Fresh water makers best price and performance?

[weavis]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

He owes me now...

Halden Marine Services | Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

I see how you operate................

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by zboss

Look at Apple for example. I dare you to say they don't build a highly refined product.

My son has a Mac Book Pro and thinks it's a piece of garbage. He's done a lot of work under its hood.

My plastic $237 Compaq W7 machine runs just fine. His cost 5 1/2 times that.

I don't think so...

[Ribbit]

Over the years, to me people on boats have been 'cutting edge' with things like wind, solar, and water generating power, and as someone that has lived off grid for around 30 years, they have given me great inspiration and food for thought.

For me, solo on a boat, 100 gallons of desalinated water, per week, would be absolute bliss and luxury.

Now I think this size water maker, would be ideal for small rural communities in Africa. Rather than having bigger, they could have more of the 100 gallons per week ones, which would give them redundancy (I would go along with this, and at the right price, end up with TWO watermakers able to deliver 100 gallons a week each - I like a belt and braces approach).

To me this is somewhere around the size of what will really get watermakers taking off, and it is a size that should suit offgrid, and small yachts. Standardise on one that is 'best use' (around 100 gallons a week doesn't have to be a big unit if it is something that steadily ticks over producing constantly, which should help allow long life for membranes), and if you need more, buy more units (or invest in bigger and better).

Places like rural Africa have a severe lack of money (I found this out when I designed a simple and cheap Tsetse fly attractor to help eradicate them from a very large area much more efficiently - but they couldn't afford them), so one simple, reliable, easily and cheaply bought and maintained design to dramatically reduce costs will be the way to go (overseas aid is still going to have to help fund these things at least for a while, in places like Africa).

So Tellie, and Rich, you both know your stuff so get yourselves together, and go see a manufacturer, tell them exactly what you want made, sort the right spares out, and have an iron rod over them for quality control. If I sell my place soon, I might even have enough left over to bung some funding your way.

If you do 100 gallon per week 12v desalinators at the right price, you can count on me for buying two off you (I suppose it might have to be one off each of you, hehe).

At a gallon an hour production, 24/7, that's 168 gallons of clean water a week. The amps per hour for that should be pretty darned good, and a small heavy duty 12v motor with a low load should have a long and trouble free life (I have one on a pump that is over 60 years old, new brushes and bearings every now and again, and having it rewound once, was about it, and motors can be much better today).

I think the UN alone would probably buy 1,000's off you.

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

My son has a Mac Book Pro and thinks it's a piece of garbage. He's done a lot of work under its hood.

My plastic $237 Compaq W7 machine runs just fine. His cost 5 1/2 times that.

I don't think so...

That's true actually, I was a custom computer builder for quite a while (mainly building good reliable PC's for neighbouring farmers and businesses plus computers for their children), and I could generally retail far superior hardware for under a third what Apple would charge.

I will never understand Apple putting a cheap ATi graphics card with known issues and prone to chronic overheating, into one of their top end systems.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

I will never understand Apple putting a cheap ATi graphics card with known issues and prone to chronic overheating, into one of their top end systems.

Lemme see... last 12 months they made 1 billion a week profit.

Not so hard to understand.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Was stuM and his pet peeve about the varied use of measurements like amps and ah and all that.

He's actually right. It's always helpful to use the right terms.

"Pull the red line" because people can't be taught to say "halyard" makes so little sense to me.

Dumbing down has little merit.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

That's true actually, I was a custom computer builder for quite a while (mainly building good reliable PC's for neighbouring farmers and businesses plus computers for their children), and I could generally retail far superior hardware for under a third what Apple would charge.

I will never understand Apple putting a cheap ATi graphics card with known issues and prone to chronic overheating, into one of their top end systems.

Ribbit, thanks for that, I'll pass it on to him.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

He's actually right. It's always helpful to use the right terms.

"Pull the red line" because people can't be taught to say "halyard" makes so little sense to me.

Dumbing down has little merit.

er............
I tried that on my boat with guests........

" Pull in the Halyard"
" eh?~"

"Pull the red rope~"
"Do you mean the red rope or the white rope with a red line in it?~"

" Can you come here and hold the wheel while I do it?
" You mean the steering wheel?~"

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

For me, solo on a boat, 100 gallons of desalinated water, per week, would be absolute bliss and luxury.

From my experience, consisting of reading and knowing friends with units, that seems an awfully low volume, even for a boat.

Unless the power per gallon is low, it's a fight, especially on a boat.

Most recommendations, for example, are like this, from my friend:

Capacity is important. The cheaper low volume Katadyne units have to run forever to make enough water. Something in the 150 gpd range is much better.

So he got 150 gallons per DAY! He ran it to fill his nominal 75 gallon tanks, maybe once or twice a week. I don't know what his water use was, but his idea seems sound.

If his Spectra unit did this, 100 gallons per week seems a step backwards.

Comments?

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by weavis

er............
I tried that on my boat with guests........

" Pull in the Halyard"
" eh?~"

"Pull the red rope~"
"Do you mean the red rope or the white rope with a red line in it?~"

" Can you come here and hold the wheel while I do it?
" You mean the steering wheel?~"

Well, then if we are all going to be held to our retentive best. There is actually no such thing as a water maker either.

Halden Marine Services | Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Well, then if we are all going to be held to our retentive best. There is actually no such thing as a water maker either.

I didnt want to mention it.............

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

At a gallon an hour production, 24/7, that's 168 gallons of clean water a week. The amps per hour Amp hrs per gallon (?) for that should be pretty darned good

I know, I know!

But if you want me to stop, just stop using nonsensical units.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1933764

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Well, then if we are all going to be held to our retentive best. There is actually no such thing as a water maker either.

Halden Marine Services | Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

Sure there is, anything hydrogen powered is.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by StuM

I know, I know!

But if you want me to stop, just stop using nonsensical units.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1933764

Actually stuM I think he said it correctly amps per hour due to the fact of already stating the quantity at a1 gallon per hour.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

My son has a Mac Book Pro and thinks it's a piece of garbage. He's done a lot of work under its hood.

My plastic $237 Compaq W7 machine runs just fine. His cost 5 1/2 times that.

I don't think so...

Sorry Stu, have to disgree with your son. Just about everyone that works in IT is quickly becoming an Apple convert. Maybe your son works for Microsoft?