Get pure drinking water on your boat | Acuva ArrowMAX 2.0
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- Latest: April 2024 we've had the Acuva for just over 2 years and it's been great. However we have just had the LED's fail (the box displays a red light) I contacted Acuva as the unit has only produced about a tenth of the amount of water they say the unit is good for, but the guarantee is only one year so that's tough luck for me!
It is possible to buy just the box though so I'm not paying the full price and they gave me a discount code so it ended up being $350 which we think is worth it to have good water again. They say the LED tech is still pretty new and they've experienced a few early failures like this but on the whole the unit should last longer, hope the next one does!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top quality drinking water is one of the most important things on a cruising boat and we've just changed the way we get ours to a system we really like. This video goes through our reasons for changing and the fitting of the new gear which gives us excellent pure water straight from our tanks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are interested in having one of these systems yourself follow this link to the Acuva site and if you use the discount code SAILINGFAIRISLE you will get a 10% discount.
www.acuvatech....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have always avoided having bottled drinking water aboard, it's expensive, it's a really heavy item to take from shore to the boat and worst of all it means you end up with loads of waste plastic which if often impossible to recycle when you're sailing so it's going to end up in landfill.
For the first 5 years of living aboard Fair Isle we had a filter system on board from Nature Pure. This has a filter which is capable of filtering out everything down to bacterial level. It has supplied us with clean drinking water for all that time and has done it's job as we have always had good clean drinking water straight from our tanks.
However the down side of this really fine filtration is the water flow is very slow and quickly becomes a dribble as the filter gets clogged up. I tried adding a prefilter and I also filter the water on the way into the boats tank, but this didn't help much. We have to change filters frequently, they are difficult to get hold of when you're sailing and they are very expensive. But even changing often we still had water flow that was far too slow.
So we have now removed those filters and replaced them with the Acuva ArrowMAX system.
From the research I've done I believe this will do a better job than the filters of taking all bacteria out of our drinking water. Well to be accurate it doesn't take it out, it kills it by blasting the water as it flows to the tap with a high intensity ultra violate beam. This scrambles the DNA of bacteria and kills them. This has always been a very effective way of purifying water but until now it required expensive and power hungry mercury lamps to deliver the UV light. LED technology however has come to the rescue and the Acuva units use less than an amp while working, and they are only actually working when the water is flowing.
This video goes through the fitting of the unit and the reasons why we changed over to this system as well as some testing.
![How To Get Great-Tasting Water From a Boat's Tank - Step by Step | ⛵ Sailing Britaly ⛵ [Boat Work]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/H7_zFKP81m0/mqdefault.jpg)
There's a link in the description with a discount code if you want one of these :)
Thanks Steve, another good video. And your introduction to the new filter in the lats episode got me thinking that when we charter next time I'll be taking a Brita filter jug with me to save on the cons of bottled water. Yet one more thing for the ever-expanding chartering kit bag.
On a slight tangent, I believe you're still in-between domestic battery solutions and using your all-in-one for most AC and DC applications. I see that recently Will Prowse discussed the new SOK marine-grade drop-in replacement LiFePO4 battery - 206Ah 12.8V 2,636W - and I think this sort of option would be one worth considering. I think you've expressed concerns about BMS failures, however with each battery having its own internal BMS (that's also serviceable), then the risk is distributed and quickly becomes statistically insignificant. Imagine having three of these units (or more) - 600+Ah of usable domestic - and you've solved your storage problem for the foreseeable future. With your Solar PV capacity you would probably never run out and almost certainly never need to run the engine just to charge. Obviously, you need to consider alternator over-temp - due to the very low internal resistance of LiFePO4 - but I think you've already solved that with a well-regulated unit. The serviceability is an important point - especially the further you get away from the Amazon's and Fedex's of the world - but with multiple units, and the ability to open them up and swap-out a BMS or even individual cells, it's a pretty solid solution. Worth some consideration I would have thought...
The Brita filter might make the water taste a bit better by taking out chlorine etc. but I very much doubt it takes bacteria out unless they have seriously upgraded since I last saw one.So you're still going to have to be wary of dodgy water.
Thanks for the tip off about Will Prowse, I think I've found an excellent marine grade LiFePO4 battery manufacturer, but I'll check out those ones to, sounds similar to what I've found.
I have been preparing for this swap over for some time so yes the Balmar with it's external regulator is perfect and the solar MPPT's can all be programmed to lithium. I have the old alternator as a spare but I think when we get to the US I will buy a whole Balmar with regulator as a spare as it really is one of the most likely bits of kit to give you grief.
Nice! Just what I've been looking for recently!
There is one note of caution that I would like to offer. Whilst the irradication of any bacterial contamination is bound to be a good thing, the system that you have installed wont deal with any toxins they may have produced. That is to say, many baterial types, if they infect a water supply or food stuff, will, whilst they are still in an active colony, produce toxins that can also be harmful. This isn't necessarily so, but it is a possibility.
became somewhat obsessed whilst watching this: what about viruses? ... You'll be releived to find that it does appear to work on those too. However, I noticed that cryptosporidium (that you mentioned) and fecal coliforms (which you didn't) may not always be reliably killed by u/v - depends on uv dose. Still, it's going to be *massively* better than not running the water through the filter and uv!!
