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Arid Bilge Series 2 nano dry bilge system installation and operations manual

Version 2x2p and Version 2x1p Manual update 1-2012

Series 2, 4 & 9 Dry Bilge Systems are protected under U.S. Patent number 6,837,174

Congratulations on acquiring your copy of the first and only choice in dry bilge systems. You have taken the first step in transforming your vessel. Dry bilges are just the beginning. With the permanent removal of all bilge water, the root of many issues will just disappear. Without bilge water, humidity levels drop, mildew and mold growth stops. Board your boat and notice that many of the odors are just not there. Many of the smaller leaks aboard will start to leave trails back to the source, most of which are easily fixed once they are found. In the long run your boat will smell neutral and look cared-for. The process is effortless and automatic with the installation of the Arid Bilge System. Warning: This unit is not a replacement or substitute for working bilge pumps. This unit is not designed to maintain vessel floatation in emergency situations.

Basic installation for the Series 2 nano version is outlined below. Mounting location: Choose a bulkhead location where the unit can be mounted vertically. Try to find a location close to an existing thru hull and power source. The ½” discharge and 16/2 cabling should be kept to a minimum length when possible. The left side of the unit has all of the ports and wiring so the right side can be mounted against another component or bulkhead. There are 6 mounting holes for #8 pan head type screws, if any four of the mounting holes are used the unit will be secure. Never mount the Arid Bilge in any area, like the bilge, where it might become submerged. The system must be mounted vertically with the arrow up in the upper right hand corner. The Arid Bilge will not function correctly if it is mounted on its back or side. Discharge: The ½” black barbed discharge port is usually connected to ½” Polybraid hose. The ½” Polybraid is then T connected to an existing thru hull at an existing discharge hose. The black ½” barbed discharge fitting on the side of the Arid Bilge System can be rotated clockwise to point up if the unit is mounted below the T fitting. We generally look for a thru hull that has an intermittent flow. An air conditioning raw water discharge would not be a good choice. Deck or sink drains are preferred. We try to keep the ½” discharge hose length in the 2’ to 12’ range when possible.

If an existing bilge pump thru hull must be used, it should have a discharge hose riser loop that extends above the thru hull. Place the T fitting between the peak of the loop and the thru hull. This way the Arid Bilge will discharge overboard without any chance of some of the flow returning through the bilge pump and back to the bilge If this condition exists, the Arid Bilge System

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may continue to run indefinitely and never dry the bilge since it would be forced to repeatedly re-circulate the same water. Check valves on the bilge pump discharge are never a good idea because they often leak or worse, restrict the bilge pumps’ ability to achieve prime.

It is preferred to use a Nylon threaded three-port T fitting. The thru side (top of the T) is fitted with barbed fittings to match the existing thru hull hose that we are cutting into. The third port is usually reduced to the ½” barbed fitting to match the Polybraid hose coming from the Arid Bilge System. Power: Verify that your vessel’s available power supply is matched to the unit ordered. The Series 2 nano systems are available in 12 or 24 volt DC versions and the voltage for your system is labeled at the entry point of the wiring on the side of the unit. We recommend that the unit be hardwired directly to a dedicated 5 or 10 amp DC breaker. This way the breaker can be used as an on/off switch in order to reset the system. As is normally accepted in most DC applications, red is positive and black is negative. The two-conductor power cord often ends up being connected at a terminal block near the unit and the extended wiring continues on to reach the breaker. Alternatively, the unit can also be configured to work with a simple cube transformer that plugs into a standard U.S. wall socket and then can run indirectly off of 120 VAC power. Intake tubing: The 5/32” diameter intake tubing must have a finished cut length of between 20’ and 50’. Distances under 20 feet require the coiling of the excess tubing in order to maintain the correct minimum resistance. The intake tubing is relatively easy to fish into the existing wire and plumbing runs. Two zone versions are delivered with 100’ of the 5/32” intake tubing. The single zone version comes with 50’. The tubing must be reeled (rolled) out while pulling into the runs so that it will lay flat. Laying the spool flat and pulling from the outside or inside of the reel will result in memory where the tubing takes on a curly shape, causing the tubing to become snared or kinked during installation. Place a piece of tape over the end of the intake tubing before pulling it into the runs to prevent any debris from entering. The tubing should also be measured and marked with a piece of tape at the 20’ mark for each run. As the tubing is pulled into the runs and the tape is pulled into the run, the minimum accepted length requirement has been reached. If the 20’ mark has not been pulled into the run, then the tubing must be cut at the taped mark and the balance spooled to maintain the minimum required resistance. The tubing is normally pulled into the boat’s existing plumbing and/or wire runs as needed to reach remote bilge locations. It is a good idea to leave extra tubing on both ends. The pickup may need to be relocated once the system is tested and the lowest point is found. The unit end may need to be trimmed over time to gain a fresh end.

