January 25, 2023 - Everett, WA- Water Maker Upgrade

January 25,  2023 - Everett, WA - Water Maker Upgrade

During our Alaska cruises, we found we had more than enough generator capability to quickly recharge our batteries.  However, we found we needed to continue to run the generator to make water!  Our FCI water maker was configured to make 700 GPD/0.5 GPM when it was installed in 2017.  But the output had been reduced to 0.42 GPM to stay within the high pressure pump capability.  The reduction was presumed to be associated with the colder water temperatures of the Pacific Northwest.

To increase the capability of the water maker additional pressure vessels/membranes would need to be added.  Fortunately, the FCI system has built in provisions to easily attach pressure vessels and we could add two more pressure vessels below the existing one.  This would increase the capability to 1850 GPD / 1.3 GPM resulting in a significantly shorter run time.


Measuring space to add TWO more pressure vessels below the existing ONE

Since we were going to be breaking into the water maker system, it provided an opportunity to fix a slight drip that had developed, perform an oil change and replace the membrane in the existing pressure vessel.

Removing the membrane from the existing pressure vessel it could be seen that it is still functional, however, it is showing signs of obstruction.  The FCI literature states:

"The membranes are rated for 3 years of operation. This includes operation time and down time. However, with proper care and the fresh-water-flush system you can achieve significantly longer life. When the PPM reading on the screen starts to climb or the product output is reduced, it may be time to either clean the membranes or replace them."

Given the output was reduced, and conversation with Rob at FCI suggesting that 5 years is a good time to change the membrane, it definitely seemed this was the time to replace the existing membrane as the obstruction may be the root cause of the reduced output.

Existing membrane

Existing Membrane

The installation of the new membrane went smoothly and attachment of the two new pressure vessels was straight forward as there were existing attachment provisions built into the water maker frame.  Biggest challenge was the limited access for making the plumbing connections.

NEW membrane

NEW membrane


One of the two new pressure vessels

The pump was disassembled, new seals installed, reassembled and oil change completed.  After reassembly, the units software was easily reprogrammed to match the upgraded hardware.
Replacing seals in the HP pump addressing a slight drip


Test run of the reassemble assembly produce the desired results - 1.3 GPM!



Location: 1205 Craftsman Way #200, Everett, WA 98201, USA

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