Turning Seawater into fresh drinking water, on a kayak!
At first thought, it goes against everything we’ve been told since childhood, don’t drink salt water. There is a bit of a strange feeling the first time you drink water that you know seconds earlier would have made you sick.
The basic idea and components are actually pretty straightforward, and once you understand the principles, it’s not anything to be scared of (except the cost).
Here is the parts list I used to build my kayak RO water maker system.
These are affiliate links and help pay for my extravagant lifestyle.
2.5″ x 21″ Fiberglass Membrane Housing ($315)
DOW Filmtec Seawater Membrane ($240)
GreenWorks 1500 PSI Pressure Washer ($99) (Amazon Version, mine was from Lowes, should work the same)
Krieger 1500 Watt Inverter ($145)
12V Water Pump 65psi ($41) for pre-charging the line
Total Dissolved Solids Water Tester ($15)
Prefilter Housing (x2) ($16/ea)
20 Micron Filters ($24 for 4 pack)
5 Micron Filters ($20 for 4 pack)
Sediment Filter ($12)
1000 PSI Pressure Gauge ($12)
Needle Valve ($41)
Flexzilla Hose (2x) ($10/ea) (super soft and flexible with nice powder coated metal ends… aluminum?)
The following are various fittings, I did not use all of them as my setup evolved. However, I’ll just list all the ones I bought and you can determine what you’ll need for your setup. I kept the low pressure side to 3/4 GHT (Garden Hose Thread to 3/4″ NPT (National Pipe Thread) and the high pressure side to all 1/4″ NPT except for the M22 which is standard for pressure washers.
M22 to 1/4″ Female ($9) (This is the adapter for the pressure washer (M22 fitting) to 1/4″ NPT line)
M22 to 1/4″ Male ($8) (For the other end of the hose.
18″ 5000 PSI Hydraulic Hose ($20)
3/4″ to 3/4″ NPT ($9)
1/4″ NPT Male Quick Connect 5000 PSI ($10)
1/4″ NPT by 2″ long Pipe 2pcs ($9)
1/4″ NPT by 6″ long Pipe 2pcs ($10)
1/4″ Female Barstock Street Tee ($10)
1/4″ Male NPT Hose Barb ($8) (x2)
Brass 1/4″ x 1/4″ NPT F-F and M-M couplers ($8)
Brass 3/4″ GHT x 3/4″ NPT Male Connectors ($9)
Brass 3/4″ GHT to 1/2″ NPT Connectors ($13)
Hex Pip Plug SS ($7)
Raw URL Links
21" Membrane Housing - https://amzn.to/3nw5B3c
21" Filmtec Seawater Membrane- https://amzn.to/3jvix75
Green Works Pressure Washer - https://amzn.to/2XK1bvy
Krieger 1500 Watt Inverter - https://amzn.to/3vIsanB
12V Water Pump 65psi - https://amzn.to/3vIlPc4
Total Dissolved Solids Water Tester - https://amzn.to/3jxuRDT
Prefilter Housing - https://amzn.to/3b1BE3Y
20 Micron Filter - https://amzn.to/3Bamm7E
5 Micron Filter - https://amzn.to/3vDiHhr
Sediment Filter ($12) - https://amzn.to/2ZoEkq4
1000 PSI Pressure Gauge - https://amzn.to/3vCcOAY
Needle Valve - https://amzn.to/3vEyoEW
1/2" Vinyl Tubing - https://amzn.to/3vDiHhr
Flexzilla Hose - https://amzn.to/3vCJR82
Fittings...
M22 to 1/4" Female - https://amzn.to/3B7kywc
M22 to 1/4" Male - https://amzn.to/3jxWcWh
1/4" 18" 5000 PSI Hydraulic Hose - https://amzn.to/2XFJRrx
3/4" to 3/4" NPT - https://amzn.to/3jyjDPc
1/4" NPT Male Quick Connect 5000 PSI - https://amzn.to/3vFVI5j
1/4" NPT by 2" long Pipe 2pcs - https://amzn.to/3EbcMDj
1/4" NPT by 6" long Pipe 2pcs - https://amzn.to/3ntsqn0
1/4" Female Barstock Street Tee - https://amzn.to/3EgoOeR
1/4" Male NPT Hose Barb - https://amzn.to/2ZoYWyj
Brass 1/4" x 1/4" NPT F-F and M-M couplers - https://amzn.to/3b1EpCm
Brass 3/4" GHT x 3/4" NPT Male Connectors - https://amzn.to/3b7kKki
Brass 3/4" GHT to 1/2" NPT Connectors - https://amzn.to/3jwAaDo
Stainless Steel Hex Thread Pipe Plug - https://amzn.to/30LAV4S