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Intake ports: The intake ports are of push-lock design. If you have the mini flat bilge pickup, it has the identical fitting as the central Arid Bilge unit. The tubing inserts roughly ¼” with little resistance and will pull out at this point easily. To correctly insert, the tubing must be pushed an additional ¼” or a total of ½” overall. At this point, if the tubing if pulled hard enough, it will stretch and break before it releases from the fitting. (To remove, you will notice that there is a small ring surrounding the tube as it enters the fitting. The ring must be depressed fully into the fitting with one hand while pulling the tubing out for a release with the other hand). Any unused intake ports should be connected to a 20’ length of the intake tubing with a pickup attached. Bilge pickups: There are two bilge pickup designs that work well with the series 2 nano versions.

The mini flat pickup measures 2” x 3” and has a single push lock fitting in the center. See the “Intake ports” section (above) for fitting instructions.

The mini pickup wand is L shaped with a filter mesh at the bottom of the L. It must be installed so that the bottom of the L is down against the hull. The vertical portion of the L has two diameters joined at a shoulder roughly 3” from the top of the L. The smaller diameter section, the upper 4”, is rigid and cannot be bent. The lower part of the L including the elbow is soft enough to gently bend by hand as necessary. Make sure that a gradual radius is maintained to avoid snapping the pickup into two pieces and rendering it useless. The mini wand is often hand-bent to fit the contours of a bilge pump, then tie wrapped to the pump at two points.

The 5/32” intake tubing will usually insert into the clear bridge tube at the top of the L. If the 5/32” intake tubing inserts easily, there will be a small tie wrap attached to the wand. Just snip it loose and secure around the clear tube. Normally, the intake tubing will insert less than ¼” and the clear tubing will bulge slightly where it surrounds the intake tube and this will make a good seal.

Locating the bilge pickups: The bilge’s lowest point is often not where the installer thinks it is. It is best to leave an extra length of tubing at the pickup end for easy relocation. Once the system has been tested and enters the hibernate mode, there is usually a small amount of water on one side of the bilge pickup. Relocate the pickup to the center of the remaining puddle and reset the system to see if it pulls down to a dry state. Relocate again as needed until dry bilges are achieved. If you find that there are two separate low points, additional zones or the filling and raising of the smaller of the two areas may be in order.

Securing the bilge pickups: Once the low point has been found and you are sure that this will be the permanent location, there are four choices.

1. Leave the pickup alone and use the boat to see if it wanders. The pad is a non-skid surface and with no remaining water sloshing around, the bilge pickup rarely travels from the low point.

2. Place three or four fender washers around the fitting to add a little extra weight.

3. Tie-wrap the intake tubing directly above the desired location.

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4. Purchase 1/8” x 1” aluminum bar stock from the local hardware store. Drill a ½” hole near one end so that it can lay over the fitting. Bend the bar 90 degrees about 1 inch from the end. Now you can cut the bar to length, drill a pair of mounting holes and secure to an available surface. Do not exert downward pressure on the pickup; rather, let it float slightly under your new bracket.

Initial Bilge Cleaning: On mature vessels, there may be a layer of algae-like slime attached to the hull beneath the residual bilge water line. This growth, once exposed to air, will often give off a stench as it decomposes and dries out. We recommend that the bilges be thoroughly cleaned during the installation process as this will also lengthen the life of the bilge pickups. Inside access: The series 2 version must be dismounted to gain inside access. There are 8 screws that hold the back mounting plate to the box that are visible from behind. These are removed to gain access to the inside of the box. FAQ - Frequently asked questions: Can I mount the unit in the engine room? Yes, this is not the preferred location but is often the chosen location. Can I run the tubing through headliners to reach a lower location? Yes, the energy needed to vacuum the liquids up is recovered as the liquids travel back down to the unit, causing little loss in performance. Can I split a zone with a Tee fitting and pull from two separate areas with a single zone? No, the first of the two compartments to become dry would allow air to pass, thus breaking the vacuum, and the second area would remain wet. Can I dry a compartment on the upper deck? Yes, you can dry a compartment anywhere you can pull the tubing. The elevation would cause the flow rate to increase, so the minimum length of the intake tubing should be lengthened to provide additional resistance. If gasoline is stored in the upper deck compartment, special care should be taken (if the intake tubing there becomes severed, this could create a siphon allowing the fuel to travel through the tubing). Can I use bilge cleaners? Yes. A low-suds, low-concentration, well-diluted bilge cleaner is acceptable. What about fuel, oil, coolant, and other liquid mixes? All liquids seem to pass through the Arid Bilge System. Oil tends to draw at a much slower rate if mixed with water. Pure oil will likely plug the intake tubing, allowing little or no flow and forcing the Arid Bilge into an alarm state. To clear

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the intake tubing, the pickup would have to be removed from the bilge and left exposed to air until the Arid Bilge Series 2 nano clears the tube. The oil should be removed and disposed in accordance with local laws. The vessel owner is responsible for his or her vessel with regards to the plate installed in most engine rooms by the vessel manufacturer, which commonly reads:

Discharge of Oil Prohibited The Federal Water Pollution Control Act prohibits the discharge of oil or oily waste into or under the navigable waters and contiguous zone of the United States. If such discharge causes a film or sheen upon, or discoloration of, the surface of the water, or causes a sludge or emulsion beneath the surface of the water. Violators are subject to a penalty of $5000.00.

