vas
Well-Known Member
evening all,
thought for a change NOT to ask a Q about something not working, but report on something that did work (not straightaway though...)
so, back in 2013 I bought a s/h watermaker advertised on ebay.co.uk
Was a HRO System 9/200, that is 200gallons a day, which is (IMHO) a silly way to calculate quantity, so it's 30lph
System was left in the garage for a couple of years, and in 2015 was fitted in MiToS. Fitted, as finding a place to bolt the prefilter assembly, the membrane, the control box and the bloody heavy 3hp SS GP pump. Even wired it to the el.panel (reusing the discarded hotwater tank 20A supply)
Finishing off with various other bigger jobs, this went up to the top of the list especially as we're leaving for 10-12days in some deserted islands 80nm away.
So, yesterday after hours to no end trying to find where I'd stored the high pressure pipe connecting the pump to the pressure vessel (which was found half a meter away under a stack of nicely wrapped cables!) I had everything ready to fire up.
First attempt wasn't particularly exciting, as no water was going through the pump.
Bit of headscratching, undoing the two prefilters, checking seacocks and the brand new pipework, I tried using my thumb to see if the pump is actually sucking air/water. Nada!
Thinking that this has been left idle and unused for over 4yrs, I thought I'd prime it by pouring water in the inlet, to soak in the pistons and stuff.
Considering that I've in purpose installed the prefilters and pump at waterline level, it was definite a problem with the pump.
Priming it sort of created a tiny sucking force that was expiring soon after.
Things didn't look good, so google's your friend trying to find out how these 1200psi+ triple piston pumps actually work.
Had a look at a few youtube servicing videos and noted that there are 6 valves in the thing.
Got a 9.something hallen key and undid one by one the valves. Trying to blow or suck through them was a dead easy, so obvious there was a problem. Undoing the plastic valve frame out of the ss ring, ss sealing cup and ss spring was dead easy.
Realised that deposits were built up in there, ss was in PERFECT condition, mating surfaces once cleaned with my nail and a piece of wet toilet paper were as good as new.
So, 1 hour later all six were clean housings clean and fitted back.
re fitted the pipes fired up the system and after a few mins of fluctuations in pressure, differentiation of noises and general unease, it normalised in a v.quite whine and upping the pressure meant it started producing some water.
Not knowing how it was stored back in 2012-13, I left it running for 5-10 mins in a bucket and started collecting product water.
Tasted was clean/no salt at all.
Checked it with a PPM gauge and came up with 158 or so which is much better than tap water at home (600 or so) and on par with the RO filter I have at home for drinking water.
Measured quantity and it seems that it can produce around 35lph which is a bit odd since Med salinity and water temp is high), but wont be too much bothered tbh.
So, for a fcking change, something worked with minimal effort, which is nice!
also morale of the story if you have a high pressure pump from a desalinator left to its own devises that doesn't seem happy sucking water and pumping it at stupid pressures, an hour worth of cleaning and polishing the mating surfaces of the 6 valves are definitely worth doing, you'll be amazed!
cheers
V.
thought for a change NOT to ask a Q about something not working, but report on something that did work (not straightaway though...)
so, back in 2013 I bought a s/h watermaker advertised on ebay.co.uk
Was a HRO System 9/200, that is 200gallons a day, which is (IMHO) a silly way to calculate quantity, so it's 30lph
System was left in the garage for a couple of years, and in 2015 was fitted in MiToS. Fitted, as finding a place to bolt the prefilter assembly, the membrane, the control box and the bloody heavy 3hp SS GP pump. Even wired it to the el.panel (reusing the discarded hotwater tank 20A supply)
Finishing off with various other bigger jobs, this went up to the top of the list especially as we're leaving for 10-12days in some deserted islands 80nm away.
So, yesterday after hours to no end trying to find where I'd stored the high pressure pipe connecting the pump to the pressure vessel (which was found half a meter away under a stack of nicely wrapped cables!) I had everything ready to fire up.
First attempt wasn't particularly exciting, as no water was going through the pump.
Bit of headscratching, undoing the two prefilters, checking seacocks and the brand new pipework, I tried using my thumb to see if the pump is actually sucking air/water. Nada!
Thinking that this has been left idle and unused for over 4yrs, I thought I'd prime it by pouring water in the inlet, to soak in the pistons and stuff.
Considering that I've in purpose installed the prefilters and pump at waterline level, it was definite a problem with the pump.
Priming it sort of created a tiny sucking force that was expiring soon after.
Things didn't look good, so google's your friend trying to find out how these 1200psi+ triple piston pumps actually work.
Had a look at a few youtube servicing videos and noted that there are 6 valves in the thing.
Got a 9.something hallen key and undid one by one the valves. Trying to blow or suck through them was a dead easy, so obvious there was a problem. Undoing the plastic valve frame out of the ss ring, ss sealing cup and ss spring was dead easy.
Realised that deposits were built up in there, ss was in PERFECT condition, mating surfaces once cleaned with my nail and a piece of wet toilet paper were as good as new.
So, 1 hour later all six were clean housings clean and fitted back.
re fitted the pipes fired up the system and after a few mins of fluctuations in pressure, differentiation of noises and general unease, it normalised in a v.quite whine and upping the pressure meant it started producing some water.
Not knowing how it was stored back in 2012-13, I left it running for 5-10 mins in a bucket and started collecting product water.
Tasted was clean/no salt at all.
Checked it with a PPM gauge and came up with 158 or so which is much better than tap water at home (600 or so) and on par with the RO filter I have at home for drinking water.
Measured quantity and it seems that it can produce around 35lph which is a bit odd since Med salinity and water temp is high), but wont be too much bothered tbh.
So, for a fcking change, something worked with minimal effort, which is nice!
also morale of the story if you have a high pressure pump from a desalinator left to its own devises that doesn't seem happy sucking water and pumping it at stupid pressures, an hour worth of cleaning and polishing the mating surfaces of the 6 valves are definitely worth doing, you'll be amazed!
cheers
V.
