Rainman Water Maker

[Andrew Grace]

For those of you that maybe interested,

have been running with the Rainman for the past few months,

Our 1160 Catamaran install video is now online but the unit does not have to have a hard install, can keep totally portable and produces 120 Litre per hour.

Very well priced compared to what else is on the market and Australian Made.

https://youtu.be/msC3QZnYl_A

[Tall Sailor]

Hi Andrew, I have just bought a Rainman with same spec as yours. I enjoyed your video of the semi installed process.
In looking at the video I noticed your instantaneous hot water system. Would you mind letting me know the model you used and if possible showing a photo of the flue, which I assume it has. I had a Rinnai ihw in my last boat and would like to do something similar to you in the new one.
Also, I read in one of your posts that you have fitted air con presumably driven by the same Honda 2kw generator as used for the Rainman. Would you mind describing the a/c set up for me please.
Cheers, Roger

[Andrew Grace]

Originally Posted by Tall Sailor

Hi Andrew, I have just bought a Rainman with same spec as yours. I enjoyed your video of the semi installed process.
In looking at the video I noticed your instantaneous hot water system. Would you mind letting me know the model you used and if possible showing a photo of the flue, which I assume it has. I had a Rinnai ihw in my last boat and would like to do something similar to you in the new one.
Also, I read in one of your posts that you have fitted air con presumably driven by the same Honda 2kw generator as used for the Rainman. Would you mind describing the a/c set up for me please.
Cheers, Roger

Hi Roger,

The System is a Bosch, there is a full overview that shows the install at 21.06 on the enclosed video link that was taken during the boat handover, let me know if you need any more info and can take some further details when back on the boat next week,

On the Seawind we have 2 icon systems, 12,000 BTU and 16000 BTU, both have soft start systems added and can be run from the Honda 2000. The air conditioners are both wired into the normal house 240 v main systems which also uses a 2300 watt inverter. The inverter can power the 12000 BTU but not the 16000 BTU, However we do not run the aircon unless the genset is running.

The Genset can only power 1 of the above units at any one point in time, 12,000 , or 16,000 BTU or Rainman. Testing that I have done show the Rainman can also run from the inverter and with full solar going(midday) the system setup showed the total Nett draw on the Batteries as 60Amp.

https://youtu.be/j79U6dHjtis?t=21m7s

[Ozbullwinkle]

Hi Andrew,

Leaving aside the noise that the 2Kva Honda genset makes can you please advise about how much noise the Rainman makes while producing water. I am aware that there is quite a range in noise produced by different watermakers on the market. Some are relatively quiet while others are at the other end of the spectrum.

It would be interesting to see another clip of your Rainman while operating through the inverter which would show noise level. Many thanks, have been enjoying your various videos... Steve


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Andrew Grace]

Originally Posted by Ozbullwinkle

Hi Andrew,

Leaving aside the noise that the 2Kva Honda genset makes can you please advise about how much noise the Rainman makes while producing water. I am aware that there is quite a range in noise produced by different watermakers on the market. Some are relatively quiet while others are at the other end of the spectrum.

It would be interesting to see another clip of your Rainman while operating through the inverter which would show noise level. Many thanks, have been enjoying your various videos... Steve


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Hi Steve, thanks for the feedback on the videos, will share a video when next we run the unit, I would say the Honda vs the Rainman are about the same noise levels but I do not have a DB meter to actually test, what I can say is that if we have the Honda on the front deck at anchor we cannot hear the engine running from inside the cabin . For the Rainman it is behind 2 closed compartments , ie aft and behind the bathroom and then bathroom door. And from the saloon you can still hear it running but not too intrusive, however the Rainman is not a silent system.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Roger.

[Rainman]

We have recently performed sound level tests of all our systems with a dB metre. We want people to have comparison against a well known standard, so we tested against a Honda 2kVA generator running unloaded in eco-mode and also running flat out with maximum load.