Arid Bilge series 2 nano dry bilge system Operations and Maintenance

All Arid Bilge Systems are constructed with one-million-life-cycle components of Stainless Steel, brass and plastic, assuring you, the proud owner, of years of trouble-free service. Unlike traditional bilge pumps that are simply disposable, the Arid Bilge is easily serviceable if a failure occurs. There are two major items that can be maintained by the average owner. Other failures are so rare that a call to the factory for tech support would be in order. Normal operation: The system is fully automated. Once every three hours the system will come on line and sample each of its zones (ports). The system will lock onto the wet compartments, if any, and continue vacuuming until air is pulled through the 5/32” intake tubes. Then the unit will hibernate for three hours to conserve power and reduce wear and tear. See page 11 for detailed description of normal operation. Maintenance - the bilge pickups: To clean the mini standard version pickups, remove and spray with a degreaser or common cleaner like 409, then back-wash by placing a garden hose over the fitting. Next, gently roll the edges of the filter pad to see if the pad releases from the bottom of the pickup. If the edges do release and the internal channels are exposed, then replacement is in order from your spares or order from the factory (please have your unit’s serial number on hand). Alternatively, you may replace the filter pad manually. In order to replace the filter pad yourself, peel the pad the rest of the way off of the bilge pickup and dispose. Clean and sand the bottom of the pickup and clean with denatured

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alcohol. While holding onto the push lock fitting, run a thin bead of 5200 or similar along the bottom outer edges. Next, press hard onto a Scotch pad. It is best to align with two edges. Set aside for two days to allow a full cure. Finally, cut the Scotch pad to the shape of the bilge pickup. The pickup wand is also serviceable. Remove the wand, apply degreaser to the pad portion and rinse. The pad portion may be rotated slightly on the wand to expose a fresh section to the holes that are at the underside of the L. Make sure that the zip-tie portion of the tie wraps does not point downward, as this would prevent full contact between the hull and the pad. We recommend the first cleaning at 1 ½ years and annually thereafter. Most owners never maintain the pickups and after five years they simply replace the pickups. Maintenance - intake valves: The working portions of the valves are Stainless Steel and Brass. As long as the unit is left running, these parts move at least once every three hours, which helps to prevent valve lock. If you enjoy performing simple maintenance, the valves can be disassembled, inspected and cleaned. Dismount the Arid Bilge unit and remove the back cover as outlined previously in the inside access section on page 4. The valves are connected to the external ports and have horseshoe clips on top. Using a flat-end pair of pliers, slide the horseshoe clip sideways off the top of the solenoid:

Slide the solenoid off of the valve and let it hang on its red wires:

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Remove the valve stem and core as if removing a spark plug. Use a 17 mm deep socket (11/16” is a little loose, but will substitute).

The valve core separates from the stem for easy cleaning. The end of the valve core with the return spring is sensitive. You may polish the valve core on a wire wheel, taking care to avoid the return spring and especially the end that faces out. The end that faces out has a rubber seat. This seat can be cleaned with WD

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40, Corrosion X or similar and a Q-tip or a fingernail.

If the seat becomes scratched, the valve will need to be replaced. Surrounding the valve seat is a razor-thin retainer. If the retainer becomes compromised and the spring can be removed, then the valve will also need to be replaced. The larger back sections of the valves often become severely pitted, but this does not seem to pose any issues. The inside of the valve stem can also be cleaned with WD 40 or Corrosion X and Q-tip combination. When finished cleaning, place the valve core back into the stem and press on the rubber valve seat several times to verify that the valve core moves freely in and out, following your finger:

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If it does not move in and out freely, remove the core again and continue cleaning until free movement is achieved. When there is significant buildup, you can use a narrow blade flathead screwdriver inside the valve stem as a scraper.

Reverse the process to re-install the valves, solenoids and clips. Another rare condition may cause the intake valves to appear stuck in the closed position: the failure of the solenoid valve coil. You may swap the coils on a two-zone version if they reach to verify this condition. If you ascertain that this is the case, please call the factory for support.

Troubleshooting Guide The Series 2 nano version was designed as a simple, “turn it on and forget it” type of product. Unfortunately, everything will fail eventually, no matter how well-built. Fortunately he Arid Bilge is an optional system that will rarely cause major problems if left off-line for a short period of time. Below is a basic guide to some of the issues that may occur. Unit is dead, no noise from the compressor and the bilges are wet.