What do you do in case of a failure of the water purifying system?
What are the most critical parts in the system and do you carry spares for it?
Thanks, Huub
I will get a spare filter at some point, but it should last a long time. The unit itself is sealed, so no spares but it's really just LED lights which are supposed to last a very long time. Obviously something could go wrong, but I guess I would just boil the water or buy bottles if I was worried until I could get another unit. I will of course update you if there are any problems at all, but I'm really not expecting any with a bit of kit like this.
Thanks Steve. Very impressed. We will be getting one of those for next season for sure. You mention that about 7 years life for a family of 4. How would you know when its time to replace it? Cheers
The blue light on the tap has a couple of modes. As well as going green when it self cleans it also goes red for a fault and of course if the blue light doesn’t come on at all then that means the LEDs haven’t come in an your water is not being treated. I guess that would most likely indicate a wiring/power problem to the box though.
We recently purchased this unit after seeing your video. Noted when it arrived that it requires pex connectors for plumbing. We are using just regular 1/2 plastic hose and clamps. Did you need to do any retro fitting during your installation? Any suggestions to help us? BTW....really enjoying watching your travels. We hope to make the hop from Canada to the northern parts of Europe and then into the Med. Your videos make me wish I could untie the lines sooner.
Hi Elaine, yes I show it briefly in the film, here's a link to where you see it... ua-cam.com/video/nb2jYiZdGSI/v-deo.html I happened to have some Pex - to - standard hose type connectors on the boat, i didn't have and pex pipe though so I cut a couple of inches off an existing installation that also connected on to a hose ( the hose was long enough to cope) and the just used to off cuts go into the supplied T piece hex connector so I could fit the converters and connect hoses. have a look at the video at the point I've sent you and you should see it.
Excellent video👍
Thank you 👍
Regarding the bacteria in the water I have a different approach, I don't drink water :))
I did suggest just fitting a draft beer tap but Judy vetoed it!
nice , be healthful and safe :)
Hi Steve, I bought a Arromax Accuva 2.0. Are you finding the filters need changing regularly? I have a red light on the box also the blue light on the tap is only blue intermittently.
No we have never changed our pre filter. They say it’s good for 4000 gallons but as we are almost always dealing with watermaker water I would think our will last longer than that. Not sure what your issue could be I’m afraid
@@svfairisle thanks for your reply Steve, the blue lights on the front of the unit went red. I contacted the EU dealer in Germany, he reported the fault to the manufacturer in Vancouver, they are sending me a new unit under warranty. Surprisingly they did not have a replacement unit in EU to send me.
Is there any pre-filtering you do for the water you pump in dockside? For example, I've seen you use a water separator/filter while filling the petrol tanks thus eliminating a problem before it gets on-board your boat.
Yes have a standard filter canister with Hoze-lock connectors on it so I clip the hose from the dock onto that and the tail goes into the filler. But it’s important to understand that all these type of filters are doing is taking out suspended particles NOT bacteria which are tiny. I do I to stop the tank getting sediment in it over time which in itself could be somewhere to get nasty growths. To my knowledge there’s no system that could completely purify water on the way into a tank without you taking all day to fill up!
Looks to be a great system Steve. Do you still regularly use any purifying tablets in your tanks or just this system now? Andy U.K.
I won’t use purifying tablets every time any more no. What I will do is just give a shock dose at times we leave the boat for a week or two like Xmas. I usually do that once a year with just a bit of water in the tanks so it’s quite a strong solution and make sure I run some into the pipes befit we leave it. Then I usually pump that water out into the bilge and give it a good clean.
Hi Steve think you said you picked it up in the UK did you order on line from your link?
Did you have to pay any VAT and/or import taxes on it from the States?
Just weighing up the total cost.
Many Thanks.
Hi Alan, yes I ordered it direct from Canada, which is what the link does. It was delivered to Judys mums in Cambridge but there wasn't any extra import tax. It seems to be a lottery if the postal service decides to implement that or not, or maybe things from Canada arn't liable?
I hate to say this , the filter I am sure is very good but I am extremely sceptical about anything with “led germicidal” . Germicidal fluorescents are brilliant and work fantastically at killing any bugs, viruses, moulds etc. Led UVC is as a very early stage and the output of uvc leds have been a fraction of the output of fluorescent. I would love to see the result of that test with the filter and without the UVC. My guess is that the filter is doing all the hard work and that the UVC is unnecessary. With fluorescents you have to replace the tubes as the output of UVC drops over time, what happens with this unit?
Well it's true this is new tech, but it's new tech that everyone is taking up same as with normal lighting. I know from my time with studio lighting that floro's are a nightmare as the gas coats the tube over time and the colour temperature changes, so I'm not surprised they loose their UV properties too, LED's do not suffer from this. The manufactures claim over 7 years use for a family of 4, so 14 years + for us. So I'd be happy with that if it's correct. Also there's no way the filter is taking out bacteria as it's simply not anywhere near fine enough to do so. As I said in the video it's job is to remove particles the tiny bacteria could be shielded by.