The testing was carried out at a six metre distance in an open lot. We had a slight amount of background noise with some distant traffic and a steady breeze, but not too much.

There are three points in the design of our systems related to sound levels.
1. One of the reasons we chose to work with General Pump WM series triplex plunger pump is that is was the quietest pump of its type that we tested.
2. We use a simple needle valve to control pressure instead of a regulator. One benefit of this is that the valve is quieter than the regulators we tested.
3. For our petrol/gasoline version, we use Honda's extra quiet muffler. This is the same muffler as on their portable generators.

As Andrew pointed out above, our systems are definitely not silent. However, we do get regular comments from customers that their AC electric Rainman is more quiet than expected.

[Krakato]

I have just recently been shopping around for a watermaker for our PDQ36. We don't have a lot of space for mounting a watermaker and was concerned about space/storage etc. I basically narrowed it down to the Spectra 150T and the Rainman and decided to go with the Rainman.

On a side note, I've been corresponding about the Rainman system with Chris Burton of Seatask (SeaTask - Marine Equipment, Reverse Osmosis and Seawater Desalination). He has been extremely helpful and hope to buy the system from him next month.

Mike
S/V Krakato

[Dulcesuenos]

Curious are you going with a gas model or AC or 12v?

Sent from my PLT1077G using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Krakato]

We decided to go with the AC unit, mainly for the larger output. But I admit it was a tough decision. We have a Honda 2000 generator already on board and a 2KW inverter, so we have a backup in case the Honda quits. The Admiral also likes the idea of the high power wash unit as well.

Cheers,
Mike
S/V Krakato

[prior]

I have a new rainman system installed. We are headed to the Bahamas and am wondering how many pre filters I will need for 6 months. Any suggestions.

[a64pilot]

They are cheap, I’d take a half dozen at least. Probably won’t need them, but they are easy to get and cheap now, maybe not when your there.
I am becoming less and less of a fan of cleaning them myself, at some point you may damage one and then of course it let’s dirt through, and I assume that may be bad for the membrane, maybe clog pores?

I have way more than a dozen sets myself, but we are full time and hope to be gone for a considerable period.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

They are cheap, I’d take a half dozen at least. Probably won’t need them, but they are easy to get and cheap now, maybe not when your there.
I am becoming less and less of a fan of cleaning them myself, at some point you may damage one and then of course it let’s dirt through, and I assume that may be bad for the membrane, maybe clog pores?

I have way more than a dozen sets myself, but we are full time and hope to be gone for a considerable period.

I agree with you, I now just replace. I had crew thinking I'm wasteful as he's trying to scrub one clean. I explained I prefer not to risk damaging one, prefilters are consumables, membranes aren't.
From what I see of the Bahamas water clarity you may find one lasting the whole trip. When I've been in places like Cocos keeling the prefilter tends to last a very long time.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I agree with you, I now just replace. I had crew thinking I'm wasteful as he's trying to scrub one clean. I explained I prefer not to risk damaging one, prefilters are consumables, membranes aren't.
From what I see of the Bahamas water clarity you may find one lasting the whole trip. When I've been in places like Cocos keeling the prefilter tends to last a very long time.

And he's more of a threat to your watermaker than he thinks. Scrubbing a pre-filter is a fast way to make a 5 Micron pre-filter a 100+ Micron pre-filter, especially some of the cheaper brands used. Only rinse your pre-filters with a stream of water with about as much pressure as comes from a shower head. A good filter you can get two or three uses from. But remember that these are the consumable part of any watermaker. Filters are cheap, watermakers are not. If you have a cheap watermaker, buy cheap filters. And don't drag them behind your boat to clean them. (The filters, not the watermaker as tempting as that may be at times)

[Davo1404]

After many months of research & discussions with other watermaker owners who have fitted one into a small yacht, I decided on the Rainman petrol with the compact membrane. Ordered it through the Watermaker man in South Brisbane. Brett was very knowledgeable and helpful. The whole unit stores very nicely in the forepeak.