How reliably can you assess the condition of a reverse-osmosis desalinator?
Handheld desalinators operating on the principle of reverse osmosis are available for emergency use in lifeboats. Sometimes they appear for sale unused in their original packaging at a very steep discount because they have been replaced at a scheduled interval by their owners (merchant marines, navies, etc). Is there any reliable means to assess the condition of the device and determine if it is reliable enough either for convenience (reducing the quantity of fresh water carried) or for possible life-sustaining use? Checking the condition of mechanical parts (pivots, levers, body) and of any seals (no cracks) seems straightforward, but what about the reverse osmosis membrane itself?
(Inspired by Portable desalination hand pump filter life?)
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Many recommend send for inspection yearly. katadyn
Factor that into the price and decide if it is still a good deal.
IMPORTANT: For your safety, we require that an inspection be completed once a year. Our regional service centers are trained to perform all necessary quality checks or you can return the unit to Katadyn for inspection.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/20679. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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You can test it at home.
Make you own salt water by adding 35grams of salt to a liter of water.
Desalinate the water to a new container, and measure the salinity with a hydrometer. one of lots of google hits, as example
You should also be able to taste the difference. Be aware there could still be a flaw in the osmosic barrier that allows an occasional; bacteria, virus, etc through as well as trace amounts of salt. Even if you can't taste or measure the salt with a hydrometer there may still be some. You may or may not want to use a secondary purification process that would not normally be required with reverse osmosis
Related How much sea water can I safely drink?
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