In article ,
(Jim Woodward) wrote:

Hello again, Bruce:

Three things:

Seawater RO makers typically specify output as around 150ppm total
dissolved solids -- a far cry from distilled, but it tastes good. You
can get more or less distilled water (less than 0.1ppm TDS) from an RO
system, but it takes much more than a standard single stage drinking
water system.

Do you have a reference for an RO membrane taking out viruses? About
half of the people I have talked to believe that the membrane will
take out viruses, the rest want a UV sterilizer in the system to kill
them. Everyone seems to agree that bacteria are stopped by the
membrane.

Batteries:
Let me call your attention to a thread started by Glenn Ashmore in
rec.boats.building -- "A really big battery bank deal." $300 each for
new 1400AH 6V UPS sets by East Penn.

I'm looking at those, but would also be interested in tapping your
"Been doing this for 30 years now, and have some experience in the
field." What would you buy for Fintry's house battery set -- we need
1500-2000AH (nominal capacity) at 24VDC? The plan is to discharge
them around around 50% on a daily basis for house loads when we're at
anchor. My knee jerk reaction is flooded Rolls/Surrette units as they
are local (Boston area) and have a good rep, but I'm not wedded to
them. I'm looking for best overall cost-effectiveness. Weight is not
an issue.



Jim Woodward
www.mvFintry.com

Hello Jim,
The Rolls/Surrette Batteries are "Top of the Line" Batteries and would
certainly do the job, but at an elevated price, over what a standard
Deep Cycle system would cost. A lot of the High Seas and Coastal
Freighter Fleet use them in their SOLAS Required Emergency Power Systems.
When I was a Fed, I liked to see them installed, as it showed that the
Owners were at least congnisant of Safety. 2000amp/hrs is a very large
bank, and I don't have a lot of experience in that size. Most of my
experience is under 1000Amp/hrs, but in principal they are the similar.
I am partial to L16's, and Exide Flooded Single Cell Forklift Banks. I
have seen a few of the later that range up into the 2000Amp/hr range at
36Vdc and 48Vdc. They have great longevity, but the initial costs are
rather steep compared to the L16 and the consumer type batteries.

It really is a matter of what one can afford and what will the final
application and loading will be. I really like my AbsolyteII AGM Bank,
but my Alscom buddies seem to think that they don't standup in the long
term when compared to Standard Flooded Telco Cells. I've only had this
AGM Bank for three years, so the jury is still out on this system, as
far as I am concerned.

Bruce in alaska