homemade or Costco Reverse Osmosis Watermaker

[letterman]

FOUND IT. Directions on how to make it. I was right!!!!!!! You could use a Costco $350 unit. The only thing you have to do is replace the membrane with one suitable for your use...i.e. saltwater, freshwater, brackish water. So, most of all of you were wrong. My point is, when newbies or such read our posts, if in fact they are actually looking for info, and have their eyes open, then we should give them the best info we can. It seems most of the responses are pure conjecture and sometimes it is hard to distinguish the truth from it. This response is to a post I had a while ago wherein the responses ranged from "It can't be done" to "you'll shoot yourself in the eye!!"Another point is this: I am broke. I cannot find a job that pays for my skills. I am broke. And dammit, I am going to sail, in all sorts of waters. I want McGiver stuff to make stuff for or repair stuff on my boat cause I am BROKE. And now, I have a cheap watermaker.  And please...no "Congrats, but you'll shoot yourself in the eye..." responses.

 

[Rick Webb]

Where Can I Get the Directions

A friend is planning a five month cruise in the Caribbean and could use one.

 

[Moody Buccaneer]

Congrats, but you'll shoot yourself in the eye

I'm sure with your experience with Macgyver'd "solutions" you will probably miss when you shoot yourself in the eye I'm sure you have looked at the CostCo water maker and concluded that all the parts will survive in a marine environment.I'm sure you have looked the operating pressure of the CostCo unit and know that it will work with a saltwater membrane (and that such a membrane will fit the unit).I'm sure that you've figured out how many gallons of water per Amp Hour the unit will make and considered the extra charging capacity needed and the size of your batteries.I'd wait until I could post comparative facts and figures (including the number of years the system is warrantied after it is modified for marine use), before I started with "I was right and you were wrong rant".Just because you are broke, that doesn't justify advising cheap "solutions" to others. Many of us have learned the hard way that it is usually less expensive in the long run to by high quality to start with. Call us back with a report on your CostCo conversion after 3 years of use or after you have contacted CostCo for a part that has failed.

 

[Franklin]

You've built it and tested it?

Didn't know there was sea water in Ohio. I hope it works though. The marine industry could use some cheaper solutions. I do believe though that Fred made a watermaker that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

[NautiDuck]

Youre gonna

shoot your eye out!

 

[Brian D]

If you build it...

They will come. Then you'll shoot your eye out kid. Fuuuuuuuuuuddddddddddggggggggggeeeeeeeee! Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra.Go for it. Tell us how it works out, seriously.

 

[Franklin]

Keep in mind

The show "Mythbusters" bought plans to build a jetpack off the internet for just under $100. They then spent $10,000 on materials and a month of labor in building this jetpack. They are very experienced engineers who's job is to build things (and blow things up) to test them. The jetpack didn't work so they labeled the plans a myth. Since no record has ever been made of anybody building one that actually worked, very hard to prove otherwise.Point is, just because you found directions, that doesn't mean it's going to work. $350 is a lot of money for a BROKE person to spend on an experiment.

 

[David D.]

Need a Job?

You're broke, you need a job to feed the sailing habit.... don't mke me cry. I have an opening at my company. You can keep your boat on the TN river. I will pay your business expenses. You work hard, you make money. If you are good I will consider you for partnership. (3.5 million sales annually) company has been in continous operation for 57 years. Respected name.contact me southcross@bellsouth.net

 

[Benny]

Sailing in Cleveland?

Take a plastic and fill it over the side; drop a couple of water purification tablets tablets, wait ten minutes and drink. Cost of the bottle and a package of tablets, $8.00 tops. For $350 you could buy a truckload of them tablets. You claim to be broke and I can understand why.

 

[caguy]

You can probably buy cases of bottled water

at Costco for less than the cost of the filters. That's not even factoring in your initial outlay. I don't mind drinking filtered water from a mountain stream where I only have to worry about deer piss but I have trouble getting my head around drinking water out of the Santa Monica Bay where raw sewage is spilled monthly.

