Water Usage

[Mike OReilly]

1. 2 people
2. 750 liters capacity
3. ~40 l/day
4. no water collection ... fill at dock

[impi]

Originally Posted by colemj

But 66 gal a day? How often do you go through water pumps? Do you leave the water running continuously during showers?

I'm not judging you - I just can't imagine where 66 gal/day would go on our boat even if we washed it regularly and somehow took even more showers than we do (we take multiple showers each day now). We just bought a 30gph watermaker because we plan to use more fresh water washing the boat, etc. Even then, we estimate our water usage going up to 15 gal/day - maybe 20 during dry season and a salty boat.

Mark

I have no problem even if you were judging me Mark ... we do things the way we like to do them and thats how much water we go through.
We have been through two deck wash pumps and other than that have not yet been through any other pumps.

Since we sail regularly, live onboard and are fanatical about getting rid of any salt on the boat, we use water liberally on the boat and the dinghy and flush the dinghy engine.

When the chain is hoisted, we also flush the chain and the locker with fresh water as well as all winches, pulleys etc. etc.

We also clean the hulls with fresh water at anchor.

We have heard so many sailors complain that their anti-foul looses 'performance' around the waterline, but then again they do not realise the harsh soaps they use to clean their decks destroys the active ingredient of the anit-foul on and above the water line. For this reason we use a lot of fresh water to make sure all chemicals are removed from the anti-foul with every clean.
It really shows in that our anti-foul performs better at water level than most sailors we chat to about this.

We have a multi-hull (45ft) with a 'bridge' - thats plenty enough of a surface.
Ana also cleans the inside daily with water / vinegar solution.

I sweat a lot ... it just seems my body struggles with hot climates so I change clothes regularly. Ana loves crisp, clean linen on the beds and so we use our washing machine regularly.

What do you do with you toilets? Ours are automatic flush but bring in sea water which eventually creates a smell we do not like, so, the last flush of the toilet is with fresh water and it makes a huge difference and reduces crystal build up in the sanitary pipes which as you know happens when salt water and urine combine in lines that are not thoroughly flushed all the way through. Speaking with other cruisers, we do not have these issues.

There are also those 'small things' that contribute to usage ... for example ... the air purifiers which does not take much water but is used daily with freshner to absorb dirt and smell from the atmosphere and create a freshness throughout the boat. And then if one wants to 'split hairs' over water usage, our watermaker does reverse flush cycles which I do every hour or two whilst making water as I have noticed that our filters last as much as 3-4 times longer when doing this.

As crazy as it sounds though, we live in a very clean environment, our boat is meticulously maintained and water is essential for this.

I am not sure there are many sailors who go to the lengths we do but our routine makes for quick work but a daily discipline and use of water. I could write an essay about this such as cleaning the track car roller bearings by flushing with fresh water and so on but would become rather boring.

Some sailors say they get tired just watching us cleaning our boat early in the morning but then again when they set foot on our boat we hear a lot of 'oohs and aahs' and when we hauled our boat in Raiatea now for the hurricane season the person who takes care of it for us told us she has not received a better kept boat in all her years of doing this. She thought Impi was less than a year old and for me a huge contributor is the fact that we view salt as the enemy and use a lot of fresh water ... why ... because we can!

[joshea]

fulltime 2 people

100gals

7gal\day

jugs

7gal\hr watermaker

[colemj]

I believe you - and it's all fine. We appreciate the fresh water maintenance of gear, which is one of the reasons we just installed a large watermaker.

Your boat has probably 3x the surface area of ours, so that is appreciated.

Our toilets use sea water, but the entire run is 12" straight up to the vented loop and 15" straight down to the thruhull. We have no problem with smells or encrusting the hose in this short, easily well-flush routing.

Mark

[Talbot]

I suspect that the original poster is more interested in what he needs to plan for, rather than an attempt to refill the ocean with fresh water.

The Sphere Project is an accumulation of data from humanitarian organisations and sets minimum standards. The Project claim a need for 15 litres of potable water per person per day. However this is broken down as



Use of salt water in some of these areas will significantly reduce the overall totals. If you originate from northern countries, and have cruised to a hot humid climate, the 3 litres per day for survival needs is not enough.

Personally, I carry 500 litres , and also have a watermaker.

