Lifeline batteries

The people who make this one, say just flush it with product water and leave it alone, they do not reccomend "pickling" etc. With this one (the 8oE) I have a prefilter, with presevative in a filter, I just put in when I'm not using the watermaker for a while and pump through, close the seacock. I use my washing machine in port, but would like to use it at anchor, having it boxed in right now and will get a bigger watermaker for sure, the one I was looking at, was 24volt. I dont think I would like a mains one, as you say genny failure, no water.
 
We met a young couple on a bus in Ibiza last year, the lad's job was total responsibility for a large RO plant at a chemical factory and he was terribly interested in the technology. We had a long chat and he gave me some tips on how to clean the membrane by opening the container (which I haven't tried) but most interestingly he said that the accepted wisdom in the industry is continual use. If you can't run it all the time then try to run it for a good few hours every day. Based on that, I run ours early in the morning when we run the genny to heat water and put the overnight charge into the batteries then again in the pm after the batteries have been 'finished' by the solar panels (so I know that the batteries have reached 100% charge and absorption every day). This means that the watermaker is seldom idle for more than 12 hours, keeping algae and bacterial growth to a minimum.

Which pre-filters are you using? We are buying spun-poly 'solid' by a box full at a time. Sometimes a filter lasts 10 days, sometimes 3 days or less. Apparently crossing oceans they can last for many weeks. Spectra recommend paper and recommend that you wash them off by trailing them behind the boat. I would be worried that it would develop a hole whereas the spun poly ones couldn't do that. The Spectra (US) guy said that the key issue is that the filter must not shed. Decent filters don't AFAIK?

Much more interesting than batteries, eh? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I use the paper washable ones, I also pick my time to make water, sometimes theres more silt in the anchorages than others. I just wash mine in salt water, I dont tow them, give em a good soak in a bucket, lightly scrub them and hang them to dry, I have four, I've only used two of them in three years and they are still ok.
I was also told even if you dont make water, run it an hour everyday, but a fresh water flush and leave fresh water in the system is meant to be the best. Using it's own product water, I use water from my GE filter, I have a "tee" off the supply to the tap. Then I'm sure there is no trace of chlorine, which apparently is death to membranes.
I dont need the genny for hot water, I have gas instant heat boiler in my galley, which supplies hot water for the boat. I only really run the genny for charging and AC for an hour or two, before bedtime, It's a very quiet genny, if it gets really hot! But again I monitor my batteries/water and decide when to run the genny, so I dont run it more than neccessary, no point in burning diesel for nothing!
 
I hadn't realised one could use them to that extent. I would be very fearful of a hole so I throw them out. The cost is low if you buy in bulk - around €3 each and the solid ones last well. Not very green, I confess. I also use product water but if my GE filter cartridge is very new I will, if necessary, flush with city water as the GE removes chlorine. I've only had to do it once, but it is worth bearing in mind for emergencies if you end up out of the water and wanting to flush the system.

We seem to have identical philosophies on much of this stuff. I would fit a gas heater for summer use if I had the space, but it would be a very expensive job to do nicely and I simply cannot justify the cost. You pay road fuel tax on diesel and at best you get an overall efficiency of 30% from the calorific value of the fuel to kWh in the hot water. Crazy for the environment and crazy for your pocket. But the numbers are fairly small, so I live with it. By the way, we use the large Repsol cylinders at €11.80 each and they last 6 months (cooking only). They would be ideal for a hot water heater.
 
I use the same cylinders (13kg), I have three in their own locker aboard, they last, heating water, cooking, BBQ about 3 months each. I dont tend to use the showers in the marina, I like to use my own, out of bed, shower, fine! Saves getting dressed, undressed, shower, dressed, cant be arsed with all that! Use a solar shower in the summer, although with storing water in plastic cans on the foredeck, they get hot enough without the solar shower! Just pour it in, haul it up, shower! Great.
I may paint one of my cans black and make a shower head and harness, then just haul the whole lot up, get 4-5 showers out of a 25litre container (navy style showers)
 
Likewise! One thing that puzzles me is the cost of gas in the UK compared with Spain. I don't believe that Spanish gas is actually subsidised - who makes all that excess profit in the UK and how do they continue to get away with it?
 
In UK, bottled gas is a luxury, for caravans, boats etc. In spain there is little or no mains gas and gas is a domestic neccessity, hence the domestic price, same as portugal.
 
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