Water Maker

rnbenton

rnbenton

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OK, so as some of you have read I am in the middle of a repower project. One thing I want to do while I am at it is add a watermaker. (I just love remote islands in the Bahamas)

I have a 28' Carver Voyager, 40 gallon water tank, 11 gallon water heater. 20 gallon holding tank and a fresh water flush head.

I have found a 10 gph watermaker that will fit very nicely. Based on passed experience I can run this thing for 2-3 hours a day (night) and it "should" be sufficient.

I've never had a watermaker before so this is virgin territory for me. So, what should I consider, look for, think about and avoid in this part of may project?

Bob
 
I highly recommend the Spectra watermakers with the MPC digital control panel. They self clean themselves once a week so you do not have to pickle the unit between extended uses. Mine makes 8 gallons an hour. Draws 8 amps total at peak production runs off 12 vots.
Bill
 
The fresh water head is going to use most of your water. Backwashing or flushing the membrane will use 10 gallons very easily and needs to be done regularly for water quality and longevity of the membrane. I would recommend the largest GPH for the size and space limits. You will be happier running the water maker less time to make the most water. You will find those showers will get longer and you will use a lot more than you think when you know you can just make more.
 
5 gallons a week with the Spectra. Spectra has a Z brane system that uses UV to keep the system and membrane clean using only 5 gallons of freshwater. Randy what unit do you own and use?
 
Mixman has a Katadyn my old unit I never used but installed then removed he I will let Kurt comment other than the fact he likes his unit.
Bill
 
good point on the back flushing. it's not just the weekly back flush; after a run the unit will back flush so take this into account. I'm not sure how much water they use, so theck that. if you only have a 40 gal tank and you use 5 to 10 gallons after each run, it's a lot.

when space is an issue, some units are available in a modular version where you can place the membrane in one spot, and the pumps, control module, etc... elsewhere.

filtration is critical, although in the bahamas the water is pretty clean. but make sure the pre filters are easy to reach, as well as the charcoal filters, etc... usually you have a charcoal filter and a PH neutralizer on the product output but also a charcoal filter on the back flush circuit so that the membrance do not get contaminated by chlorine, etc...
 
Just rechecked the manual the my Spectra uses 2.5 gallons in flush mode after operation (making water). It at the same time makes sure the salinity is below 1000ppm. I have a special Oil seperator filter on the 50 micron raw water input. Choose the right unit carefully again I suggest a Spectra unit they have various models. Good point about the charcoal filter on the tank drawing the water for the flush Pascal. Cholorine can damage the membrane.
Bill
 
Switch the head to salt water flush when you make a "out island" trip. That will save you quite a bit of fresh water.

And you don't have to back flush the water maker every time you use it if you're using it almost every day. Once a week should be fine.
 
Bob since it sounds like you are doing what I did except you made a better decission about the motors you should think about a 10-12 gallon hotwater heater that has an exchanger to get heat from a motor while running. I bought a rectangular stainless Force unit.
Bill
 
quote:
Originally posted by Billylll

Bob since it sounds like you are doing what I did except you made a better decission about the motors you should think about a 10-12 gallon hotwater heater that has an exchanger to get heat from a motor while running. I bought a rectangular stainless Force unit.
Bill

Click to expand...


Pascal: The unit I am looking at is modular. It looks like it will be fairly easy to install. I am also going to look at the Spectra unit Bill recommends.

Bill: My water heater is an 11 gallon all stainless steel Seaward and has a heat exchanger. I installed it earlier in the summer.

Also, my head is a Raritan elegance, fresh water flush, that only uses about a pint of water to flush that I installed this past summer. so far, water usage for it hasn't been an issue. But, I will certainly keep in mind making it so it can be switched over to raw water if need be.

Bob
 
I would have never thought of installing a freshwater maker in my 28 ft boat, but then again I am not setup to go to the Bahamas. I am running on a single screw.
 
