Hello Pizzazz. So I have my pump, with the .105 cam. I'm planning on getting a pulse reduction hose to connect to the membrane per Pumptec's advice. I'm also planning on using a booster pump, again per their advice.

I have 2 questions. Can you recommend a booster pump ? I don't really know what specs I'm looking for in this pump ?

Do you still recommend the 21" membrane ?

Thanks for your help.

Ok, one more question. Schooner Chandlery has the pumps but they are saying if you get the .105 cam you should limit pressures to 800 rather than the full 1000 the pump is capable of. I don't see this as a problem. What do you say ?

Yes, another user recently reported 18 litres/hour with the 21" membrane @ 16A. This is good performance. You should get the biggest cam.

Hey Pizzazz, I am just about to order the newer model pump, the 107 ? I have the option for the .105 cam instead of the .85 - supposedly more flow but I am supposed to limit pressure to 800psi. Is this a problem ?

On that same thought train - if I can get better flow should I go with the 2521 membrane instead of the 2514 ?

Thanks for your time !

The pressure should always be between 800 to 900 psi. You adjust this with the needle valve. The flow depends on your motor horsepower. The higher the flow, the more fresh water you will make. If you are trying to maximize fresh water output per unit of energy, then you want to reduce the flow as much as possible. At high flow, the membrane recovers around 8% (this means that 8% of the total flow is fresh water). When you reduce the flow, the recovery rate increases. Max recovery is around 35%. So you reduce the flow (using a less powerful motor) but the recovery rate increases. As the recovery increases, the quality of the fresh water starts decreasing and the membrane starts clogging up. The idea of running at around 30-35% recovery is that it is most efficient, the quality of the water is acceptable and the membrane lifetime is acceptable (1-2 years but membranes are very cheap, $200 a piece).

Hello Pizzazz, I am planning to build a watermaker based on your info and I have a question about pressure vs. flow and quality. If I understand you correctly a lower output pressure reduces quality but increases flow/quantity and vice versa. Can you elaborate on that a little for me ?
Also, if you have a good line on the Pumptec pump I would appreciate that as well, I am hoping to buy one soon.

Thanks !