Brass Watermaker High Pressure Pump

[Tellie]

Watermakers get really expensive when you end up buying the right one the second time instead of the first.


Halden Marine Services | Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Anyone have a watermaker with a brass HP pump?

The real meat of post #1.

[Hoghead]

Originally Posted by Abgreenbank

You can get pumps with nickel aluminium bronze pump head which is suitable for salt water, such as Cat 237, which also has enough output to satisfy 2x2540 pressure vessels, so around 160 litres per hour of product.

Ab


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

NAB heads are expensive and the arguement for NAB vs SS is long and convoluted with each side having its own position.

At 1650.00 for the CAT 247, I decided that the under 1000.00 SS pump when flushed after use would suit my needs for a very long time

[SV THIRD DAY]

Bronze....no problem.
Brass....it's just penny wise and pound foolish in my opinion.
Cavitate your pump or lose a oil/water seal and your membrane dies along with your "bargin" pump. As one of the few water maker companies that sells parts and helps folks rebuild systems they have, I spend a lot of time helping folks fix what went wrong with their bargain systems. Of course DHL shipping to far off lands isn't cheap or easy.

Look if I could shave $500 off the cost of our water maker by going with a brass pump over stainless, heck I would do it. But I then couldn't offer any warranty because I know the failure rate would eat me alive. It's not that I don't want to save money and make a cheaper water maker, its that cruising gear you can't rely on doesn't really help you at the end of the day.

[sailorboy1]

Well it appears there are lots of people using the brass HP pumps who flush the system at the end of each use and are getting years out of them. But is also appears that most aren't willing to admit in on CF. So it appears that in real life using the brass pump isn't as crazy as it sounds.

[Kenomac]

I'm sure you can also find a "lots of people" on CF cruising/living aboard on the cheap using an all rope rode to secure their anchor to the bottom, but that doesn't make it a good idea to do so... (see recent thread http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...es-158283.html). If you already planned on going with brass, why did you ask the question? Like Tellie said, you'll end up with a more expensive, labor intensive system in the long run.

Good luck, bring along a few spares.... but your few spares will end up costing the same as one good pump. But sounds like you'll need to learn the hard way. Just wait until you try getting parts sent to you in a timely manner when you're anchored in Timbucktoo with no agua in your tank. Your wife isn't going to be very happy on that day.

[sailorboy1]

Well I asked the actual pump manufacturer and got the following after I explained exactly what the pump was going to be used for:

"From our experience in supplying the manufactures of fresh water membranes and water makers; it has never been reported back to us the brass manifold is problematic."

[SV THIRD DAY]

How many sea water RO water maker companies use brass pumps....?

How can that be...a conspiracy by Big evil corporations to screw the Cruisers....or....mabye it is because....

Na forget that...you don't really want to see the photos I have of brass pumps with holes in them from sea water corrosion anyway, why rain on your new better way that all the experts in the field and folks who service and rebuild water maker pumps for a living somehow missed.

I saw a guy using galvanized home deopt wire rigging rather than stainless....saved him a bundle...Why not give that a try...

Best of luck.

[sailorboy1]

I'm doing my due diligence and don't know why some respond like I kicked their puppy or something. I asked the pump manufacturer if they would warrant their brass pump for corrosion for the seawater service and they say they will. I don't know how that somehow is some conspiracy.

"Experts in the field" for some people I guess is code of any manufacturer who isn't them. This pump is being used by other watermaker manufacturers, I didn't come up with the idea on my own.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Experts in the field...who Tellie and that Bozo Rich guy from Cruise RO, I wouldn't listen to them, they are just pump pushers caring only about long term dependability and customer service....them boobs are outdated in today's throw away world.

As a manufacture with a 3yr warranty I have totally different criteria for what works and what doesn't than a DIY guy. Dependability is Tops in my criteria, sure price matters, but remember I'm selling 20-30 water makers PER MONTH so I don't want to be taking phone calls from people with problems every day or I would never have time to work on my own boat. So we go with a $1150 SS industry standard general pump over a brass pump for 1/4 the price. How many pump failures have I had....three. That's it. Do you ever hear horror stories about a Cruise RO Water maker? Now to some that is worth the money...to others...well that is their choice. But I tested a brass pump...see what happens to the inside after you leave it pickled for a few months....opps...

Here's a nice brass pump with holes at the packing seat.


This is a perfect example of why manufacturers are counseled to Never give advice on the internet. You are asked...you give...and then you are the bad guy to sharing your years of experience.

Oh well...I'm a big boy I can take it.

I got a deal on Brass through hulls...anyone want to buy them?

[sailorboy1]

guess we can not listen to the pump manufacturer or any of the people I've found that have had brass pumps working for years either

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

guess we can not listen to the pump manufacturer or any of the people I've found that have had brass pumps working for years either

of course you can...
Isn't that the point of asking around, you put all the info in a hopper and then make your own decision. Not everyone has to agree with your decision for you to sleep at night, all that is required is that YOU are happy with it.

Me I want to be able to pickle my Hp pump and not have the cheap standard off the shelf pickling solution EAT...the inside of my pump for breakfast. Oh...no...what about the pickling solution...Hmmmm...you mean you didn't ask about that...damn smart ass "experts" anyway. That little tip just saved you a pump...you can thank me later.

Best of luck and enjoy the showers and deck rinse downs of having a high output water maker.

[donradcliffe]

I was on a boat with a Sea Recovery watermaker when the high pressure pump corroded through. Not only did we lose the watermaker, the saltwater mist from the pump put the genset and the bow thruster out of business too. That was just the immediate damage on the passage--there were probably subsequent failures as the salt spray corroded other wiring.

I don't think that the pump was brass, but the installer had failed to follow the instructions to protect the pump from stray current.