12v watermaker?

[Yannis]

Does anybody know any watermaker brand in 12v ?
I heard that the 12v are very sensitive, big drawback.
Thanks.

[Bruce]

There are a few. Katadyn comes to mind at the top of reliability but there are others.

The problem with desalination machines is they require high pressure to force the water thru the very fine screens/membranes to separate the minerals(salt) from the water. 12vdc pumps can't deliver this pressure at about 750 to 850 psi. They do it other ways, some using actuator type mechanisms. More moving parts more issues.

But they are generally reliable. I sold, installed and serviced water makers and the biggest issues I had were not complete break downs but not cleaning the filters regularly, operating at anchor near ports or polluted water, if being used they need to be operated everyday otherwise they need to be pickled and put up because they will start to grow bacteria after a couple of days.

Those of my customers that used them the way they were intended and cared for them had little issues. Those that thought they were some kind of novelty to show the boat guests kept my wallet full.

[Yannis]

Thanks Bruce,

If you run them 2-3-4 hours everyday, do they still need DAILY cleaning?
And do they consume an hour's worth of fresh water to self-clean? So, you add an hour of operation (amps) without liquid benefit? Remember, amps are a scarce commodity in a solar boat.
After he season is over you clean them to be ready for the following season. Is that so or is it more complicated ?
If they don't break down completely, is it at least enough for a boater to carry a set of o-rings etc to feel and be safe?

I think the above questions just about wrap it up ; oh, yes, and the $ 5k you need to handover to someone.

[Navatech]

Yannis, I can see why you would want a water maker... Why need to return to port when you'd rather stay in that little cove by the uninhabited Greek island... However, with the cost of Reverse Osmosis systems, their (finicky) maintenance requirements and your usage pattern weekends during the summer plus a few extra days here and there I would say that stowing massive amounts of water (bottles, jerry-cans etc) is your best bet...

I carry 320 gallon in my water tanks (for 6 people) and every so often I'm back to reconsidering my position on an RO system...

[Yannis]

Nav,

The weekend water consumption is not the problem. I would use the boat in weekends only in May-June and in September, and this seldom for Saturday overnights, so I would much rather fill up at the dock and have plenty to go by. Usually there is a hose on every dock so that shouldn't be a problem, let alone the fact that I wouldn't want to start the watermaker just for weekend usage knowing that I would stop it for at least 5 days till next weekend, or, if I miss one, 12 days till the following one.

The problem seems to appear when I start off my summer vacation, say, from late June to early September. This is a solid 2-3 months (depending on the weather) during which consumption is
much more important. And I would really want the freedom that this machine offers you. Last summer some 10 different people spent time on board (not simultaneously!) and I hate to have to make plans to go for water, or ask people to save it until we reach port. I did not buy a boat so as to be mooring next to the generator fumes of anybody, or the drunken tourists making noise on the dock at 3 am. I'd much much much rather stay at anchor and go out in my dinghy. That was the main reason, also, that I put the solar panel; so as not to have to dock for electricity either. And yes, to spend a whole week in a cove without much contact with civilization IS my way of perceiving my vacation. Stop by, and I'll show you how !!

PS1: I currently carry 350 liters of water in 3 separate water tanks. With the RO I'll drastically reduce them to one tank of 150 liters, saving space and carrying less weight.
PS2: In my solar freezer I can carry frozen meat and supplies for a platoon, ice for all the ouzos one can drink, and there is almost always a taverna somewhere so that you can skip cooking for a while...and play tavli (backgammon) with locals too.

[Navatech]

Yannis,

Even with the water maker I suggest you keep 2 tanks... You might have to add some valves though... Naval and maritime SOP is that when you're making water you do NOT put it (the new water) into the same tank that you're currently drinking from... Just in case the new water has a problem (salinity, taste etc)... That way you still have something to drink... When you use a single tank system the new "bad" water would contaminate the rest of the water in the tank...

On 2nd thought, if you're never more then a couple of hours away from a hose a dozen water bottles will see you through the emergency so you may not need a dual tank system... And, if you're going to be using the water maker for 3 months and "pickling" it for the rest of the time then it's definitely doable...

I'll definitely give you a call next time I'm in Greece...

[Yannis]

Nav,

I had never even thought to drink this water. For drinking we have 6packs of 1.5 lt bottles and that's it.
The water maker water is almost solely for showering and washing up. Consumption big time..

I certainly wish you give me a call, only call be a few days before, so that I may ...prepare the goodies !

[mike ohlstein]

ice for all the ouzos one can drink

Ice makes my ouzo cloudy, but I do prefer it cold.......

[Yannis]

Mike,

Ouzo, much like whisky, gin and other drinks (and unlike vodka) is not chilled; it is not kept as a cold bottle in the fridge or freezer.

Unless one wants to drink it straight, thus at room temperature, one can mix it with ice or water or both.
In any case (mixing with ice and/or water) the ouzo WILL become cloudy. Some people claim that the "right" way is to mix it only with water, as this preserves its taste and aromas.
Others, like me, prefer it only with the addition of ice. Others, still, add a bit of water and a bit of ice.

Whatever the choice, the addition of ice or water serves two purposes; first to dilute its strong alcohol content and, second, to render it cold, as it is primarily a "summer" drink.
Although there is no set pattern for its consumption, ouzo is mostly drank during the day, when the sun is up, perhaps even as an evening aperitif, and to a much lesser degree at night in bars or elsewhere. It is best accompanied with the so called "meze", like olives, sardines, any small fried fish, tomato with oregano, various yellow cheeses or feta, each in a small plate (the size of the tea or coffee dish) with toothpicks. Ouzo is not an accompanying drink for meals like lunch or dinner.
The ouzo glass is short and narrow, something like a tall shot glass, where you can fit 2 or 3 ice cubes max one on top of the other.
Ouzo abuse is nasty. Very nasty.

I hope I haven't tired you

[mike ohlstein]

Tired? No.

Can you pick me up at the airport?

[Yannis]

Anytime Mike

[coolair]

So I have a dumb question. I have not gotten to deep in the water makers. But I do a bit of water filtration for ice machines. They make small RO systems that have a membrane that removes salt. If all you are doing is using it for showering, why would getting one of those and a pump not work. Probably less that a true water maker system.

[Yannis]

Matt,

How much water does this ice machine filtration produce per hour?
The point is to produce enough water so that it does not operate more than 3-4 hours/day because, first, the machine will get tired and, second, my solar amps suffice only for 3-4 hours worth of desalination.
I need roughly 100 liters of water daily, so a 30-40 liter/hour output would do the job. If you move to higher outputs then the amps consumption is beyond my solar capabilities.
I looked up a Spectra ro system that is low in consumption, produces 30 or so liters/hour and apparently makes little noise. The noise is also a factor...