Permutit Water Makers

[PaulJ]

I am currently reading a book called "The wind calls the tune" by Stanley Smith and Charles Violet in which they chronicle a voyage across the Atlantic they made in 1951 in a 20 ft boat. They carried no fresh water but several references are made to some "Permutit de-salting kits".........

"Our greatest weight-saver was the Permutit de-salting kits. This modern scientific miracle changed sea-water into absolutely untainted fresh water in half an hour."

And elsewhere in the book......

"The making of fresh water from the sea was usually done in the afternoon. We would get out eight of the rubber bags which had a filter and a stopped rubber tube at the bottom. Into each bag we would put half a pint of sea-water and then add a block of four cubes. According to instructions, the bags, after being sealed at the top, should then have been occasionally shaken. We tied them in the rigging where they got all the shaking they needed. Half an hour later we pressed the finished product from each bag into a bottle. This produced half a gallon and lasted us twenty four hours."

It seems to me that these things would be an invaluable addition to the grab-bag...... Does anybody know anything more about these water makers, like are they still available and if so where from? I have done a quick search and as far as I can see Permutit are still in business but they don't have a web-site.



<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by PaulJ on 03/08/2002 09:36 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[ccscott49]

I remember the permitit water softeners, thye used to sell them to houses in Yorkshire, a well known hard water county, but salt to fresh with an additive, tablet, no I don't believe I've ever heard of it. Would be interested though, but why haven't they been thought of for liferafts etc.?

 

[charles_reed]

406 EPIRB

The average length of liferaft occupation has dropped from 8 days (in 1982) to under 8 hours (2000) since the introduction of these EPIRBs.

Wouldn't that me a more useful grab-bag addition than any thing else?

 

[Forbsie]

They do have a website - http://www.permutit.com/

I can't see this product but they may have sold it on.

 

[Shanty]

I think something like this used to be supplied as part of the kit in lifeboats / commercial liferafts. It might be worth trying a liferaft repacking station that deals with commercial rafts.

 

[salamicollie]

A bit of history - Permutit process was developed in WW2 to allow more water to be carried on aircraft liferafts and in lifeboats. SOLAS liferafts these days seem to be packed with packets of water and PUR type reverse osmosis manual water makers. Agree with you though that Permutit is a lot simpler

Good luck with the search

 

[Celena]

Re: Permutit Water Ma kers

The Permutit "tablets" were silverized ion exchange resin with activated carbon. They were developed for aircrews as part of an "abandon craft" kit during WW2. Later they were supplied to MoD for army use. When the army started using desalination membranes there was no market for the tablets. I understand that they havn't been made for over 20 years.
The tablets reduced seawater (35,000 mg/l) down to about 2,000.
(This comes from my manager who used to work for Permutit)

 

[Guest]

Re: 406 EPIRB

If you are sailing in the South Pacific, reckon on more like 8 weeks....there is no substitute (and especially no electronic sunstitute!!) for water if you are sailing out of the main tracks. You are right, of course, for coastal waters, the North Atlantic and most of the North Pacific, but not for the rest of the globe. Reverse Osmosis and tinned water are my choices for life-support.