How do I commission a watermaker?

Refer to your manual for specific instructions. If this is the first time you have started your system, we recommend that you contact your local dealer to help you commission the system and walk you through the proper operation, care and maintenance of your new system. 

These instructions are intended to be generic, and specific directions for your system are provided in the Operation and Maintenance Manual. Refer to your manual for specific system instructions and chemical ratios. 

First, for any system: thoroughly review your installation and make sure it matches the description from your manual.

For Analog Systems:

  1. Check that the thru-hull inlet valve and brine discharge valve are open.  All of your hose connections are tight.  The green warning tag and washer have been removed from under the pressure relief valve.  The pressure relief valve is open 1/2 turn.  The sampling valve is set to the sample position.

  2. Turn on feed pump and check to make sure water is coming out of the brine discharge thru -hull the above waterline.

  3. Run the system without pressure for 20 minutes (4-6 hours if stored with propylene glycol) to purge the storage chemicals. The flow pressure gauge should read around 20 PSI (1.2 bar). This is open flow, or static pressure.

  4. After 20 minutes, slowly close the pressure relief valve on the system to build pressure.  Check for leaks.

  5. Continue running the product water to drain for 10 minutes, then check the product water quality using the supplied handheld salinity tester.

  6. After testing the system, stop the feed pump and perform a fresh water flush. A fresh water flush will need to be repeated after 5 days (30 days with the Z-Ion). For longer periods we recommend a storage procedure.

For Automatic Systems with the MPC 5000:

  1. Check thru-hull inlet and the brine discharge valves are open, all of your hose connections are tight, the washer with the green tag under the pressure relief valve has been removed.  The pressure relief valve is open 1/2 turn. The toggle switch on the MPC control box is set to the Auto position.  There are at least several gallons of water in your freshwater tank for priming.

  2. Power up the system by turning on the circuit breaker. After a few seconds a message on the display will read “Open Pressure Relief Valve Now.”

  3. Push the Auto Run Button. The feed pump will start and the message “Purging Storage Solution” will appear.

  4. The system will go into a pre-programmed starting sequence. The system should prime within 30-90 seconds. Check the strainer and the brine discharge for water flow. There should be few bubbles anywhere in the intake hoses and the feed pump should sound smooth after priming. After confirming that the system is primed, inspect for leaks.

  5. After the purge sequence, the control will alarm with the message “Close Pressure Relief Valve.” Close the relief valve and proceed by pressing Auto Run.

  6. The system is now running under pressure and making water. The display will read “PURGING PRODUCT WATER,” and count down another ten minutes while it purges any residual chemicals from the membrane and product lines. After ten minutes, if product water is below 750 PPM it will send the product water to the tank. Carefully inspect for leaks over the entire system.

  7. You can now flush the system by pressing the Stop button followed by the Auto Store button.