Which Watermaker To Choose

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by mcarling

Playing devil's advocate for a minute, how about weight as an advantage for the smaller units?

Actually that's a good question. Most of the time boats are not crossing oceans for weeks at a time so constantly topping off ones tanks is not needed. I carry 200 gallons of water on my boat. I cruise the Carib a good bit. Cats of course are weight sensitive. My watermaker comes in around 80lbs. A gallon of water is about 8 lbs. I cross the Gulf Stream with maybe 40 gallons on board taking off 1,280lbs of water. So unless your tankage is very small even the heavier watermakers will still be lighter than full tanks. Again crossing oceans is a different situation.

[mcarling]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

So I have ordered from Rich (Cruise RO water) a 24v system and he has been great to work with.

Good to hear! What I see on his website is encouraging -- with the minor exception of no listed availability for a DC plunger pump, which I guess could be accommodated.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Actually for faster moving boats it is recommended even more but recommended for slower moving boats as well. There is actually some positive pressure gained with forward facing scoops which helps many systems run a bit easier. The positive pressure created when the water maker is not in use wouldn't be enough top overcome the unit and slowly flush the system with salt water if that's what you mean? But with many systems using only a straight thru hull there can be a vacuum created as the water passes over the entrance to the thru hull much like the effect caused blowing across a straw in a glass of water. Some watermaker companies require a forward facing thru hull for warranty purposes as well so make sure you check.

I was thinking about mounting the intske as a Tee off my seawater engine cooling intake. This is located center boat between the keel and the rudder. Would cavitation be an issue there?

Another issue is that I can't find any noise level indications from any of the watermakers. Decibels etc. Someone further up noted that watermakers should always be mounted on rubber feet to minimize noise/vibrations. Is it a problem?

And tellie, you don't seem impressed with the idea of running a smaller watermaker for longer periods. This is due to the wear issues on pumps, seals etc?

[Matt Johnson]

I think the lack of noise is one of the biggest benefits of having an energy recovery watermaker. Ours is just the sound of a simple Shuflo pressure pump. Rubber feet keeps even that noise down.

[wolfenzee]

The idea of running the desalinization unit with a tow behind is sound (if the unit were on the boat). But the way it was done just wasn't practical. The filtration method on the other hand deserves a close look though. Desalinization with out the complexities/expense of reverse osmosis. This has led me to investigate the different types of desalination, here are some.
Water Desalination
http://www.seapanel.com/p_seatech_comparison.html

My point is there is always an alternative to the prepackaged/turn for just about everything. Sometimes though the effort in creating an alternative isn't quite worth it.

[x-ray]

The tow behind water log has never been working, and i have heard from a couple who were tricked into buying one, that the company will disappear, as soon as the money is tranfered.......

Anyway, i can add my experience with a diy-watermaker that i run with a small karcher pressure washer.
first of all, its cheap....
The pressure washer costs Euros 60,- and will last a couple of years.
You will need an AC generator to run the Karcher, i have the Honda 20 inverter.
The output is around 50 L/hr, probably a bit more.
Disadvantages are power consumption, what is no problem if you need to run a generator anyway every couple of days, what is the case on our boat.
Another disadvantage is the noise, generator on deck, Karcher in the bilge, no escape......
That is why we run the watermaker from an inverter while we motor whenever possible..
The total cost of the watermaker was around 1.500,- Euros, manually operating of course..
Regards
Rainer

[wolfenzee]

There are waaaay less expensive RO desalinization units built for land use. I am waiting back on some quotes.

[x-ray]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

There are waaaay less expensive RO desalinization units built for land use. I am waiting back on some quotes.

Wolfenzee, i doubt it, you probably get quotes on RO systems for household tap water, what is a completely different story.

Regards
Rainer

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by x-ray

Wolfenzee, i doubt it, you probably get quotes on RO systems for household tap water, what is a completely different story.

Regards
Rainer

These are for seawater desalinisation units, they make 3 designed specifically for boats. (280lpd. 500lpd & 1000lpd) 316SS frame and pump. I am waiting back on quotes for the different sizes.

[x-ray]

yep, found it,
let us know how much it is....

[x-ray]

Wolfenzee,
i guess you talk about these ones

SS316 drinking water maker - Tootoo.com

Prices from 2.500,- to 5.000,- US-Dollar
plus shipping
plus tax
plus VAT

waaaaaaay cheaper ????

[carstenb]

This one is a little cheaper usd 2500-3000
ss316 RO seawater treatment plant - Tootoo.com

But not much product information. Where do you get service if something beaks down yada, yada ,yada

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Actually that's a good question. Most of the time boats are not crossing oceans for weeks at a time so constantly topping off ones tanks is not needed. I carry 200 gallons of water on my boat. I cruise the Carib a good bit. Cats of course are weight sensitive. My watermaker comes in around 80lbs. A gallon of water is about 8 lbs. I cross the Gulf Stream with maybe 40 gallons on board taking off 1,280lbs of water. So unless your tankage is very small even the heavier watermakers will still be lighter than full tanks. Again crossing oceans is a different situation.

Installing a watermaker so as to reduce water tankage is inviting disaster. You should have enough tankage on board to allow for watermaker failure at any point in your passage.
A similar consideration to weight of a watermaker is space requirements, some modular designs are useful there.

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

Installing a watermaker so as to reduce water tankage is inviting disaster. You should have enough tankage on board to allow for watermaker failure at any point in your passage

Reducing tankage doesn't necessarily invite disaster as long as you carry enough water to keep you alive should the watermaker fail. Perhaps inconvenience, but not disaster.

[mcarling]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

Reducing tankage doesn't necessarily invite disaster as long as you carry enough water to keep you alive should the watermaker fail. Perhaps inconvenience, but not disaster.

The tanks may not be full at the time a watermaker fails.