DIY Carbon Water Filter

This is a small carbon filter I made from a bottle.

Boat Watermaker Question?

Sep 26, 2010 by Derrick S | Posted in Boats & Boating

Just wondering how often I should replace the filters on my Freshwater Making System? I have two pre-filters inline. First is the regular "Particulate" screen and filter media. Then the next is the "Hydro carbon" filter to capture petro molecules before enter the reverse osmosis filter. I ask this question because this is somewhat new for me. I have a smaller system on my other boat, but that boat stays on a trailer and I never worry about it. I'll replace all of the pre-filters once a year regardless of hours on the boat. But, on my motor yacht which stays in the water, I've noticed some discoloring in both filters through the sight windows. The system onboard the MY makes 400 gals per day, but it isn't working anywhere near that since the demands are pretty light. I don't live-aboard this craft, but have completed a 3 month cruise with it where it did work hard with 6 of us aboard for that time. The manufacturer recommends annual replacements, but I'm concerned about the discolored filters now. I'd hate to have to replace the "Membranes" of the watermaker, when I could have just replaced the pre-filter media earlier. Anybody with watermakers onboard their boats, could you weigh-in on this.
Hi Everyone, I'm not having any issues with odors or anything like that. I'm just wondering about the pre-filters. I'm not use to seeing brownish colored filters and I'm thinking of replacing anyway. They may not need to be replaced, it's just me and how I like to have things. I just very careful with everything about my boats, may also explain why I never have issues with any of them too. On the cruise in Alaska, we encountered some shiny slicks, but may not have been anything but from the whales and Salmon runs we crossed. I know that if Hydrocarbons enter the main filter membrane, they are toast and have to go to the manufacture for replacement.

My compliments, Derrick, and the time factor involved changes with climate and hence cruising area.

Here is an extract from an excellent pdf from spectrawatermakers for their VENTURA TROPICAL 200 MPC-5000 OWNER’S MANUAL. Available at:

http://www.spectrawatermakers.com/docume nts/index.html



P36:

"The reverse osmosis membrane is permeable by many gases
including hydrogen sulfide, the gas that causes rotten eggs to smell the way they do. If there are bad odors in the feed water they will go through the membrane and the product water will be affected. Usually the source of the odor is from the decay of planktonic creatures trapped in the sea strainer and prefilters. These tiny oxygen loving creatures soon suffocate and die inside the prefilter housings when the unit is shut down. Once all the available oxygen is consumed, anaerobic bacteria begin to grow, causing the odor. If a unit being used frequently begins to make smelly water, it will be the pre-filters that are the source of the problem.

This occurs in a week or two in cold climates, but in less than one night in very warm waters like the Sea of Cortes or the Red Sea.

These bacteria can spread throughout the watermaker, and begin to grow on the membrane, causing poor water quality and high feed pressures.

Filling the system with fresh water after every use greatly slows this process, allowing the automated Spectra units to operate with less frequent prefilter changes. Units operated for only an hour or so a day will probably need to have the filters changed due to odor before they are dirty enough to restrict water flow. Prefilters can be cleaned. We recommend that you have three sets in service, one in the unit, one set soaking overnight in a bucket of clean fresh or salt water and one set drying for the next use. After shutting down the unit, remove the used prefilters and install the dry set. Leave the housings full of air until the next use. On non-automated systems, open the pressure relief when starting if there is a lot of air in the system until the air is cleared out through the brine overboard. The filters will get just as clean when soaked in sea water, but dry much faster if soaked in fresh. Given gentle handling, prefilters can be reused many times.

Bad smelling product water is usually caused by bad smelling feed water, but can also be caused by a fouled membrane if the membrane has been left unpickled. If the unit makes smelly but not salty water after a long idle period and the prefilters are new, the smell can be eliminated by running the unit unpressurized for an hour or so to flush the membrane.

Odors in the product water can also be eliminated by adding a charcoal filter in the product water line. Spectra offers a product water filter kit (part no. KIT-FLT-CC)."

__________________________________

Don't allow those filters to become nature reserves for bacteria!

Take care.

-|--)

Edit: Appreciate your question mentioned no odor problems, but the discolouring you mention can be just a less developed stage and if you find it unacceptable, the filters can be cleaned. And the pdf was advising how.

Production yards I've worked in - even back in the mid '80s these were being fitted - advised owners along the above lines: three sets in service etc.

Try cleaning one and see if it removes the discoloration.

Will spray can clear 'paint' give enough UV protection for epoxy resin fiberglass?

Mar 07, 2011 by concerned_earthling | Posted in Boats & Boating

I want to build some things like a boat and a bike that will have long exposures to the sun.
I was told once that UV light , sunlight, will 1st yellow then deteriorate epoxy resin.
I have recently been told that even 'rattle can' clear coat will give enough UV protection.
None of the sites I have seen have been very clear about epoxy & sunlight exposure. At least one has mentioned that polyester will 'blemish' in water
Both polyester & vinyl ester resins have what appear to be extreme warnings about working with which include having a carbon filter breathing mask for the fumes . Epoxy is also rated as stronger than either the polyester or vinyl ester resins.

I wish to use colored carbon kevlar and do not want to paint it but have the carbon kevlar show through.

So if I used epoxy would spraying it with a clear coat from a spray can ,'rattle can' the type you might find in a hardware store, give enough UV protection?
Also will polyester or vinyl ester melt styrofoam? I know that epoxy will not melt / dissolve cheap styrofoam.

