We have that
Spectra, but without the electronic control. I use the simple manual control system, since I would rather be the "brain" myself, and since the more complex something is,......well, you know the rest.
We use our
watermaker more than most. As a
charter boat, when on
charter we make 150 - 220 gallons per day. So, bear in mind that we rack up hours more quickly than most.
I clean or change filters every week of charter. Our
pump head needs to be rebuilt each year; Spectra has a good procedure for this, and for a reasonable
price. The big Leeson
pump motor is a horse....no worries, there. The Clark pump has had to be repaired/rebuilt maybe every three years, which is probably reasonable but more frequently than I would have thought. Again, there is a good procedure. I change the membrane about every four years.
With regard to these replacement intervals, bear in mind that we use our Spectra for many times more hours per year than would cruisers. About the only thing that would not be affected by this would be the membrane, which likes to be used.
Spectra has always been extremely helpful with technical support and has a very imformative website. I get
parts overnight from Spectra in
California to the
BVI, via FedEx. Interestingly, FedEx firmly insists that
delivery time is three days. But, in reality, it has taken two days twice, and one day every other time.
Since I have maintained various watermakers, often in
remote spots, for over twenty years, I do my own
work. For a number of years, there was no Spectra rep in the
BVI, anyway, but there is now a good one, Lincoln Ramsarram of Aqua Doc
Marine at Nanny Cay.
It is always a good thing to become a good friend of any
watermaker. The technology is not complex, and it is easy to learn. A watermaker will definitely need
maintenance, but, IMHO it is more than worth it.
As a final note, sizing your watermaker is a blend of decisions. Too big, and you won't use it often or long enough. Too small, and production may take too long, particularly if you are in clean
water only intermittently. A/C
power allows bigger units to be used (but see caveat above). On the other hand, if the
generator goes out you are stuck. DC
power limits the size of the unit according to your
charging capabilities and
battery capacity. On the other hand, you can charge your
batteries from a whole range of sources, which is valuable redundancy. My vote, in my application, was to get the largest DC watermaker that could be handled by our
electrical system, i.e. 400 GPD, and I have never regretted that decision. If you can get by on less, the smaller Bodine ( I think that was what it was called, but I am not completely sure) pump
motor is very quiet and a bit more efficient, but much less durable. Still, if your use is much less intense, it is a decent choice, although I, personally, would separate it from the module it is mounted on. Otherwise, changing
brushes - and you will change the
brushes - is a bitch.
Our watermaker does, in fact, make 400 gallons per day, and I can run it overnight off our
battery bank of 900 AH flooded golf car
batteries. It makes more than that at
charging voltages, and when various components (primarily the pump head) are new. Eventually, production does drop below the 400 GPD mark as things age. I would say that our average power
consumption has been around 1.4 - 1.5 gallons of product
water per amp hour used. The smaller units, driven by the Bodine (?) pump motor, are even more efficient, approaching 1.3 or even 1 gallon per amp hour, but the pump is less durable and robust.
You can divide watermakers into two groups. There are those which have no "energy recovery" system, and are generally driven by Cat pumps. These pumps are in use all over the world for many different things, and are relatively inexpensive and very reliable. Then, there are watermakers which do have some sort of "energy recovery" system. These tend to use proprietary pumps and pressure intensifiers, which are more complex, expensive, and (somewhat) less durable. However, the pay off can be efficiencies that are as much as ten times greater than the systems without energy recovery. And, my observations aboard our sailing charter
boat, working among a group of maybe 70 other charter
boats, is that the Spectra may not need much more attention than the simpler systems. And, it is way more efficient. So, again for our particular application,
buying a Spectra watermaker with its proprietary energy recovery system was a no-brainer. I do think that the electronic controls introduce another potential trouble spot, however. Most things like that attempt to make things fool-proof, but are optimized for the masses and not an individual use situation. I always prefer to learn the issues, be responsible for the operation, and be "the fool", but not be foolish. That way, I can minimize complexity and optimize things for my application. Others may prefer to be more out of the loop, but generally pay for it in the end.
My final comment would be to re-emphasize that you become fully acquainted with how watermakers, in general, and yours, in particular,
work.