Water Maker Install - A Fluid Process

In a prior post, I examined why we wanted to install a water maker on board Harmony.  To review, the decision to have a water maker on board was made primarily to maximize our self-sufficiency AND to avoid experiencing funky water from some questionable municipal supply.  We also wanted to avoid draconian rationing measures unless absolutely necessary.

Now, our water maker journey was not without challenges.  There are several options on the market for quality water making systems, but we wanted a componentized system.  We chose a water maker system from a small company that offered what on a lengthy inspection at both a boat show and extensive conversations looked to be a well designed and effective system.

Little did we know that this company and its owners were highly disreputable people who sold not only us, but many others systems that were incomplete, unworkable, and, in many cases, unsafe.  I am not at liberty to identify them by name, but they are well known to the cruising community, and out of business. While we lost thousands as a result of their fraud, we were saved by one remarkable company:  Cruise RO.

In short, Rich Boren at Cruise RO rescued us and provided me with the necessary components to make a workable system.  Rich is extraordinary, and his patient support and stellar integrity restored my shaken faith in people.  What follows is a summary of our installation process for a 20 gallon per hour Cruise RO water maker.

We decided to install most of the water making components in the engine room on Harmony, as the Westsail 42 offers a cavernous engine room.  I had gutted the engine room to provide for a new engine and this opened up enough area for the components.

Starboard Panel for HP Vessels for RO Membranes

Aft bulkhead for mounting pre-filters

The critical components include (1) pre-filters and a boost pump, (2) a high pressure pump, (3) 2 high pressure housings for the RO membranes, and (4) a control panel.  The only component not installed in the engine room was the control panel which was installed in the galley.

Installing the system was involved, but not complicated because the Cruise RO manual is so well written.  However, consideration must be given to the specific space constraints of one's vessel, engine room, or other appropriate spaces.  I chose to install the components in places that were easily reachable for operation and maintenance.  I am lucky to have copious access and room within Harmony's engine room, but I still need to be able to change filters, operate valves, and pickle the system easily.

On the starboard side of the engine room there is an access door that gives me easy, if not a little gymnastic, access to the entire engine room.  Just inside of the door is where the original vessel design had placed the engine batteries, but I moved those batteries to an easier access point so that I could mount the HP pump on that existing platform.

Original battery platform where the HP pump
would be installed (note the brand new engine!)

The first step involved installing the HP pump so that it was accessible and within an appropriate distance from the membrane vessels and the connections to the boat's electrical system.  I also had to provide sufficient clearance for cooling air. Secondly, I installed all of the pre-filtering components on the aft bulkhead.

HP Pump mounted to starboard and outboard of engine

Pre-filtering components including boost pump mounted on aft bulkhead:
carbon filter on left; 5/20 micron filters on right



Once those two important items were installed, I needed to deal with the mounting of the RO membrane pressure vessels.  These were the only items salvaged from my original defective system, and thank goodness they were sourced from a quality outfit.  However, I must be honest in saying that mounting these membrane vessels intimidated the heck out of me.  My trepidation revolved around not wanting to compromise or ruin the membranes.

Rich gave me tremendous encouragement which I have to say I got by true osmosis since Rich is in California and I am in New Hampshire!  After manning myself up, I attacked vessel installation.  True to Rich's advice, it was far more easy than I had made it out to be. 

After assembling the membrane tubes, the real key was filling them with enough pickling solution to preserve the membranes.   With these particular vessels, which are not the standard Cruise RO units, I needed to inject the pickling solution with a large syringe:  a turkey baster with a small aperture could have been used.  The injection process had to be used because any solution in the vessels would have drained out before the necessary hose connections were made.



Membrane vessels mounted outboard
and above the HP Pump



The next and last step included connecting the system to the control panel that I had mounted in the galley.  The galley set-up of the Westsail 42 provides a panel right by the sink onto which I could mount the panel along with other important system control elements (propane and tank monitors)  Originally, this area housed the circuit panel board, but I moved it to the nav station in order to get it out of a potentially wet environment.

 

Cruise RO control panel mounted within easy reach in the galley.

Another consideration for us involved how to get the newly made water to our water tanks.  Harmony has 3 water tanks:  a central 100 gallon and two 50 gallon wing tanks to port and starboard.  The center and starboard tanks are filled via a starboard deck fill, while the port tank has its own deck fill.  I had already connected the water maker output lines to each deck fill hose.

However, I needed a mechanism to select which tank to fill during the water making process.  Rich at Cruise RO provided a nifty 3 way valve and all I needed to do was figure out where to mount it and how to connect everything together.  Given the very clear and relatively simple directions provided in the Cruise RO manual, it all came together easily.

Tank selector switch up close - lever up directs to center/starboard tanks
and lever down directs to port tank
(note:  finish wood work still needs to be installed)

Tank selector switch - located right near to galley sink
and Cruise RO control panel

What remains to done at this juncture is to hook up the system to the electrical circuits on the boat.  As the overall project on Harmony has been a complete restoration, the final electrical system hook-ups are taking a bit of time to complete.  Anyway, the engine room now looks quite nice with the complete Cruise RO water making system having been installed.

Complete system installed in the engine room!  Just inside of the access door
is where the bucket of pickling solution is placed when in use

In the end our water maker project was logical to conceive and simple to install.  Had we not encountered outright fraud in our first purchase attempt, this project would have been even easier.  Rich Boren and Cruise RO deserve tremendous credit and kudos for being a great company with impeccable integrity.  Their only weakness from what I can see is that they may not be a global household name, YET.  However, they are rapidly gaining stardom.  Sadly, I did not really learn of Cruise RO until just after I had made my first purchase early in our Harmony project.  Had I known of Rich and his company or at least done a little more research, it would have been a no brainer to purchase their products.

As with any project, the thrill of progress/completion is only trumped by the gratification of the lessons learned.  However, this water maker project provided an even greater benefit.  Our faith in people, while not needing to be completely restored, was given a huge boost by the actions, support, and encouragement of Rich Boren and Cruise RO.

Our original rationale for investing in reverse osmosis for Harmony remains entirely viable.  Now that we have "graduated" from the schooling we endured, we can honestly and heartily recommend the addition of a water making system to vessels whose sailing activity includes more than just weekend jaunts.  Moreover, we strongly encourage the consideration, if not outright purchase, of a Cruise RO system.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!