Water maker - mental moment
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David Crisp
I'm having a mental moment/doubts concerning the correct positions for the three-way valve on the watermaker (Duo 100 on an A54)
Restarted the watermaker yesterday (after it had been pickled for a couple of months) turned the valve upwards to flush with fresh water. Then the turned the valve handle downwards to allow sea water to be taken in from the manifold to the HP pump. All seemed okay. I've left the handle turned downwards as normal for day to day operation but I find the fresh water pump keeps kicking in every few minutes, I can only stop this by having the valve handle horizontal. As I recall/understood: - handle vertical upwards - fresh water flush - handle horizontal everything shut off - handle vertically down sea water allowed to flow. Am I having a mental moment or is there a problem somewhere please? -- David Crisp SV Wilna Grace Amel 54 #58
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Roque
Hi David
Just to confirm, on Amel54 #117 it works like you described: - handle vertical upwards - fresh water flush
- handle horizontal everything shut off - handle vertically down sea water allowed to flow. Roque Attika A54 117 Paraty - Brazil
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Olivier Beaute
Hello David,
The solenoid valve that flushes the watermaker automatically (located above the primary filters) mat be leaking internally. Check it (undo the plumbing fitting after the valve). Olivier Envoyé de mon iPhone
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David Crisp
Thanks Olivier and Roque,
I have checked for leaks everywhere and all is tight so before getting into more technical thoughts I wanted to check I wasn't making a silly mistake. Will check the solenoid valve. -- David Crisp SV Wilna Grace Amel 54 #58
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David, the actual 3-way manual valve has been known to leak also...And, of course, it could be a leaking 1-way valve on the freshwater pump.
On Sat, Sep 25, 2021 at 11:28 AM David Crisp <david@...> wrote: Thanks Olivier and Roque,
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Bill I think you’re completely correct with your conclusion about the three way valve. Many thanks for that great tip !!!
I’m having long time the same problem as David. Only difference is that I’m having a manual shut off valve ( grey/blue valve on the picture ) in the fresh water line before the three way valve. That one I always shut off manually to get rid of the problem that the fresh water pump goes on every 20 minutes. But to run the watermaker I need to go in the engine room to open that manual valve to allow the watermaker to do a flush after use. When ready I need go in the engine room again to shut the same valve. I thought that the only culprit to this problem was the solenoid valve.
Asked the Dessalator dealer here in La Rochelle to check it but he could not solve the problem. Asked the Amel crew on the Amel pontoon which also had a look but couldn’t find the cause. Went back to the Dessalator dealer and he told me it could be some calcium on the solenoid valve which blocked it from closing completely. He advised me to order a new one. Which I did. Installed that new valve (by coincidence yesterday) and the problem was still there !!
Today I read your remark about the three way valve. I closed that valve (horizontal) left the manual grey/blue valve open and to my surprise problem was gone ! Which mean that your correct, the fresh water was simply leaking via the three way valve back to the seawater intake. And NOT via the solenoid valve ! I never thought about that possibility. Not only me … but also not the Dessalator dealer and also not the Amel crew on the pontoon.
Again big thanks for the great advice !!
Laurens Vos Fun@Sea A54 - 72 La Rochelle
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The solenoid is the likely culprit. It can be removed and cleaned. Soak the parts in vinegar to remove the calcium.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Porter McRoberts S/V IBIS A54-152 Denarau WhatsApp:+1 754 265 2206Www.fouribis.net
On Sep 26, 2021, at 9:51 AM, Laurens Vos <laurensrineke@...> wrote:
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Laurens, The manual valve has been known to leak freshwater when it is in the saltwater position. Best, CW Bill Rouse Amel Owners Yacht School +1 832-380-4970 | brouse@... 720 Winnie, Galveston Island, Texas 77550 www.AmelOwnersYachtSchool.com Yacht School Calendar: www.preparetocastoff.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html
On Sat, Sep 25, 2021, 4:51 PM Laurens Vos <laurensrineke@...> wrote:
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I can confirm the three way valve starts leaking after xxx time. I had to replace mine last year. By the way I don’t think there is a documented middle postion for the valve by the way. I only use two positions.
I did add a second three way valve to add an inlet for flushing the system with sterilizing fluid. Cheers, Arno Luijten SV Luna, A54-121
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Arno, I agree there is not a documented middle position. 
On Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 4:06 AM Arno Luijten <arno.luijten@...> wrote: I can confirm the three way valve starts leaking after xxx time. I had to replace mine last year. By the way I don’t think there is a documented middle postion for the valve by the way. I only use two positions.
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rossirossix4
For us, the easiest way to check for a leak in the freshwater valve is to close the seacock to the main intake strainer/sea-chest and then remove the top of the strainer and disable the head intake pumps (you can flush using water jugs of sea or fresh water or fresh water from the sink or shower in the head), AC, etc. Note the water level (you can pull out a few inches with the toilet supply pump before disabling it). You can continue to use fresh water in the boat.
After a few hours and certainly by 24 hours you will see a rise in the level in the strainer. That water is coming from the leak and the 3-way valve needs to be replaced. A leak in the 3 way can flood your generator and possibly your engine with fresh water under certain conditions. This happened to us at the dock and we caught it just before it flooded the generator. We had the sea-cock to the strainer closed and were using fresh water in the heads and weren't using AC. Because the strainer seacock is closed water will force itself through the raw water pumps of both the generator and engine filling the lift muffler and then exhaust loop before flowing out the exhaust Water then floods the exhaust manifold of the engine and will flood the cylinders and then make its way into the oil pan. For some reason the water does not exit the AC system which is lower. Probably because of resistance in the one-way valve. The main point is that the risk of a leaking 3-way can be more than just excessive fresh water usage. It is well worth testing this, particularly if you are at dock with the sea-cock closed. Hearing your fresh water pump cycle on during a period of non-water usage is a good reason to check for this or other leaks. Bob KAIMI 429
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