DO NOT BUY RAINMAN!

[Sailing_Pasha]

I bought the below watermaker for about €5000. Brand new, straight from the rainman dealer.

As soon as I started using it, it was making a rattling sound. So I contacted the Australian head quarters (Jamie) to tell him the issue. He was no help. After a while a squeaky sound has started and keep in mind that I don't know anything about watermakers and this was our first time using one. So of course we followed all the instructions step by step, always backwashed it as instructed, never needed to pickle it as we're a liveaboard family and had to use the unit pretty often.

So then the taste and the smell of the water has changed eventho we replaced our prefilters and always stayed at crystal clear waters (Greece and Turkish coast).

In the mean time I've talked to the dealer I bought the unit from and they never even got back to me. Jamie (Australia HQ) provided no help as his attitude was more like "well, let me see what you did wrong so we won't have to deal with you anymore". I've sent him pictures, videos and tons of emails. Going back and forth for months. But again, no solution was offered.

Finally the unit stopped sucking in water and I had to start the diagnose myself cause we live on anchor and can't afford marinas. This is a crucial item for us everyday.

Found out,

1- The plastic pieces aren't sealed but only hand screwed in as confirmed and defended by Jamie. So we had a big water leak in one of the plastic elbows.

2- Our high pressure black hose was bent pretty bad that it's probably gonna break soon.

3- Our impeller was broken into pieces (only in few months???)

4- Another plastic elbow piece was leaking air into the prefilter which could be the cause of breaking the impeller. Not sure.

So first off, I sealed all 6 plastic elbow connectors with a high quality sealing tapes and screwed them in better then I replaced the impeller too which kinda fixed all of my problems for now but, is still making a squeaky sound once in a while and the High pressure hose is still bent. So there'll be lot more work coming on soon.

Sadly NONE OF THESE ISSUES OR PARTS WERE COVERED UNDER THEIR WARRANTY!

About the smell and the taste this was Jamie's response:
"When not using the system for more than 7 days you should either freshwater flush again and every 7 days if not in use or pickle the system."
About the black high pressure hose being bent this was Jamie's response:
"The HP hose is considered a consumable item and is not covered under warranty."

About the impeller broken into pieces in just few months this was the response
"The impeller has evidently disintegrated, and the most probable cause would be operating the system without an adequate water supply." "It is essential to have a spare impeller as the PSU should not be operated without one. Impellers are considered consumable and are not covered under warranty."

He also defended how the plastics were screwed without a sealant and how they should be hand screwed and that "they may leak"

He added the quote below before I take it to their service for an inspection
"It is important to note that if damage is found within the HP pump, it would not be covered in this circumstance by warranty due to operation of the PSU without replacing the breather plug as per instructions and the warning label on the handle label of the PSU"

Keep in mind that there's no functional difference in the unit between when using the breather plug or the travel plug. After all, he told me that they're willing to sell me the hose and the impeller for €135.

The reason I'm writing this is to warn others about Rainman as a company. What their warranty cover and what they don't cover. Keep in mind that we bought our €5000 unit brand new in January and it's a mess now.

We told them many times that we loved our unit when it worked properly so all we need it to get it working properly but we were just slapped with "Nothing is covered under the warranty! Bring the unit and we'll inspect" which could just bring out another huge bill and a hassle for us.

It's been a very disappointing and upsetting experience with Rainman for us. So think twice people before buying anything from Rainman cause they really don't stand behind their product

[Rainman]

Rainman supports our customers to the best of our ability and will always honour warranty on manufacturing defects. However, we do require the system to be operated within normal parameters.

We have been working closely with Ray over a few weeks to try and resolve his issues with the portable Rainman. It is regretful he felt the need for this post. Several details are omitted from the above summary, but the key symptoms are covered. Without getting in to all the communication details on our support system and wishing to avoid a “he said - she said” debate in social media, can we make a few points.

- If you don’t understand how to operate a watermaker, we strongly advise you to read the instructions. The first thing we noticed from Ray’s photos is that the breather plug was not installed on the HP pump. Changing from travel plug to breather plug is covered on the early pages of the manual, we put a warning decal tag on the handle of the system, and leave the screws on the blue plastic cover half unfastened to prompt new owners the area needs some attention. When Ray suggested a manufacturing fault because he had to tighten those screws, and the breather plug was not installed, it was clear to us that following instructions is not a priority. While not directly affecting his immediate symptoms, this would eventually lead to an oil leak in the HP pump.
https://www.rainmandesal.com/waterma...port/#oil-drip