Installing a watermaker on my 30' boat was one of the best things I've done (Jack, we only use it in the Bahamas and keep it "pickled" on the Chesapeake, so you're not missing anything in MD). As Bill said above, I purchased his Katadyn PowerSurvivor 80E and have been very happy with it. It's 3.5 gph (12.9lph), which believe it or not, works well for us (raw water flush head). When cruising I run it when we're under way or the genny is on at anchor for battery recharge. Bob, which watermaker are you currently looking at? I do hear that Spectra is the best, and I believe the rule of thumb is always buy the highest output unit you can fit/afford.
 
quote:
Originally posted by mixman

Bob, which watermaker are you currently looking at? I do hear that Spectra is the best, and I believe the rule of thumb is always buy the highest output unit you can fit/afford.

Click to expand...


I've pretty much ruled out my initial consideration because it is a 110v unit so I could run it only when the generator is running. I really like the idea of being able to run it while under way on the boats 12v system so will go in that direction.

The Spectra unit looks really good but I am also impressed with the Katadyn units.

Bob
 
Right before the Annapolis sailboat show I was at Annapolis Cruisair and got lucky enough to meet Spectra's rep for the event. I had some questions about my Katadyn and figured despite it being his competition, I'd ask him. That was a good decision as he was a wealth of information. He said Spectra just did some work redesigning some pumps for Katadyn and Spectra was actually thinking of purchasing the brand. The reason being that Spectras, while very, very nice, are also very expensive. Their research shows, though, that for people like us, when we buy and entry level watermaker, we'll eventually upgrade to a Spectra (usually with a bigger boat purchase). The theory being that once you can make water, you never want to be without that ability and you want to make more and more per hour. He was very complimenting of the brand and said some of the techs at Spectra actually have Katadyne's on their own boats for various reasons.

Can you fit the model 160E?
 
Bob sounds like you have pretty much done everything correct. The Elegance is what I use and to me it is the best head I have used. It replaced a Vacu-Flush system that was only 2 years old. Sounds as if the hotwater heater is similar to mine. I saw your pictures of the ER room it reminded me of mine before we cleaned, filled empty holes from screws, painted, insulated, rewired and installed the new drives, transmissions and engines. Best of luck on the transformation. You will not regret it.
Bill
 
quote:
Originally posted by mixman

Can you fit the model 160E?

Click to expand...

Yes, the modular 160E will fit nicely and, if I got with Katadyn, that's the one I will go for. I'm a bit concerned about the power usage, 18 amps, but when I'm under way that should not be a problem.

As for the Spectra, yes, they are expensive but I really like the automatic features they offer. Plus it seems the power requirements are quite a bit less.

But, I'm still reading and noodling.

I really appreciate everyone's input!

thanks,
Bob
 
Without a doubt, Spectra is superior to Katadyn in a number of regards. But the Katadyns do certainly work.

Remember, that power usage isn't a constant 18 amps. The pump cycles on and off every other second or so. I'm not sure what the net effect is, but my boat doesn't have much in the way of batteries (house is just a single group 29) and the alternators on my little outboards are only about 14 amps. Yet I can run the model 80e just fine.
 
quote:
Originally posted by mixman

Without a doubt, Spectra is superior to Katadyn in a number of regards. But the Katadyns do certainly work.

Remember, that power usage isn't a constant 18 amps. The pump cycles on and off every other second or so. I'm not sure what the net effect is, but my boat doesn't have much in the way of batteries (house is just a single group 29) and the alternators on my little outboards are only about 14 amps. Yet I can run the model 80e just fine.

Click to expand...


I've down loaded the owners manuel for both the 80e and the 160e so I can read through them.

Bob
 
Spectra's are very good units. But don't rule out the other major players. They all use very similar (if not the same) equipment to put their units together. Shop for the features you want and the companies after the sale service record.

SK makes modular 12v watermakers. http://www.skwatermakers.net/LP_Series.cfm

And you may want to look into installing high output alternators if you're going with a 12 volt watermaker.
 
Bob,
With the re-power, water maker and other improvements, I see you disappearing into the sunset - I am jealous!!!
BTW, had you considered some solar panels as an additional source for electricity?
AJ
 
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