A hygiene kit is essential in order to maintain the quality of drinking water on an ongoing basis. It is necessary to treat any watermaker after use if it is not going to be used for some weeks or longer. Cleanliness is crucial to avoid any build up of bacteria within the unit while in longer term storage. Hygiene kit of powder kegs shown above beside an audio casette for size comparison. Treating the unit takes about 6 minutes. Kits last average vessel 2-4 years. In addition to biocide, kits contain pickling acids and alkalis to clean the membrane, if necessary, of the metals & organics contained in sea water which can accumulate over an extended period of use.
Under no circumstances be tempted to use disinfectant, bleach or other compounds - it would destroy the membrane.
