MB-5 MEMBRANE CLEANING WITH DETERGENT
If the membrane has been fouled with oil it may be possible to save it by cleaning it with dish soap such as Joy. Don’t use anything that may contain bleach. You will need quite a lot of chlorine free fresh water. If using shore water run it through a charcoal filter at a rate of not more than 1.5 gallons (6 liters) per minute.
Fill a bucket with fresh water and mix in a couple squirts of the detergent. Run the system depressurized with the watermaker drawing water from the bucket and discharging over- board. When about half the water is gone from the bucket stop the unit and let the mem- brane soak for a few minutes. Restart and pump the remaining solution overboard. Repeat until the discharge appears clean.
After most of the oil is cleaned out you can put the brine discharge into the bucket and run the system with the soapy water circulating as you would for the other cleaning chemicals. Rinse the system with a bucket of fresh water or the fresh water flush cycle, then flush for twenty minutes using sea water. Pressurize and test.
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