amazon states a life of 400 litres.

Also you will need to back flush with the right density of brine to regenerate effectively which may be hard with a Diy set up.

Incidentally, I have spent the last 2 years working with a client who is the world's largest water softener company so I have managed to pick up some basic general knowledge.

 

[jrudge]

Resin cartridge you referenced on Amazon states a life of 400 litres.

Also you will need to back flush with the right density of brine to regenerate effectively which may be hard with a Diy set up.

Incidentally, I have spent the last 2 years working with a client who is the world's largest water softener company so I have managed to pick up some basic general knowledge.

I didn't check that one ! Others were 4000 but hey 1600 lts for £120!

 

[rubberduck]

What quality water does a watermaker produce, if good why not bypass the whole system & make your own ?
Or am I being silly which is entirely possible.

 

[MapisM]

What quality water does a watermaker produce

Pretty good and soft, afaik.
In fact, I don't think I'd look for a softener, if I already had a watermaker.
But since a) I don't have it already, b) it's a rather expensive bit of kit, and c) I don't really need it for the type of boat usage I have in mind, I'd rather go for something simpler and cheaper...

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

What quality water does a watermaker produce, if good why not bypass the whole system & make your own ?
Or am I being silly which is entirely possible.

A watermaker produces excellent quality water, very soft and very drinkable. However the problem is the cost of fitting one and the output it gives. I retrofitted a 130 lpm Idromar watermaker into my boat 2 seasons ago and it cost me €10k. The trouble is that even at max output it would take 8hrs to fill my water tank. The other issue is that any watermaker needs relatively clean seawater so making water whilst moored in a marina is not advisable. I just use mine as an emergency back up to make a couple of hundred litres when I run out of water after a few days at anchor

 

[rubberduck]

So no good in St Kats for the winter then, does it not filter out the impurities ?

 

[Magnum]

A watermaker produces excellent quality water, very soft and very drinkable. However the problem is the cost of fitting one and the output it gives. I retrofitted a 130 lpm Idromar watermaker into my boat 2 seasons ago and it cost me €10k. The trouble is that even at max output it would take 8hrs to fill my water tank. The other issue is that any watermaker needs relatively clean seawater so making water whilst moored in a marina is not advisable. I just use mine as an emergency back up to make a couple of hundred litres when I run out of water after a few days at anchor

Spot Zero is the RO solution for dock water and can produce about 400 l/h.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

So no good in St Kats for the winter then, does it not filter out the impurities ?

It does but oil contamination in the water may damage the membranes

 

[MapisM]

any watermaker needs relatively clean seawater so making water whilst moored in a marina is not advisable

Funny that you should say that M, because one of the boats in my short list was already equipped with a watermaker, and if she would have been my final choice, I was already thinking to use it mostly when docked, to refill the tank.
In fact, as you surely remember, the water inside CF harbor is just as nice as outside (bar some floating bits occasionally, depending on the wind direction). But that's of course rather an exception than the norm.
Ref. oil contamination, isn't it sufficient to suck water from well under the w/line, as normally happens with any seacock?

 

[markc]

Funny that you should say that M, because one of the boats in my short list was already equipped with a watermaker, and if she would have been my final choice, I was already thinking to use it mostly when docked, to refill the tank.
In fact, as you surely remember, the water inside CF harbor is just as nice as outside (bar some floating bits occasionally, depending on the wind direction). But that's of course rather an exception than the norm.
Ref. oil contamination, isn't it sufficient to suck water from well under the w/line, as normally happens with any seacock?

When I had my water maker recommissioned in the summer, the agent was most insistent that we took the boat out to do this rather than use the water in the marine. I was thinking just like you, that the water in the marina was pretty clean and any small amount of oil would be on the surface and not by the intake seacock which is just fwd of the port engine. I didn't get any further info!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Ref. oil contamination, isn't it sufficient to suck water from well under the w/line, as normally happens with any seacock?

I'm only repeating what I've been told. Youre taking a chance using a watermaker where there is the risk of oil contaminants, especially when an emulsifier has been used to disperse the oil and thus create a suspension in the water. Yes I'd quite happily use a watermaker in CF but not in Antibes, particularly since I'm convinced that some people empty their holding tanks in the marina as well:disgust:

 

[MapisM]

Aha, understood, thanks markc & Deleted User.
'twas just out of curiosity anyway, since the DP didn't have a watermaker and I'm not planning to install it.
One less thing to worry about! :encouragement: