450: Where (in the boat) did you install your watermaker?

[Anjin]

Just ordered the Spectra Newport 400 for my Lagoon 450 and I know that others have installed this model as well.

Where is the best place to install? Looks like the genset locker would be good but my 2011 model came with a genset there so I'm now looking at the locker across from it.

Would love to hear about your installations - photos would be a huge plus!

Thanks -

- Art

[Scottster]

I am installing a Spectra 340 tomorrow.
My boost pump is sharing the port toilet thru hull.
The Watermaker is located in the water tank lazaret.
I will follow up with pictures tomorrow when I get back to the boat.
My boat is a 400S2
Scott


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[AngeW]

We have a Cruise RO installed on our 380. The boost pump etc shares with the generator in the locker beside the anchor locker. The rest of the watermaker is under the port forward cabin bed.

[Scottster]

As promised, here are some pics of my progress today on the install of the Spectra 340.
I worked about 3 hrs today on the install, it's going very well, a well thought out system with a great manual.


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[Anjin]

Looks great Scott, thanks for posting. I've decided to go with a similar location on the 450 - the port side locker of the fwd cockpit. And I'm re-plumbing the two port side heads to share an inlet thru hull which frees up the other one to be dedicated to the watermaker. Will post pictures as I go.

- Art

[monte]

we put our similar system in the starboard hull, partly to balance the batteries in port. pump and filters and through hull are below the floor at the foot of the stairs, easy to change filters and access. membrane below the owners berth in the big unused storage space. on/off/fluch switch at the nav desk. None of the system takes up otherwise usable storage. The membrane could probably have fit under the floor quite easily as well

[Anjin]

Originally Posted by monte

we put our similar system in the starboard hull, partly to balance the batteries in port. pump and filters and through hull are below the floor at the foot of the stairs, easy to change filters and access. membrane below the owners berth in the big unused storage space. on/off/fluch switch at the nav desk. None of the system takes up otherwise usable storage. The membrane could probably have fit under the floor quite easily as well

Sounds like a great install, thanks for sharing. The newer Spectra model seems less modular than the older ones - the feed pump is combined with the filters in a single unit and is just too bulky to get under our floorboard. I was reluctant to use up some of the limited outdoor storage space but by mounting the membrane higher up in the corner of the locker I don't think I'll be giving much up.

[Two Drifters]

Water maker in the lazerette.

When we bought our 440 the water maker was in the lazzerette. This is an awful place to have it for the following reasons.

- It is damp, nothing you can do about that, water comes over the front of the boat and spray will get in there and rust stuff.

- It is between two water tanks, so if a pipe bursts or the pressure pump for the water system gets a leak your water maker gets wet. In bad weather we had a pipe come lose and empty 600 liters of water over the watermaker, which the watermaker did not like.

So we moved ours under the port forward berth. It can drain into the bilge if it leaks and it is warm and cozy in there.

Just my two pence worth, enjoy.

[Anjin]

Originally Posted by Two Drifters

This is an awful place to have it for the following reasons.

- It is damp, nothing you can do about that, water comes over the front of the boat and spray will get in there and rust stuff.
...
So we moved ours under the port forward berth. It can drain into the bilge if it leaks and it is warm and cozy in there.

I can see where that would make sense. The locker on the 450 may be a bit more protected and it's not between water tanks so that may help. In my case the only real alternative was, like you, under the port forward berth - and the admiral has already claimed that for liveaboard storage.

But, per your comments, I will spray corrosion protection over all parts that wind up in the lazarrette.

Thanks -

- Art

[Anjin]

I completed my watermaker installation some time ago, but forgot to post pictures. Some details first, this is a Spectra Newport 400 with the z-ion option. I used an existing thru hull for the intake by taking the one used by the port fwd head and having that share the intake with the port aft head. I also used a pre existing thru hull for the brine discharge by sharing the one used by the washing machine. The first photo shows the installation of the strainer boost pump below the floor board in the port fwd cabin. From there the intake is passed up and over to the port chain/fender locker where the main prefilters and high pressure pump are installed (second photo). From there the flow is over to the Clark pump in the center locker (third photo). The output is sent back the same route to the fresh water tank under the floor of the port fwd cabin. All of this is controlled by the remote panel installed by the nav station (fourth photo). To power it all I didn't want to bring heavy cables all the way forward from the batteries so I branched off the supply for the windlass and installed a 30amp breaker in the same locker as the clark pump (last photo). The wiring and plumbing was complicated and somewhat difficult to route but persistence (and hole saws) paid off.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Anjin

I completed my watermaker installation some time ago, but forgot to post pictures. Some details first, this is a Spectra Newport 400 with the z-ion option. I used an existing thru hull for the intake by taking the one used by the port fwd head and having that share the intake with the port aft head. I also used a pre existing thru hull for the brine discharge by sharing the one used by the washing machine. The first photo shows the installation of the strainer boost pump below the floor board in the port fwd cabin. From there the intake is passed up and over to the port chain/fender locker where the main prefilters and high pressure pump are installed (second photo). From there the flow is over to the Clark pump in the center locker (third photo). The output is sent back the same route to the fresh water tank under the floor of the port fwd cabin. All of this is controlled by the remote panel installed by the nav station (fourth photo). To power it all I didn't want to bring heavy cables all the way forward from the batteries so I branched off the supply for the windlass and installed a 30amp breaker in the same locker as the clark pump (last photo). The wiring and plumbing was complicated and somewhat difficult to route but persistence (and hole saws) paid off.

I can see you have taken your time and were very careful and thoughtful in your installation. The plumbing and electrical is well supported, the plumbing has nice turns nothing sharp. Your good effort is well noted. But, I would have to agree with Two Drifters. The feed pump module in it's current location is not the best place for it. This is a salty damp area and your feed pump module will suffer from it in the near future. Believe me, there's nothing more I personal hate than to do something twice. But I'm going to give you some very good advice here and respectfully suggest you seriously heed my advice. Move the feed pump module to a drier location like under the forward bunk or where you might have originally thought, under the floor boards. The two pre-filters and the control panel can easily be removed and mounted elsewhere. If you do this the feed pump module can easily lay on it's back which may make the difference in your mounting location. I know it's a pain, but it's the right thing to do. Again, respectfully, a large percentage of problems with watermakers originate with owner installs. The Spectra NewPort400 is one of the most reliable units made. But you have no idea how many calls I get from owners that say it's a piece of junk and within a year or two has been nothing but problems, then I come out to their boat and find well intended installs but terrible locations. I assure you your wife will be more disappointed in the long run with no fresh water and expensive repairs than a bit of lost storage space. Feel free to call me anytime you want for advice on anything with your system.


PS, I'll mark it up to a bad angle or lighting in the second photo, because the 5 and 20 Micron pre-filter look like they should have been replaced a while ago. This may possibly be due to not setting up the Z-ION system correctly. These aren't a plug and play part. This is a bit time consuming to set up right but once it's right you should be eliminating any possible filter issues. Also the 30amp breaker should be located next to the power source, preferably not more than two feet away. This breaker also protects the feed wire as well as the system. Again, please feel free to contact me anytime and I'll be more than happy to help.


Halden Marine Services – Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

[Anjin]

Thanks for the feedback Tellie! Will take you up on your offer and call on Tuesday after the holiday.

- Art