- While Rainman systems are robust, if you run a system dry for an extended period of time, a number of things will happen. The lift pump is water cooled, so the rubber impeller rubbing on the bronze pump body will get hot. The rubber impeller will start to squeal and then disintegrate. The heat will eventually affect the nylon fittings attached to the lift pump, causing some leaking at the threads. The next issue would be that the HP pump packings wear prematurely and drip water from underneath, but we don’t believe Ray’s system advanced to this stage yet.
https://www.rainmandesal.com/waterma...upport/#squeal

- Ray used the system once or twice per month, but it was never pickled. This will lead to smelly water in the membranes, which is quite easily resolved.
https://www.rainmandesal.com/waterma...-sulfide-smell

- The HP hose was kinked near the fitting. It's not leaking yet, but that will shorten its life. Since it is right near the end of the hose, it would normally be easily resolved with a Candiru fitting. Again, customer must follow instructions closely to fit it correctly.
https://www.rainmandesal.com/candiru...g-hp-hose-end/

All customers are different and have varying technical skill and attention to detail. In this case, we recommended several times that Ray take the system to our Greek dealer for inspection and resolution of issues. Importantly, we also spent significant time in coaching on how to prevent these issues in the future.

[Lisa Longshadow]

sailing_pasha,

thank you so much for that post since we're in the midst of planning to retire our Village Marine watermaker and we're seriously looking at the Rainmaker.

Good luck!!!

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by Rainman

Rainman supports our customers to the best of our ability and will always honour warranty on manufacturing defects. However, we do require the system to be operated within normal parameters.

We have been working closely with Ray over a few weeks to try and resolve his issues with the portable Rainman. It is regretful he felt the need for this post. Several details are omitted from the above summary, but the key symptoms are covered. Without getting in to all the communication details on our support system and wishing to avoid a “he said - she said” debate in social media, can we make a few points.

- If you don’t understand how to operate a watermaker, we strongly advise you to read the instructions. The first thing we noticed from Ray’s photos is that the breather plug was not installed on the HP pump. Changing from travel plug to breather plug is covered on the early pages of the manual, we put a warning decal tag on the handle of the system, and leave the screws on the blue plastic cover half unfastened to prompt new owners the area needs some attention. When Ray suggested a manufacturing fault because he had to tighten those screws, and the breather plug was not installed, it was clear to us that following instructions is not a priority. While not directly affecting his immediate symptoms, this would eventually lead to an oil leak in the HP pump.
https://www.rainmandesal.com/waterma...port/#oil-drip

- While Rainman systems are robust, if you run a system dry for an extended period of time, a number of things will happen. The lift pump is water cooled, so the rubber impeller rubbing on the bronze pump body will get hot. The rubber impeller will start to squeal and then disintegrate. The heat will eventually affect the nylon fittings attached to the lift pump, causing some leaking at the threads. The next issue would be that the HP pump packings wear prematurely and drip water from underneath, but we don’t believe Ray’s system advanced to this stage yet.
https://www.rainmandesal.com/waterma...upport/#squeal

- Ray used the system once or twice per month, but it was never pickled. This will lead to smelly water in the membranes, which is quite easily resolved.
https://www.rainmandesal.com/waterma...-sulfide-smell

- The HP hose was kinked near the fitting. It's not leaking yet, but that will shorten its life. Since it is right near the end of the hose, it would normally be easily resolved with a Candiru fitting. Again, customer must follow instructions closely to fit it correctly.
https://www.rainmandesal.com/candiru...g-hp-hose-end/

All customers are different and have varying technical skill and attention to detail. In this case, we recommended several times that Ray take the system to our Greek dealer for inspection and resolution of issues. Importantly, we also spent significant time in coaching on how to prevent these issues in the future.

I just want you guys to develop a way to make a cheaper watermaker that has less GPH. Unfortunately I don’t need a watermaker, I just want one and can’t get the admiral to approve it at current prices! More so, I just feel there’s an opportunity out there to come out with a lower priced one and profit from larger volume and economies of scale.

[Rainman]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

I just want you guys to develop a way to make a cheaper watermaker that has less GPH. Unfortunately I don’t need a watermaker, I just want one and can’t get the admiral to approve it at current prices! More so, I just feel there’s an opportunity out there to come out with a lower priced one and profit from larger volume and economies of scale.

Thanks for your feedback. We work very hard to provide a top quality product at fair prices. Our margins are modest and we put substantial effort in to providing the highest level of customer support possible.

It would certainly be possible to lower the cost by using cheaper fittings, brass HP pump, lower quality membranes, etc., but that would also cut the quality. Our reputation is important to us and will not cut quality of the product.

There are cheaper DIY type systems out there, but that is not our market.