Using salt water on your hot water system?

[Throbbinhood]

Hey, sort of a follow up from a previous question I asked.. I'll be camping near salt water for a bit over a week. I have a hot water shower setup (think smart tek/joolca type thing), plus separate pump. Not plumbed into my normal water. Would there be any harm in filling a bucket with salt water to shower with, provided afterwards i put say half a litre of clean water through the lines and out the shower head?

[edz]

Would say that it will encrust the insides of the heat exchanger with a good layer of dried salt and probably block up the tubes depending on their size, then depending on the quality of the good chinese stainless or copper heat exchanger it will start to corrode pin holes through it .
Unless its a once off throw away deal I wouldnt be doing it .
Hot / warm salty water just isnt nice to wash in full stop .
You need one of these rigs http://www.albin25.eu/our-a25ak-dido/34-dido-stories/60-didos-watermaker or the expensive one http://www.h2oonthego.com.au/

[Bird]

Hot / warm salty water just isnt nice to wash in full stop .

massive understatement!!!!!!

[Hoyks]

High temperatures and salt will certainly accelerate corrosion, but you will probably get away with it for a short term and I'd be rinsing the system with LOTs of fresh water when you get home.

A fair bit of Australia gets by on bores that have have a moderate salt level and the water heaters last OK, but it is no where near sea water salty.

Dropping the salinity by mixing it with fresh or using a spear point to get water from the water table behind the dunes would be a better bet.

But, yeah, washing in warm soapy salt water is icky.

[Throbbinhood]

I'll stick to the shorter showers thanks guys

[oldmate]

yep.  the purpose of a shower is to wash the salt water off??

[Bad Scott]

yep.  the purpose of a shower is to wash the salt water off??

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

yep.  the purpose of a shower is to wash the salt water off??

So you don't like the idea of getting pickled?

[oldmate]

Lol. Nah. Not really


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[Rumpig]

Lol. Nah. Not really


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i call BS...you get pickled heaps 

[Fizzie]

So you don't like the idea of getting pickled?

Ahh, but getting pickled from the outside in, is very different to getting pickled from the inside out! 

One's great  , the other isn't 

[corndog]

Think I would go dirty before I ran salt water through mine.

[itchvet]

Think I would go dirty before I ran salt water through mine.

I'll drink to that.
B.T.W. a couple of years back, did trip thru W.A.'s Pilbara and camped at Karajini camp site. Used water from the bore supplied. Excellent water. BUT ! after showering twice using said water, controls on hot water unit FROZE up, unable to move and change heat settings. Forced the control free, then it started leaking thus destroying the function of the heater.
When I got home, dismantled heater to find out the problem.
Discovered the water from the bore went into water tank that had no cover on top, thus allowing very fine bulldust into water. This dust/powder cannot be seen when filling up containers, it had built up around the "O" ring of the control tap in effect freezing it solid. Have had great difficulty in sourcing correct replacement size " O " ring.
So be warned, don't get caught out with this issue.

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

I'll drink to that.
B.T.W. a couple of years back, did trip thru W.A.'s Pilbara and camped at Karajini camp site. Used water from the bore supplied. Excellent water. BUT ! after showering twice using said water, controls on hot water unit FROZE up, unable to move and change heat settings. Forced the control free, then it started leaking thus destroying the function of the heater.
When I got home, dismantled heater to find out the problem.
Discovered the water from the bore went into water tank that had no cover on top, thus allowing very fine bulldust into water. This dust/powder cannot be seen when filling up containers, it had built up around the "O" ring of the control tap in effect freezing it solid. Have had great difficulty in sourcing correct replacement size " O " ring.
So be warned, don't get caught out with this issue.

A best water filter or similar would've helped prevent that problem.  Only a customer not an employee.