I really need a good web site that explains the pluses and minuses of various composite construction and the materials used

There's a lot of variables to consider. Don't forget that the black surface out in the sun will absorb a LOT of heat. Any coatings you use on it will have to be engineered to withstand wide swings in temperature. Lacquer would be too brittle as it wouldn't expand and contract with the material as the solar heat causes it to expand.

I sprayed Brake Parts Cleaner in my Intake and put Smaller Oil Filter on, now it idles rough and starts hard?

Jul 16, 2010 by The Amazing LAUGHING Binky | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs

Why?

It will run OK Eventually, but i did clean the Carbon off the THrottle Body with Brake Parts Cleaner. Oil Change, smaller Filter (Bosch not STP) now it runs "Weird."

Oh and BTW, my Water Pump is failing. Shall i check the Battery? What could be happening?

1985 Jaguar XJ6

Replacing the spark plugs is a good place to start. Jags (indeed, most cars) from that era didn't have very powerful ignitions and I hate to think what sort of junk the brake parts cleaner has left on the plugs. Brake cleaners and carburetor cleaners are very different things - carburetor cleaners are mostly toluene and brake cleaners are light (and often chlorinated) hydrocarbon mixtures.

Mercedes Benz W201, 190E 2.6, M103 engine expert advice please?

Nov 14, 2010 by El-Pa | Posted in Mercedes-Benz

This car is still so good to me. It has 160,600 miles (260,000 km) on the Odo.
1.This machine has a habit of hesistating a bit when i want a fast acceleration..[plugs changed] why?
2. About 3 years ago i travelled 600 km and back (1200km) safely. But then i started and fast and suddenly the machine stopped after the heavy footed acceleration. I called my mechanic and he just like cleaned the fuel distributor and the machine was fine in 5 min. He said i might need to replace the distributor later.
3.About a month ago i travelled 100 km then after some 7 hrs i started back home. She did not respond to my ignition start (Usually i have to start twice or thrice before the engine is on, esp on a cold start.) I called my usual mechanic and he showed me the distributor cap which had a very tiny crack. He replaced it with a used one and the machine was happy again.
4.About a week ago she decided not to start at all. I tried about ten times in vain. I called in my mechanic & he just cleaned somethin after opening the distributor cap[?], which he said had carbon. He says water vapor was to blame for the carbon build. I dont remember passing in a stream of water (maybe my daughter but i doubt) i think it should have stopped immediately & not wait hrs later-?. there may be another reason for carbon build?
My question is: What precaution should i take that i will avert these problems? esp the carbon buildup? What about the fuel distributor? I have never replaced them injectors tho someone said i need to change them. I dont even know them. (My car uses petrol -i thot injectors were for diesel cars.) i also never touched the coil, fuel pump & fuel filter. I only change oil filter and engine oil at 5,000 km intervals without missing, tho the manual says i shd change oil & oilfilter at 12,000 km intervals. PLEASE HELP.

You can change the oil and oil filter with a standard premium grade of 20W-40 oil like Castrol or Mobil 1. You can try some fuel injector cleaner in the air intake. If you have carburetors, you can try several squirts of carburetor cleaner through each carb throat. I think I would replace the distributor cap and rotor with new just to get the best spark possible. If you still have a misfire problem, you might change the spark plugs and spark plug wires. There are some oscilloscope machines that can display all the low voltage and high voltage circuits to find out which cylinder(s) are having a misfire. Make sure there are no radiator or coolant hose leaks.

why cars go supercars what is air intake turbo bodykit and how many horsepower can you add to them?

Dec 31, 2008 by Fredy R | Posted in Other - Car Makes

kdjfa confused for reals do pls some helpdirectly in the engine compartment. The overall benefits depend on the specific application. Power may be lost at certain engine speeds, and gained at others. Because of the increased airflow and reduced covering, intake noise is usually increased. This effect is usually amplified on applications where a resonator, a part intended to reduce intake noise on some vehicles, is replaced by the intake.

Well designed intakes use heat shields to isolate the air filter from the rest of the engine compartment, providing cooler air from the front or side of the engine bay. Some systems called "fender mount" move the filter into the fender wall, this system draws air up through the fender wall from below the car, which provides even more isolation and still cooler air. Carbon fiber can be used for the piping instead of metal, reducing weight and insulating the air from the engine bay in some cases. Carbon fiber and other advanced composites (such as Kevlar) are expensive, and can be more aesthetic rather than functional.Air bypass valves are gaining popularity in cold air intake manufacturing. An air bypass valve is a filtered spacer that is positioned more into the engine bay, between two connected pieces of the cold air intake assembly. This prevents hydro-locking by providing an alternate route for air to come in, thus eliminating the vacuum that causes water to be sucked in from a puddle. Foam filters are a simple piece of foam that is air permeable, and most have no valve. It is argued that this reduces power, but in actuality it provides more surface area for air to enter the engine when the driver presses the pedal. When driving at moderate speeds, the suction caused by the engine is not enough to activate the air bypass valve. Cloth filter bypass valves only allow air in if the valve is sucked open as result of the vacuum pressure caused by a blocked filter at the bottom of the intake. When it comes to cold air intakes this is the "best of both worlds".

a cold air intake is a pipe, a few rubber grommets, and a good air filter.

the rest of that paragraph is junk.
I am not sure I understand your question to be honest.

a typical cai adds around 5-10 hp depending on application.