‍Water makers use reverse osmosis to generate clean, drinkable water, and the reverse osmosis membranes are in essence the heart of the system.  If well looked after they will provide years of reliable service. If not looked after – like anything they can be damaged or fail prematurely. In this resource we will cover off why it's important to pickle your water maker over long periods of non use, and two ways to clean the water maker system. ‍

What happens if a marine water maker isn’t pickled?

The membranes in a water maker sit inside pressure vessels which contain salt water, and whatever contaminants are in the saltwater ie microbiological organisms, and any other contaminants that may be present. When left sitting for a period of time, organic growth can occur.  This can start to happen within anywhere from a few days to a week or so depending on the water, and temperatures.

After extended periods of non use, you may notice a rotten egg smell which can be a sign of bacterial growth in your system, which can damage or even destroy your membranes, resulting in replacement. Sometimes this can be resolved by changing pre filters, and running the system for a few hours or so to give it a good flush out, sometimes it might take a little more than that ie chemicals or membrane replacement. ‍

‍Short term cleaning: The freshwater flush

Most water makers sold now contain a freshwater flush.  This process flushes the whole system, and particularly the membranes, with fresh water from the vessels tank.  Purging salt water from the water maker and replacing with fresh water helps to prevent biofouling and keep the system cleaner for longer.  For extended periods of non use, some water makers also have a programmed weekly freshwater flush.

However, not all systems have a freshwater flush, and whilst this procedure helps to prevent biofouling it doesn’t necessarily stop it from happening all together.  

‍‍Long term storage: Sanitising water makers with chemicals, or ‘pickling’

A good clean and sanitise with the right chemicals can help clean your system and often remove any remnants of growth, done prior to extended periods of non use it can preserve or “pickle” the system preventing biological growth from occurring for several months or longer.  It can also reduce or remove mineral scale which can be troublesome for many components of the system.  

Some water makers make it easier than others to perform this process depending on how its setup (are there hoses and fittings for this process already installed?) and location of the unit (it it easily accessible?)  If the water maker allows for an easy cleaning process its something that should be done, perhaps at the end of summer if the vessel is going to sit for a while.  If the water maker does not allow for an easy cleaning process, there are ways to fit a hose and valve system to make it an easy process. It’s cheaper to fit the gear to make it easy to clean than it is to ignore and prematurely replace parts.