First, I do not know who you are. 

Second, I do not know your boat model or hull number, nor do I know your current location. 

Third, I paged through all of the photo albums and could not find an album named Desalinator D50 1998. I did look at the album we set up for Dessalator and found no photo there. If you could copy and paste a hyperlink in your message, it will save those trying to help you some time.

We all try to help each other, but we all need to help the helpers by trying to give accurate and complete information.

Now that I have all of that off of my chest, let me see if I can help you.

1. Dessalator has a fairly good website in 5 languages at http://www.dessalator.com/. If you have not already checked their website, you should do so.
2. You can ask Dessalator any question directly by clicking on the contact tab on their website, or you might try this link to that page: http://www.dessalator.fr/en/contact/?PHPSESSID=but1skluq01a7aautbg541f2j7
3. I think you may be referring to salt under the pressure regulator knob. If so, the pressure regulator is probably leaking...this may be a problem, or not...

How the water maker works and the role of the pressure regulator:

The Reverse Osmosis salt water membrane looks like a very thick pipe; as water passes through from the outside of the membrane to the hollow inside, it loses most of the disolved solids (salt).

The pressure regulator causes the increase in pressure in the water at the outside of the membrane by closing off some of the outlet of salt water. The more you close off the outlet, the higher the pressure gets going to the outside of the membrane. Water passes through the membrane from the outside to the inside shedding about 99% of the dissolved solids...these dissolved solids wash off of the outside of the membrane inside pressure tube with other water and it all passes through that pressure regulator. 

Simply stated, the pressure regulator is much like a water tap. When it is wide open, water flows through unobstructed and no significant pressure builds up in the membrane pressure tube. When you start closing the pressure regulator, the flow of the water is restricted and pressure builds on the outside of the membrane forcing water through the membrane (Reverse Osmosis). 

Always turn the pressure regulator completely anti-clockwise when you finish making water, and always  increase and decrease the pressure slowly.

I am not familiar with the D50, but I have seen a Dessalator pressure regulator assembly made out of dissimilar metals which eventually corroded enough to leak on the pressure side. If you have pickled your watermaker each year since 1998, the pickling solution is caustic enough to have deteriorated that pressure regulator valve enough to create a leak.

I would remove the panel from the front or look at the panel from the rear...(again, I do not know what boat you have, but suspect it is a Super Maramu). With the system running and making water, look for leaks.

You can buy parts from Dessalator and repair it yourself, or you can use their website to locate one of their reps.

BTW, I have had a very slight leak at the pressure regulator for 3 or 4 years. When it dries, only the salt is evident.

Hope this helps you and that you will be making water soon.

Bill

BeBe, SM2k, #387

Currently Fethiye, Turkey

On Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 11:50 AM, <kanalmamman@...> wrote:

 

Look at the pictures in the Album Desalinator D50 1998.

 

What can that pile of salt-looking thing be that appears under the nob that we use for managing the preassure on the watermaker.

(The pipe you can see to the left, or almost see, is our not-permanent solution for the tap where we test the water quality. It works, it is not nice but better than a tap dripping while we try to get a new one. )