15
Introduction to Spectra Chemicals
We use four types of chemicals: SC
-
1, SC
-
2, SC
-
3, and propylene glycol antifreeze. SC
-
1 and
propylene glycol are for system storage, while SC
-
2 and SC
-
3 are for membrane cleaning.
Note: Never use any chemicals with the system pressurized!
Always open the pressure relief
valve 1/2 turn. Always follow the instructions for purging the chemicals as shown in the New
System Startup section of your owner
’
s manual.
Storage:
SC
-
1 prevents biological growth when your system is idle. It should not be used as a
cleaning chemical, nor will it protect your system from freezing. A jar of SC
-
1 is mixed with 1 to
2 gallons of product or dechlorinated fresh water in a bucket and circulated through the sys-
tem for 10 minutes. This treatment will protect the system for six months, after which the SC
-
1
treatment must be repeated. To use SC
-
1, follow the instructions for
Ventura MPC Storage
Procedure
on the following page.
Spectra systems should be stored with propylene glycol if freezing is likely to occur. This is a
food grade antifreeze used to winterize RV
’
s, boats, and cabins. Propylene glycol also works
very well for preventing biological growth in warm climates and is good for one year. See
Win-
terizing with Antifreeze
(OP
-
1 document on the Spectra website).
Note: Do not use metasodium
-
bisulfate, Citric Acid, or any other storage chemical not sup-
plied by Spectra.
These chemicals, used to store other watermaker brands, are very acidic and
will damage the Clark Pump and void the warranty.
Cleaners
: Cleaning can be detrimental to the membrane and shorten its life. Avoid unneces-
sary cleaning, and avoid cleaning as a diagnostic tool.
SC
-
2
is an alkaline cleaner used to remove light oil, grime and biological growth. It is most
effective if heated to 120 deg. F, which is difficult on a boat. In most cases the water quality
will increase in PPM (salinity) after an SC
-
2 cleaning. After a few hours it should recover to
near the level it produced before the cleaning
.
SC
-
3
is an acid cleaner used to remove mineral and scale deposits. In most cases this is used
first and if there is no improvement, go on to the SC
-
2. SC
-
3 will in most cases lower the prod-
uct PPM and overall pressures. Scaling is a slow process that may take several months or
years. SC
-
3 is less harmful to the membrane and will almost always improve the performance
of an older membrane.
For cleaning with either SC
-
2 or SC
-
3, see the
Cleaning Procedure
.