1. Reset power to verify unit is not in the three hour hibernate mode 2. Verify voltage at the input wires

a. Should read between 12.7 and 14.5 for 12 volt version b. Between 25.4 and 29 for 24 volt version

3. Dismount unit and open case from behind 4. Are there any lights lit on the processor? No, then skip to 5.

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5. Check the single input fuse a. GMA-3 for 12 volt b. GMA-2 for 24 volt

6. Still can’t resolve – contact factory for assistance Unit runs after reset and once every three hours but the bilges are wet after it shuts down. There is no alarm.

1. Verify that the bilges are in fact wet right after the unit shuts down. A slow continuous leak could be the cause.

2. One of the tubes has been cut too short (under 20’), the processor interprets the resulting low resistance as a dry zone and prematurely re-enters the hibernation mode. If this is the case, you must replace it with a new tube of 20’ or more.

3. The bilge pickup is not in direct contact with the lowest point in the bilge. Move the pickup to the lowest point in the bilge.

Unit runs after reset and there is an alarm immediately with the compressor running. The bilges are wet. The X4 light is lit (viewable with the back cover or mounting plate removed and power applied).

1. Discharge is blocked. Is there a closed sea cock on the discharge thru hull? Disconnect the discharge from the unit and place it into a bucket temporarily to verify.

2. Internal fault, air pressure circuit disconnected, call factory. 3. Unit is mounted on its side or upside down. Correct the mounting

orientation. Unit runs on and off continuously. The bilges are wet.

1. Discharge is looped back to bilge, possibly through a bilge pump. Run the discharge from the unit into a bucket to verify.

2. There is a slow leak that matches or exceeds the unit’s capabilities. Series 2 nano units will move up to 3.5 GPH with two active zones.

Unit runs once (one zone version) or twice (two zone version) after reset, then alarms without running the compressor.

1. Intake valve stuck in the open position, the dry compartment zone will be at fault, see the “maintenance - intake valves” section on page 6 in this manual.

2. All of the intake tubes have been cut to under 20 feet in length. 3. Internal system leak, weak compressor or sensors out of calibration, call

for factory assistance.

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Unit runs after reset, then pauses for two minutes between compressor run times, and finally alarms with the compressor running.

1. Intake pad or wand is clogged, remove and clean 2. Intake tubing pinched, remove from unit to verify, should hiss when that

zone becomes active for a second. 3. Intake valve stuck in closed position, removing the intake tubing from the

unit causes no change in system run after reset, there is no hissing through the port, see the “maintenance – intake valves” section on page 6 in this manual.

Normal system operation The series 2 nano version has the most active programming of the three versions that we offer. With the back cover removed there will be a “light show” indicating normal operation as follows: 1. First 5 seconds after power is applied or reset – power on (green) + X0

(low vacuum) System loading software. 2. Second 5 seconds (to 10 seconds total) – power on + X0 + Y0 (Pressure

valve) + Y3 (Compressor run). If there is any water in the system’s collection chamber, it will be discharged through the ½” barbed port at this time.

3. Third 5 seconds (to 15 seconds total) – power on + X0 + Y0 + Y1 (intake valve #1) + Y3. The system will continue discharging water through the barbed ½” port and will back flow air through zone #1 to back flush the bilge pickup.

4. Fourth 3 seconds (to 18 seconds total) – power on + X0 + Y3 + Y5 (vacuum valve). The system is vacuuming the collection chamber through the 0” to 8” range.

5. Fifth 7 seconds (to 25 seconds total) – power on + Y3 + Y5. The system continues to vacuum the collection chamber through the 8” to 18” range.

6. Sixth 3 seconds to (28 seconds total) – power on + X2 (high vacuum) +Y3 + Y5. The system continues to vacuum through the latch range 18” to 20” range. Now the collection chamber is fully negatively charged, ready to pull liquids or air.

7. Now the unit will start vacuuming from intake zone valve #1. – power on + X2 + Y1.

a. If the compartment is already dry and the intake tubing is 20 feet in length, it will take roughly 3 seconds to see the X2 light extinguish and the X0 light come on. The second that the X0 light comes on, the Y1 light will extinguish and the sense cycle is over, the zone is marked dry.

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b. If the compartment is wet and the intake tubing is 20 feet in length, it will take at least 55 seconds for the X0 light to come back on and the zone is marked wet.

The system will continue to run cycles in this manner until all zones are marked dry. Then, the system enters a hibernation cycle for three hours where the power on + X0 lights remain lit and the system remains silent.

Factory contact information: Arid Bilge Systems, Inc. 1241 SE 14th Street Deerfield Beach, Fl. 33441 Phone 954-328-9705 al@aridbilge.com