 

[Big Joe]

David

That was nice of you David.Regards, Big Joe.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Dumb question

Why do you need a water maker? It seems to me that Columbus and others did not have water makers and they did fine for the most part. The good Lord has provided yet another free service; it is called RAIN.Since it is going to rain on me anyway, why not just McGuiver up a catchment and bird poop filter to keep my tanks full? Filtering out solids is MUCH easier than filtering out salt. If you wait for 10 minutes before you start collecting you get quite clean water from the get-go.I mean really folks, people have been drinking rain water literally forever without putting their eye out.Of course you will have to actually deploy the catchment and then take it down after the rain storm so most will opt for something more automated.The longer I sail the more I am convinced that the most common sailor wants the whole boat to operate like an furnace, set it for 73 degrees and go get a beer. If someone develops a boat that has a big dial at the helm the reads "Dock it, go into the wind, go with the wind, and anchor" they will not be able to keep up with the demand.

 

[Landsend]

loose the attitude and get a job...

maybe your attitude is the reason you're unemployed. Instead of building junk out of junk you should be looking for a job...that way you can buy the real stuff.

 

[Don s/v Tellico]

geez...who's got the attitude here?

Go for it and let us know how it works. After all, if Columbus, et. al., had listened to the rest of the world, we probably wouldn't be here anyway.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Were you really an engineer?

As an engineer, you should be very familiar with the expression "to build a better mouse trap". Simply stated....you cant!!! At least not from an engineering point of view. Engineers are usually not designeers, they 'engineer' from what is available. What other design can you come up with to trap or kill mice other than a block of wood and a spring at the retail cost of 4 for a dollar? Engineers are concerned with the practical side i.e. cost and maintenance. Apply this one step further, say from a manufacturers side of the fence. A manufacturer makes water makers. He is very familiar with the industry he is in and what the competition is doing. Are you trying to say that none of the manufacturers of water makers thought of using their product for marine purposed by simply changing out the membrane and a few parts and get the jump on competition? This leads me to one of 2 conclusions....either they need to hire you or you need to stay unemployed. And as someone previously stated,...if you are broke. isnt $350 plus the cost of the membranes kinda expensive for an experiment. Also , dont stress yourself out waiting for the "congrats". Tony B

 

[Robert Gainer]

Lack of rain

Bill,Depending on where you are sailing rain might be scarce. A well found yacht to day should have enough water to cross an ocean but the real problem is in some ports where they charge a lot for water and you will not be able to collect enough rain for your needs.All the best,Robert Gainer

 

[RichH]

The Costco RO unit ....

The costco "RO unit" is simply an 'opened' RO membrane (larger than normal retention rating) thats used in a 'dead end' configuration .... meaning its not being used 100% in a 'tangential flow' configuration but in mostly a configuration similar to a 'dead end' filter. This method of using RO membranes will result is very quick completion/plugging the membrane. Further such 'opened' membranes depend on the very low amount of 'impurities' such as salts, etc. ... in this manner they are used for 'trimming' otherwise already clean water/fluid. Using such a membrane system to purify high saline content water will result in very short life, much less than total salt rejection and the membrane will rapidly plug AND the 'recoverability' of the membrane will be quite low (you're better trashing it than attempting to clean the fouling). The OEM intended application is to further purify already quite clean/pure water .... not 'hogging' a heavy dose of salt, etc. molecules/ions. This is going to be an expensive total waste of time and money for use on a boat. Why in the world would one expect a $350 unit to equate the size and cost of a 'usual' RO? On a boat using seawater at the influent is a WRONG application for the Costco .... it belongs under the sink in your home; and, needs relatively clean pure water as its infeed.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

RichH.....you are the best arguement....

Thanks Rich, not just for your reply to this post, but also because you are the best arguement I have seen in a while in favor of filling out a 'profile' in the "OWNERS DIRECTORY". Your response to this post seems to hold water and your 'bio' adds credibility. Thanks.BTW, letterman, the original poster to this thread also lists his occupation as 'engineer' which i seriously doubt for various reasons, one being that he doesnt state what kind of engineer. All normal engineers always state their discipline.  Tony B

 

[tom]

Water is Abundant

I guess in some places that it is a problem but on the gulf coast water has always been readily available. For Free if you buy some fuel. Catching rain and maybe buying some water containers for someextra capacity seems much cheaper than a water maker. My experience in the keys was that it rains almost daily. Even in the Bahamas you can buy a lot of water for the cost of even a homemade water maker.

 

[Ross]

Since I am land based and sail locally

I freeze water in jugs and "coke" bottles and store it in the ice box. six gallons of ice will keep cold for a week and as it melts provides water for drinking and cooking.