Freshwater Flush on Watermaker

[Arthurc]

Hi All,
Just returning from several weeks up north and have a quick watermaker question. I have a brand new CruiseRO watermaker that worked great over the trip however I never got the auto fresh water flush completely setup before I left and I am hoping to leave the boat without too many projects once I dock. Will the system be ok sitting for 2 weeks before being used again? I wont be able to get to the boat next weekend. I could run a good flush before I take off and again in two weeks but wanted to make sure I dont cause major problems with having it sit.

Thanks!
Arthur

 

[tiltrider1]

Not recommended. Should fresh water back flush at least once a week. I fresh water flush after each usage as well as weekly. There are a lot of living things that are going to die in your water maker over the next two weeks.

 

[tiltrider1]

Sorry, miss read your post if you do the fresh water when you get home you will be fine for 2 weeks.

 

[Arthurc]

Ok thanks! I’ll get the auto flush working when I am back up at the boat. Appreciate the quick advice.

 

[Lepke]

I always flush mine as soon as I finish making water. I flush everything, filters, pumps and all lines that contain salt water. I back flush the intake and close the sea cock so next time I have only new salt water. In the past I ruined a couple membranes and filters by letting them sit too long.

 

[ksanders]

Just pickle the system. Easy peasy.

Down and dirty put a couple of tablespoons of pickle powder in your sea strainer and run the boost pump for a few minutes.

Best way is to use the valving system on the carbon filter assembly and a couple gallons of pickle solution. Takes all of 10 minutes.

BTW I have a cruise RO 40 gpm system that I use every day as a stay aboard

 

[Arthurc]

Would the sea strainer pickling idea be better than just a good fresh water flush? I looked at the auto flush and it’s not installed right, the FW Pump seems to have enough pressure to push water through the system all the time so it will drain my tanks pretty quick. I’ll work it out in two weeks but one way or another everything is going to have to sit.

 

[Sealife]

Rich recommends 3-5 days for flushing or pickle. This is all in the very straightforward manual.

 

[ksanders]

Would the sea strainer pickling idea be better than just a good fresh water flush? I looked at the auto flush and it’s not installed right, the FW Pump seems to have enough pressure to push water through the system all the time so it will drain my tanks pretty quick. I’ll work it out in two weeks but one way or another everything is going to have to sit.

The autoflush from cruise RO comes with a solenoid valve and a bypass mechasnisim.

The concept is that when you are on automatic flush (away from the boat) you close the bypass valve and switch the valves on the charcol filter assembly to use potable water. and the automatic flush timer opens the selonoid valve allowing pressurized water to push through the filters, and the boost pump, and the pressure pump, and across the membrane face.

 

[Arthurc]

Ok so maybe mine is installed correctly but irritating they sell a remote panel for fresh v salt intake but you still need to go into the system to close that valve.
I had great luck with mine this trip but the fittings were low quality, had to replace a number of them and also moved to trustworthy below the waterline stuff (wire enforced 1/2” tube).
Will look at the auto flush once I’m back at the boat

 

[ksanders]

Ok so maybe mine is installed correctly but irritating they sell a remote panel for fresh v salt intake but you still need to go into the system to close that valve.
I had great luck with mine this trip but the fittings were low quality, had to replace a number of them and also moved to trustworthy below the waterline stuff (wire enforced 1/2” tube).
Will look at the auto flush once I’m back at the boat

If you have the remote valving option then all you need to do is use a relay from the boost pump power to activate the solenoid. Then you can leave the bypass valve closed.

When the boost pump is on it will then tun on the solenoid valve.

i do not have the remote valve setup so im going to rig up a solenoid valve scheme to do the same function

 

[Arthurc]

Interesting, so the fresh water flush doesn’t actually activate the boost or the HP pump?

 

[ksanders]

Interesting, so the fresh water flush doesn’t actually activate the boost or the HP pump?

If you plumb a low pressure line from your tank (like if you teed before your potable watyer pump) then you’ll need the boost pump to push water through the system.

If you plumbed in a pressure water line then you do not need or want the boost pump to run.

The latest version of boost pump they recommend is a jabsco variable speed unit, 40 psi, 5gpm. I tried it with the autoflush and the pressureized potable water makes the pump act really wired and make sounds that were funky to say the least.

So... I removed the boost pump from the equation, and the autoflush works perfect.

Thje High pressure pump never comes on for the autoflush. No need as pressurized water will move across the membrane face.