I own a condo in a country that has questionable drinking water and I installed a similar system with uv and have never has issues. It was recommended there. Only requirement was to change the filters at specified usage intervals
Having said that, I recall an industry person who worked in water filtration say they do not use any filtration system since using tap water is safe if not for some taste/smell issues and most issues result from bacterial buildup in the actual filters from the filtration system. As long as the system is continually flushed and used regularly it should be okay was what was said. But the origin water should be safe to begin with.
@@matjam8305 UVC is brilliant at disinfecting water and air. I am just questioning the output of LED emitters. I sell UVC fluorescents for a living and so far the output of LED's has been underwhelming. The technology should improve and it may be that these units are good enough. What Steve says about this pre-filter is interesting, on our boat we use the General Ecology filters which claim to filter out both viruses and bacteria.
@@paulreading8980 undertood. My system was for home and was okay for the higher tap flow rate - at least i never suffered any issues. The flow rate here seems low in comparision and more than tens years (hopefully) of tech innovation/improvements.
I have come to learn claims made are a very creative use of language. Time (testing) will tell. But like i said earlier an industry person said the filters are where the trouble is. So maybe reguarly check your filters and disinfective with a chlorine solution even if they look okay to the naked eye.
Totally agree - best to choose your water intake carefully instead.
Interesting, I have a 12 volt UV sterilizing light connected to the product water line just near the water maker well before my water tanks. this way I make doubly sure the product water from the water maker is safe. Before I did this installation, I was ill from two diffrent water-born parasites. I know that the watermaker membrane is also claimed to filter out all bug pathogens. However, after being very ill and taking X 5 - 3 different antibiotics over a year, one can't be too careful when it comes to drinking water and one health.
Lekker man lekker
Is that water from your tank that you fill up or is this a water maker from sea water ?
At the moment tank water from various docksides. We will be fitting a watermaker this winter which will mean on the whole the water will be much better, but we will still be filling from docks occasionally during the summer and while in the Med from the dock in the winter.
Hi Steve, another useful video. Thanks. I think this may have been answered below but if you have a watermaker would you still need one of these? Or is it a case that a watermaker puts clean water into your tanks but your tanks could be infected.??
@@the_ayesha_khan water from the water maker is sterile so you could give the tanks & pipes a good clean and be good to go, but then you should never use dockside water again in case it introduces something. We can’t do that as we are in a marina in the winter while in the Med. I want the ability to use dock water when available anyway.
Great video but I am wondering why you did not just fit a watermaker and be done with it. The water I believe would be more pure than your filter.
I will be fitting a water maker this winter and it’s true the water out if there will be pure, but I still want the ability to fill from a dock if we happen to be at one, it will save wear on the water maker and save power. We don’t often visit marinas in summer so I did consider not bothering as you suggested but while in the Med we do spend winter in a marina where I wouldn’t run the water maker so would definitely be in the dock water. Remember you only have to have contamination once from shore to have the possibility of that living in your tanks for a bit.
does this Acuva system come with a pump to create the flow. I ask because we have a foot operate tap which is connected to the water tank under the floor.
No there’s no pump, it relies on the existing pump, but I don’t see any reason the foot pump wouldn’t work
Thank you!
Took me a while to understand what a faucet was ;-)
presume you only put mains water in your tanks. Why not go the whole hog and install a desalination unit?
We will do that this winter but I want the option to get mains water, I can’t use a water maker in a marine in the winter for instance.
@@svfairisle I understand you would concerned about the raw water quality feed in a marina which I guess could be pretty awful. It is technically possible to purify any water quality [ a raw sewage feed is common ] but on a boat? would need a lot of looking into
Hello, would you be interested in selling your manual pump? I would be interested in buying it from you 👍🏻
Hi, to be honest I’ll probably keep it as a spare for the salt water tap & in case I want to return it to original
Hi Steve, what's a gallon? Please use SI units (metric) so that the rest of the world knows what you are talking about.
Well that’s a good point and I would have given both but I took those figures from Acuva’s website and being a Canadian company they use Gallons. Now the question is do Canadians use US Gallons or Imperial Gallons?! US would be 3.8 litres and Imperial 4.5! I didn’t know & didn’t want to get it wrong so left it out. It’s about time the world had one system I’d say!!
The companies estimate for the filter life of 4000 gallons is 15140 litres if using US gallons, and 18400 if using imperial
@@svfairisle Canada has traditionally used the Imperial gallon. However, the math on Acuva's website doesn't add up unless you do it with US gallons. Conveniently, that makes for bigger numbers for the advertising. Figures.
Canada uses Imperial gallons. I live in Washington state 80 km from the border. Formerly drove a semi, lorry, into Canada but my company pulled the permits as Canada refused to load US trucks.
@@lyleseaman4414 interesting, maybe that’s why it took longer to fill the glass, I do think I might find a better pump though.