Gypsy
Well-Known Member
I recently purchased a secondhand Pur Powersurviver 35 watermaker. I have never owned or operated a watermaker but I have read quite a bit on the subject during research as to what I MIGHT fit to my boat. This purchase is as much an experiment as anything else, but I am keen to get it working.
In an earlier post on the Livaboard Link I received info about cleaning solutions but now I need to dig deeper.
The unit is probably more than 10 yrs old and I know little of its history. It has been operational in a boat but unused for the last 4-5yrs. There is no information to tell me if it was pickled after the last use or not. I am almost resigned to the need to buy a new membrane but too stubborn to quit this one without trying to resurrect it.
I do have the manual and I have downloaded the manual of its successor, the Katadyn 40E, which has a bit more detail although key areas are different.
The motor and pump seem to be operating correctly. There are no water leaks from the pump, manifold or membrane housing area when operating.
I am interested to hear from any Pur35 users out there who could confirm the operations I describe and answer the questions. I would be very grateful for any input:
1) When I pump freshwater (non-chlorinated rainwater using a 5micron carbon pre-filter) I get a burst of water at the ‘reject’ outlet for each ‘pull’ (return) stroke of the pump and a constant but small flow out of the ‘product’ spigot. Should the ‘reject’ water come out on both the ‘push’ motion of the pump and the ‘pull’?
2) When the pump ‘pushes’, a piston on the top of the manifold is pushed out towards the manifold casing (I can see the white dimple) and when the pump stroke ‘pulls’ the piston returns inside the manifold, sometimes with a sharp ‘clack’. Is this normal? Is this the ‘Energy Recovery’ part of the process?
3) I created salt water using freshwater with 3.5% swimming pool salt. When this is pumped through the system I get less water throughput to the ‘reject’ outlet and only a small dribble out of the ‘product’ spigot. Unfortunately the output of the ‘product’ is salty. At the moment I don’t have a TDS meter (but should have one next week) so I can’t compare the input water with the output other than tasting it. If freshwater can flow through the membrane how come I get salty water? Could it be saltwater leakage through the seals due to higher pressure?
4) The Pur manual describes a modified/special membrane housing for cleaning the membrane. It has an output spigot at the end to allow the cleaning solution to be pumped through/across the input side of the membrane. Has anyone used one of these? Is it a standard housing with just the output spigot added or is there some other trick involved? I might try to make one.
At this point I figure I need a new membrane and a set of seals to bring this unit back to operation but any description of what to expect under normal operation or advice and ideas are welcome.
In an earlier post on the Livaboard Link I received info about cleaning solutions but now I need to dig deeper.
The unit is probably more than 10 yrs old and I know little of its history. It has been operational in a boat but unused for the last 4-5yrs. There is no information to tell me if it was pickled after the last use or not. I am almost resigned to the need to buy a new membrane but too stubborn to quit this one without trying to resurrect it.
I do have the manual and I have downloaded the manual of its successor, the Katadyn 40E, which has a bit more detail although key areas are different.
The motor and pump seem to be operating correctly. There are no water leaks from the pump, manifold or membrane housing area when operating.
I am interested to hear from any Pur35 users out there who could confirm the operations I describe and answer the questions. I would be very grateful for any input:
1) When I pump freshwater (non-chlorinated rainwater using a 5micron carbon pre-filter) I get a burst of water at the ‘reject’ outlet for each ‘pull’ (return) stroke of the pump and a constant but small flow out of the ‘product’ spigot. Should the ‘reject’ water come out on both the ‘push’ motion of the pump and the ‘pull’?
2) When the pump ‘pushes’, a piston on the top of the manifold is pushed out towards the manifold casing (I can see the white dimple) and when the pump stroke ‘pulls’ the piston returns inside the manifold, sometimes with a sharp ‘clack’. Is this normal? Is this the ‘Energy Recovery’ part of the process?
3) I created salt water using freshwater with 3.5% swimming pool salt. When this is pumped through the system I get less water throughput to the ‘reject’ outlet and only a small dribble out of the ‘product’ spigot. Unfortunately the output of the ‘product’ is salty. At the moment I don’t have a TDS meter (but should have one next week) so I can’t compare the input water with the output other than tasting it. If freshwater can flow through the membrane how come I get salty water? Could it be saltwater leakage through the seals due to higher pressure?
4) The Pur manual describes a modified/special membrane housing for cleaning the membrane. It has an output spigot at the end to allow the cleaning solution to be pumped through/across the input side of the membrane. Has anyone used one of these? Is it a standard housing with just the output spigot added or is there some other trick involved? I might try to make one.
At this point I figure I need a new membrane and a set of seals to bring this unit back to operation but any description of what to expect under normal operation or advice and ideas are welcome.