Need opinions on watermakers for a specific scenario please

[tradrockrat]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

Wonder over to Ocean Planet and look at Firefly batteries.
Not a lot more than a quality AGM and harder to damage.

Firefly batteries intrigue me, for sure.

[Quadrille in JB]

We have had a SeaWater Pro (20 gph-120v) for 3 years now and it works flawlessly running off of our Asae 2kw inverter. It’s not as efficient as some but the manufacturer’s support and low initial cost more than make up for it.
We run it for about 45 minutes a day as the Admiral likes her post swim rinses and a nice shower with hair washing each evening.

[sailorlink]

A guy I met in Green Turtle had an engine driven pump and loved it, no worries about batteries and lots of pressure for the ro.
I have an older 850 psi electric pump system, and his outperformed mine easily. Cheers!

[clarkey]

I have a Rainman very impressed, they have back
various models to suite most applications

[mitiempo]

Look at the Spectra Cape Horn. Has 2 pumps that when both run give 50 gallons/hour @ 19 amps. Run one pump - either one - and get about 7 1/2 gallons @ 9.5 amps. Totally manual and very reliable. Built in redundancy with the 2 pumps. Works out to 16 watts/gallon.
https://www.spectrawatermakers.com/u...rn-extreme-330

I have a Spectra 380C which is similar but older.

[zstine]

We had a Spectra 160 which made about 6-7 gal per hour. We had 530W solar and had no issues powering the watermaker and refrigeration, etc. in the Caribbean. The watermaker was a 12 amp draw I think? we ran about 2 - 2.5 hours every other day... about 10gal per day for a family of 4. Your mileage may vary. We had no issues with the unit, but it is not cheap!

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by tradrockrat

We're having this discussion right now. It's really hard to switch gears from "buy what you can afford and get the best you can" (literally my entire life up to this point), to, "now we've got the funds for big purchases / projects, get the best and save long term". Because we're both really adamant that we won't go into a spending frenzy and destroy our budget.

What we're trying to figure out is really this - people SAY it's cheaper in the long run, but FOUR or FIVE GRAND for batteries?!?!?! When your energy is coming from solar panels and not an electrical grid - I'm not sure those numbers ad up. And which batteries will be easier to get from anywhere in the world when it's time to replace them? I honestly don't know the answer to that question.

Yep, with the rate that technology is evolving, that's kind of the question we all have - bust the budget and get the best only to find it's obsolete in a couple of years or spend what you can afford now, realizing you'll soon be upgrading anyway. I think I'd opt for the LIPo4 for now (seems a shame to have 400 watts of solar feeding an AGM system)and just get a water maker that will get me by - which could mean a hand held unit that needs no electricity and would work fine with a 30 gallon tank. The hand held is always a nice redundancy item even if you end up with a 12v unit down stream.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by zstine

We had a Spectra 160 which made about 6-7 gal per hour. We had 530W solar and had no issues powering the watermaker and refrigeration, etc. in the Caribbean. The watermaker was a 12 amp draw I think? we ran about 2 - 2.5 hours every other day... about 10gal per day for a family of 4. Your mileage may vary. We had no issues with the unit, but it is not cheap!

No, not inexpensive, but the less expensive watermakers use more power which has to come from somewhere. If it is an AC watermaker you really should add in costs of running it over time. In other words if you run a generator or engine exclusively to enable watermaker use there is a cost in fuel and wear and tear of the engine. If it is a less efficient 12 volt watermaker than a Spectra you may need more solar or a larger battery bank.

With a Spectra you pay up front but not continually afterwards.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by joelhemington

......and just get a water maker that will get me by - which could mean a hand held unit that needs no electricity and would work fine with a 30 gallon tank. The hand held is always a nice redundancy item even if you end up with a 12v unit down stream.

Keeps you in shape as well, moving that handle back and forth a few hours every day.

[JasonS]

We love our Spectra. Keep it simple and forgo the automation. It’s simple to back flush the manual version. You’ll save thousands and headaches years down the line.

[carstenb]

we are: 2 persons - at sea for almost 5 years now, cruised over 30,000nm in everything from northern europe to caribbean to south pacific, currently in Washington state.

we used 10-12 gals per day (12 when washing clothes 8-9 when not). we hhave a spectra 200T and 2 40 gal water tanks. We run the spectra every 3rd day.

will filled out tanks from the dock in Inverness Scotland 5 years ago and teh next time we filled wiht landwater was in Port Angeles Washington 5 years later, the spectra having made something like 15,000 gal. in the meantime.

Both Schenker and Spectra models use 8amps per hour. Schenker is cheaper.

[Discovery 15797]

BTW...if you buy a Spectra...be sure to read this!

[ausnp84]

We’re going through the same exercise for our 30ft cat. Two people, two dogs, heading to the Carib.

I’ve fitted Echo Tech and Spectra watermakers to previous boats, and this time we’re going with an Eco Sistems. 25lph / 5.5 gph at 9amps, which will work perfect with our 520W solar / 520ah AGMs and 140l tankage.

My only question outstanding is spares availability, but otherwise the unit looks good.

N

[tradrockrat]

This has been a great thread. I'm running out of ways to say thanks to all of you.

So far, this has really helped to add some parameters to our search / shopping.

Keep it coming! Thanks!

[Cheechako]

Although expensive, I vote the Spectra.