[impi]

Originally Posted by colemj

I believe you - and it's all fine. We appreciate the fresh water maintenance of gear, which is one of the reasons we just installed a large watermaker.

Your boat has probably 3x the surface area of ours, so that is appreciated.

Our toilets use sea water, but the entire run is 12" straight up to the vented loop and 15" straight down to the thruhull. We have no problem with smells or encrusting the hose in this short, easily well-flush routing.

Mark

Mark you are fortunate with the toilet (head) pipe routing. Ana has a keen sense of smell and cannot bear poor odour. I on the other hand do not have the same sensitive 'nose' she does and sometimes this is a problem for her when we socialise with sailors who use too little water and do not smell that great

Anyway, just looked at your new watermaker install on your blog - looks great and seems you are living the same sort of life style we are.

[PamlicoTraveler]

2 people
750 liter capacity
We use 35 liters per day ... And we shower everyday too...

[impi]

Originally Posted by Talbot

I suspect that the original poster is more interested in what he needs to plan for, rather than an attempt to refill the ocean with fresh water.

The Sphere Project is an accumulation of data from humanitarian organisations and sets minimum standards. The Project claim a need for 15 litres of potable water per person per day. However this is broken down as



Use of salt water in some of these areas will significantly reduce the overall totals. If you originate from northern countries, and have cruised to a hot humid climate, the 3 litres per day for survival needs is not enough.

Personally, I carry 500 litres , and also have a watermaker.

Interesting! I guess what one needs and what one plans for should be two different things.

Admittedly we are way too heavy on water consumption but in the end if one is looking at the savings in maintenance and the value of ones boat down the line ... well ... water plays a role. For us though, its more of a lifestyle choice.

[impi]

I must say that after reading what people post as water usage, I started doubting my own sanity. So I checked with Ana and here is the real deal since we installed our watermaker exactly 23 months ago and left Cape Town for our round the world cruise.
Our water maker has 2,200hrs and makes on average 60 - 70 ltrs per hr so lets say 65 Ltrs per hr. 2200hrs x 65 LTRS = 143,000 total LTRS / 23 months = 6217 LTRS/MNTH.
Assuming 30 days in a month = 207 LITRES PER DAY.

Chatting to Ana about this, she feels we initially used a lot less water, but as time has progressed we have used more probably because we have been more relaxed about it.

Initially we would hazard a guess at useage around 100 Ltrs / day

[Kenomac]

1. When I'm alone onboard
2. Usage 10 gallons per day
3. Storage 225 gallons
4. 24v watermaker 17 g/h

1. Wife and I onboard
2. Usage 30 galons per day
3. Storage 225 galons
4. 24v watermaker 17 g/h

[SV THIRD DAY]

1. Please indicate number of people on board
Four
2. fresh water storage capacity
450Gals
3. average daily fresh water useage
(including fresh water shower or rinse)
20-25Gals
4. mode of collecting / making fresh water.
120v Water Maker 30 Gallons per hour

[onestepcsy37]

1. 2 on board
2. 560 liters capacity
3. 30 liters per day including navy showers
4. fill at fuel dock or jerry jug

to be honest, the admiral does not want to drink tank water although she
will cook and wash with it (don't ask). so we also carry an average of 20 one
gallon bottled water jugs which we replensish when we can. we make coffee or
iced tea; two gallons will usually last three days.

i really need to work out a rain catchment system....

[robert sailor]

2 onboard
100 gallons
daily use 6 gallons daily
Watermaker 1.5 g per hour

[NormanMartin]

Working for years as a charter boat skipper in the Caribbean, I allocated 5 gallons per person per day for hygiene as a minimum. I carried 2 liters a day per person for hydration. That seemed to work. It is the result of a policy to stay clean, stay hydrated, and not waste water. Cooking did not use more than a gallon or so a day per person since we ate ashore so often. A few trips were around 10 gallons per day per person. Land-oriented folks use a lot more than sailors.

My wife and I are mostly coastal now but have some long range experience. We carry 9 gallons in a tank and have some bottled water on hand. We are good for three days before restocking. Not typical, I know.

I have made many passages of 1500 to 5000 nm. With a watermaker and some care, we never lacked for fresh water. My cruising friends with watermakers have the nicest, clean boats. That is a big incentive to have one installed.

Look forward to the results of your study.

[chala]

2
500 liters
6 liters/day
jugs