Village Marine Watermaker

[mandlmaunder]

Can any one help me???
Our boat was struck by lightning last week and our generator was one of the things to be affected and as a result our Village Marine NT(NF)600 reverse osm 115v water maker is not usable.It was installed in 2000
Is there a way to perform a fresh water flush on the membranes without 115v power to the pumps that feed it?
Optermistically yours
Mark

[Paul L]

On my VM you can get a lot of water through just using pressurized water from the house water system. Mine is smaller than yours. VM is pretty good about support, can you give them a call?

Paul L

[mandlmaunder]

Paul L
Sounds interesting , can you describe the procedure?
VM water makers are new to me and I do not know how.

[donradcliffe]

Do not use any water to flush the system which has been clorinated or iodized, like dock water, or tank water which has had dock water added in the last 6 months.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

Do not use any water to flush the system which has been clorinated or iodized, like dock water, or tank water which has had dock water added in the last 6 months.

That is what the charcoal filter is in place for. It needs to be in good shape.

Paul L

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by mandlmaunder

Paul L
Sounds interesting , can you describe the procedure?
VM water makers are new to me and I do not know how.

For your system, check the standard 'back flush after using' directions. Basically if you turn on the house fresh water pump (pressurizing the water system), turn on the valve that sends house water to the VM via the charcoal filter, then you should see water come out the brine exit. In normal mode you would also turn on the low-pressure pump in the VM, but you don't have power for it.
Still suggest a call to VM.
Sorry to hear about the lightening strike.

Paul L

[mandlmaunder]

Thanks for the help.
We can fresh water back flush now and this will save the expense of a new machine.
Village marine also did get back to me with the same information, so not so shabby.
Again thanks to every one for you help.
Now just waiting for the systems to be repaired or replaced!!! 2 weeks and counting.
Mark

[Tellie]

Glad you got your unit back up.
Actually your problem is not all that uncommon. Especially with the higher voltage units. There are simple and inexpensive solutions in a pinch. A couple of valves and a line to another fresh water pump or even a inexpensive 12V Shurflo back up will allow you to give your membranes a fresh water flush in the event of loss of power as you had or main pump failure. If I could figure out how to post a self made diagram it's a lot easier to visualize than the long winded explanations I can get into.

[osirissail]

You can attach a activated carbon sink filter or larger regular filter to a garden hose (blocks the chlorine) and then disconnect the pipes to the membrance canister(s) and flush them well. Then drain the canisters and fill them with pure distilled water and use plugs to cap the ends of the canister(s).
- - If you are going to "pickle/preserve" your Village Marine Tech for more than six months to a year or longer - do the above procedure and then drain the rest of the machine of "pickling/preservative" solution. The Village Marine Tech units use nylon fittings and elbows that will self destruct if the pickling solution is left in them for a year, plus or minus. I know, mine did just that. And when putting the unit back into service after two years I had fountains of water spraying out of the insides of the machine.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by osirissail

You can attach a activated carbon sink filter or larger regular filter to a garden hose (blocks the chlorine) and then disconnect the pipes to the membrance canister(s) and flush them well. Then drain the canisters and fill them with pure distilled water and use plugs to cap the ends of the canister(s).
- - If you are going to "pickle/preserve" your Village Marine Tech for more than six months to a year or longer - do the above procedure and then drain the rest of the machine of "pickling/preservative" solution. The Village Marine Tech units use nylon fittings and elbows that will self destruct if the pickling solution is left in them for a year, plus or minus. I know, mine did just that. And when putting the unit back into service after two years I had fountains of water spraying out of the insides of the machine.

Charcoal filters are not all the same. Though the plumbing set up will work I'd use a better charcoal filter than the ones you buy for an under the sink filter application. A good watermaker charcoal filter will block a lot more chlorine than a Home Depot one will. This is one of those areas you don't want to scrimp on to save a few pennies.

[osirissail]

Tellie: Very good information - but how do you know / find out about which charcoal filter is better/worse? Sarcastically speaking - aren't they all now made in some Chinese factory?

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Tellie: Very good information - but how do you know / find out about which charcoal filter is better/worse? Sarcastically speaking - aren't they all now made in some Chinese factory?

The easy answer is to buy from any reputable watermaker company. But without getting into the exact science which is not my area of expertise, the flow abilities along with residual chlorine removal needs to be matched. Most under the sink type carbon filters will flow easier. Their main concern is taste so if they remove 65% of residual chlorine they work fine. A good watermaker charcoal filter should reduce into the high 90% range. The thing is, to look at them, they can look the same. I have had problems with owners buying their charcoal filters at the box stores and damaging their membranes in a short amount of time.
PS the ones I've always trusted KX are made in the USA