Location of watermaker discharge

[mlibkind]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I have a low output 40e.

I routed the brine discharge to a faucet in the head's sink. Initially I did it because I was lazy. But it's actually been pretty interesting because you see when there's air in the line, as the brine discharge is sort of white with a lot of bubbles in it.

I've been having some issues keeping the air out of my intake so it's been a helpful way of seeing whether I scooped up any air.

Spectra is very adamant about having separate watermaker thru-hulls for both the inlet and outlet. They are concerned about any debris getting into the system though I think it would be hard on the outlet side. Still they say that the warrantee can be voided if you don't follow their instructions to the letter. Such is life.

[neptunesjester]

Mark,
It may be bad advice yet I've seen two made this way by cruising buddies that have worked for years.

Later,
Dan

[VirtualVagabond]

We have a Spectra 12v 200c that was on the boat when we bought it. It's running right now off the solar panels and even though it's located just below the cockpit, all I can hear is a soft hum, and the thump every few seconds as the Clark pump cycles.

We also have a genset and I used to wish we had a 30-40 gal/hr ac unit.
Our genset died crossing the pacific and we had to rely on the solar panels and main engine alternator. We could still keep showering every day, so I now love the slower 12v option!

I did fit a scoop over the intake because we could never make water underway without it. Also, both our intake and discharge are under water, and the discharge is lower than the intake. I've never understood why it was set up this way and have been tempted to swap the hoses around, but it would mean having to move the scoop too.

Vic

[mlibkind]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

We have a Spectra 12v 200c that was on the boat when we bought it. It's running right now off the solar panels and even though it's located just below the cockpit, all I can hear is a soft hum, and the thump every few seconds as the Clark pump cycles.

We also have a genset and I used to wish we had a 30-40 gal/hr ac unit.
Our genset died crossing the pacific and we had to rely on the solar panels and main engine alternator. We could still keep showering every day, so I now love the slower 12v option!

I did fit a scoop over the intake because we could never make water underway without it. Also, both our intake and discharge are under water, and the discharge is lower than the intake. I've never understood why it was set up this way and have been tempted to swap the hoses around, but it would mean having to move the scoop too.

Vic

That's a great reason to have a 12 volt watermaker. I sailed from San Francisco to Cabo San Lucas on a boat whose genset went out too. I hear that is not to uncommon.

Spectra does say that you need a scoop on the intake.

It's also good to hear a second person who says the unit is very quiet. My friend with an AC unit says that it is very noisy.

[colemj]

AC units, depending on size, can be run off an inverter if the genset craps out. Also can be run off a small Honda gen, if available. Without a doubt, a source of AC power is required to run them, though. Those that use them usually have this sorted out.

Noise is not a function of AC/DC. The AC units are louder because they are producing 5-10x more water at a given time. Our 6gph Village Marine was quiet enough to be barely audible when operating in its locker. The Spectra are very quiet and have a "strange" noise to them. However, even though quiet, that strange "RMMM-Thump-RMMM-Thump" noise is always more noticeable to me than a constant "RMMMMM" drone of a non-clark pump. But the Spectra is very quiet anyway.

Mark

[Tellie]

First, unless space is an absolute issue if someone were to ask for a Spectra 150 I would easily convince them that an extra 1K for a Cape Horn Extreme is money well spent.
Though it is not absolutely necessary to route your brine discharge to it's own thru hull fitting, brine discharges are installed above the waterline because, as Cancun Mike says, to see that your system is running and operating properly. You will get a feel for what is a normal flow and a quick glance over the side can reconfirm this. Most watermakers are installed in areas that can be hard to access and for a quick view while operating a discharge few inches above the waterline makes it easy and well worth the simple work to install it there. Brine discharges below the waterline are a very bad idea as the weakest link can be an easily broken piece of plastic at the watermaker allowing a water opening in the boat.
AC plunger driven watermakers are a very noisy lot for the most part, you just can't get away from it. Spectras are going to be the quietest watermakers of the bunch. The Ventura 150 is a different beast than the Catalina 300 and the sound made is different from each other. A lousy installation can make even a Spectra annoying. But a Spectra installed properly is going to be very quiet. I have ways to install a Ventura 150 that even the guys including Michael in Tech Support at Spectra don't even know about that will make it even more quiet than the installation recommendations in their own manual.

With all due respect to the poster, the post below is all utter nonsense.

Interesting. Do they mention anything about where to mount the pump in relation to the discharge? Would seem to me that you could locate the pump anywhere above or below the bootstripe which, without guidance on how much head the pump can handle, makes the recommendation nonsense.

You can build a RO unit for a fraction of the cost. Schedule 80 pvc is more than adequate for the pressure vessel. A plumbing supply house should be able to set you up with higher schedules if it makes you more comfortable. The membranes can be sourced, and all you need is some pvc, a 1.5 hp ac piston pump, and some hydraulic hoses, and a day to assemble and install, and you'll produce fresh water.

[CAELESTIS]

Tellie, what about the pump and membrane? Can they be mounted in a vertical format?

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by CAELESTIS

Tellie, what about the pump and membrane? Can they be mounted in a vertical format?

Yes they can. Since they are not an oil bathed high pressure pump they can be mounted upside down, vertical, sideways, or what ever fits the particular installation best to optimize space use.

[neptunesjester]

All,
I went back to look at one of the systems my buddies made, and the pressure vessel is fiberglass rated to 1000 psi but looks like pvc, my bad.


NJ

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by neptunesjester

All,
I went back to look at one of the systems my buddies made, and the pressure vessel is fiberglass rated to 1000 psi but looks like pvc, my bad.


NJ

That's true, a quick glance at some membrane vessels and one could easily mistake it for PVC. I looked back at my last post and as I re-read it it may have come off a bit insulting to you neptunesjester. My apologies, it was late, I had two rum and Cokes on a customers boat and I should have been more attentive to my words.