aquabase eco 65l watermaker review

[monte]

After wanting to install a low power/l watermaker on our new Lagoon 400 and having major difficulty finding a Spectra unit such as the ventura 150 or 200T in Europe, let alone the cost of them here being around $10000, we opted for the local French brand Aquabase. We had a 65l/h unit installed with remote control panel and semi automatic flush, which means it is operated from the nav desk with 3 buttons, on, off and flush.
I was sceptical of the output quotes so checked the output and Amp usage on our initial test.
The test results were as follows with seawater @22 degrees.

65l/h
24Amps
.37A/l
high pressure gauge - around 42 bar
low pressure gauge - 4 bar

which are in line with the supplied specifications.

At that rate is is about 20% less efficient than the spectra in power consumed/l but as we have 1100W of solar power its not a huge concern and still 2.5 x more efficient than our dessolator D60 on our previous boat.

The install took about 3 1/2 days for the installer with some help from his assistant, and all fitted in well, mostly below the owners side floor with the membrane below the owners bunk.

Cost was close to the Spectra 150 manual version.

The unit is pretty quiet and most of the sound comes from the pump located under the floor. I was surprised by the size of the pump, its pretty big!

Quality of the unit seems good. It has a charcoal filter between the tank and membrane for flushing to avoid damaging the membrane, and a standard filter and sea strainer between the intake and motor.

Cleaning and winterizing is done using a 10l bucket with added chemicals and 2 hoses which are connected to the unit. It seems simple enough but we don't plan on testing that side of it for a while. We will flush the system every few days. The flush has a timer which turns off after 60 seconds.

In summary, so far so good..
I really wanted a Spectra based on their reliability and customer service/satisfaction, but unfortunately in this part of the world they aren't really available/affordable.


monte

[katsumi]

Hi Monte
We are researching water makers at the moment and saw your post. Would you have photos of your installation?

[monte]

I dont have now but can take some if you need.
We put the motor and filters and through hull under the floor next to the desk, and the membrane under the owners berth, although it would have fitted under the floor as well next to the couch. I proffered keep the weight central/aft and to balance some of the battery weight in the port hull.dimensions are similar to a spectra 200T so you could fit one of those in the same space. All is out of the way in otherwise unusable space and filter checking and changing is simple by lifting one floor panel.

[katsumi]

Thanks Monte, after re-reading your post it looks like you have brought the unit in Europe, have you found a supplier here in Australia?

[monte]

No kat, I'm not sure what's available in aus.