Water maker full time?

[bshillam]

I draw from river sources, The Multnomah, Columbia and Willamette which is constantly moving. High levels of silt. I am aware of the need to change filters more frequently if the water is silty, sometimes it's more clear than others. Lots of docks we stay at have no water. So this allows us to stay longer and enjoy the scene.

 

[Chrisjs]

Apart from the other considerations previously mentioned, the PO should consider whether the RO water feed is primarily freshwater, brackish, or seawater. Seawater RO systems operate at significantly higher pressure than freshwater systems, with brackish somewhere in the middle. The membranes themselves are also engineered differently for these different feed waters. Freshwater membranes are usually less expensive than seawater membranes.
Lastly, as I think somebody already mentioned, installing and running an RO simply to make soft water from the dock supply is overkill compared to using a softener for the water used for washing.

 

[Don1500]

I’m thinking about the marinas I’ve stayed at. Generally there is no active flushing, nor strong currents or even large tidal swings.

Ya, and I wouldn't take in any water from MOST of the East Coast ICW eirther.

 

[Lepke]

I make water from the Columbia River all winter and this year the rest of the year. I use the sw membranes at greatly reduced pressure. I have the water tested a few times and results are extremely pure water, no heavy metals,etc., with a tds of zero or 1. Better than any city or marina water. I do use several graduated filters and a UV light just before the tanks. In salt water the tds in about 150. After making water, I run 5+ gallons of fresh thru the system and never pickle.

 

[bshillam]

I called the manufacturer and their tech department called me back. Said no problem making RO water in fresh, dial back the pressures and replace the pre-filters when needed. There's also an inline oil/water separator too.

 

[FF]

Some water maker output is so clean that owners take extra minerals to make up for those filtered out.

 

[Swfla]

A dockside water softener is something to consider. At one time "Culligan" put a softener tank at your slip and then exchanged it monthly for a freshly recharged tank. Depends on your marina rules too. Probably room on your boat for a small home style softener. Take it everywhere you go. $450 for an all in one system, just add salt.

 

[salishpaddler]

It's my understanding that yacht water makers are intended for salt water use only and can be damaged by use in fresh water. Is this incorrect?

 

[Swfla]

https://www.greatlakesscuttlebutt.c...-drinking-water-wherever-you-go-with-rainman/
Rainman works in fresh water. As long as the pressure is adjustable, it's fine in fresh and brackish as well as typical saltwater.
Membrane technology has come a long way.

 

[bshillam]

Mine needs to be adjusted based off the water it's being used in. As long as the pressure creates the flow the membrane was designed for it's good. 25-30 gallons an hour based off water temp.

 

[sirenson]

"Originally Posted by Larry M
A concern of running it in the marina would be sucking in some oily water from some ones bilge pump dumping bilge water"

No it will not. ive been a captain & marine engineer for 25 years. Built and maintained every system on a boat thousands of times. oil may float on the surface. but will NEVER wander down 4' to the thruhull. marina water or bay water may be dirty of course, so add a media filter and avoid marina/bay water but dont get paranoid.
what? not a believer? pour oil into a blender with water and turn it on. stop. what do u see?

somebody's prop wash could do it briefly but seriously folks, take it easy. relax. u'll be ok. have some desalinated water. delicious. tastes a bit oily. just kidding

 

[BandB]

We never hook up to a marina for water when in a boat with a watermaker. We do have the extra bells and whistles to process water with oil or fuel if that does come into play and adjustment for fresh water. However, we're comfortable using RO water for cooking and showers and we use it for washdowns and all other types use. We do drink bottled water, just personal preference (and we do recycle all the bottles).

We know the quality of our water and just don't want to go through the trouble of finding out the marina's water is poor quality. We have checked some out of curiosity and been shocked and I'm not talking Bahamas or Caribbean but very nice marinas in major US cities. Not surprising as we would never drink the city water coming to our home and even for other purposes we have highly filtered it.