115v watermaker on inverter?

[nofacey]

Have RWO 30, Great watermaker - makes 30+ gph, uses 1 hp 110AC motor

Magnum 4824, rock solid inverter. No problem starting/running watermaker (+other stuff, like an AC washing machine, at same time)

Have 450AH 24v battery bank, and about 750kW solar panels (double those values if comparing to 12v systems)

Even on beautiful sunny days in tropics, we could not keep batteries up and run watermaker for a couple hours......would always end up having to charge batteries once the sun went down, and true state of charge was revealed. Don’t forget other loads are still there (in our case fridge/freezer).

I tried to time watermaking to coincide with other charging/motoring needs, but basically had to run genset bulk of the time.
NexGen 3.5kW, simple unit, great fuel consumption - but any genset takes a disproportionate amount of care vs it’s running time.

[motion30]

I faced this same. Delima. I have a seapro unit with twin 40" membranes powered by a 1hp 115 v ac motor. Makes 35to 40 gph. I traded the AC motor for a 1-horsepower DC motor. Water output remains the same and consumes 80 amps 12 dc. I have 1740 watts solar so on a normal sunny day solar carries thus no problem. I live full time on the hook and need only to run the water onebhour per week.

[john61ct]

For my preferences, ^^ this ^^ is the way to go.

Substitute a robust alternator setup for solar if necessary, make water when you're already doing a little motoring.

And a big LFP bank will help with "a bit" of timeshifting, just don't expect to do all the watermaking off stored energy.

[Mr B]

$1100-00 for a new 110 volt motor for my high pressure pump for my little wonder 160-200 watermaker was out of the question,
Youtube video's on how to build your own watermaker with off the shelf parts,
So, This is the way I went,

3000 watt pure sine Invertor, 12 volts to 240 volts, $316-00. Has 6000 watt surge,

3200 psi, 240 volt pressure washer, $90-00, It does run the watermaker at 900 PSI,
A few extra stainless fittings, Quick fit, So I can use it any where I want it, Boat wash, Etc,
If it packs it in, for that price I can just buy another one and dump this one,
This one is Indian, So longevity is doubtfull, ????????

3.5 KVA 212CC motor, Pure Sine invertor, Generator, 240 volts x 2 outlets, , and a 12 volt battery charger built in, $390-00, 2 year warranty, runs one litre per hour, 91 petrol,
Weighs 40 KGs,
Its very quiet too, I can handle it running on the transom for a few hours,

I also bought a dedicated 240 volt, intelligent Pulse battery charger for my AGM's, $36-00.
Im Impressed with this one, As a trial, I have recovered two dead batterys, that have been dead for years,

The 240 volt to 110 volt transformer is to run my fridge off the invertor,
$50-00
As Im doing away with the propane fridge and stove,
BBQ and oven, gas bottle on the transom doesnt need certificates,

I have 500 watts of solar that dont get shaded, ,When sailing or moored,
200 ampr AGM, But will add more as my Pulse battery charger recovers a few old batterys I have,
I have a 900 CCC start battery for the diesel, Coiled AGM,

For just over $200-00 I can buy a new 40 x 2.5 inch pressure vessel for the watermaker,

The best part about all this, It does work very well,

The battery was down so the invertor tripped out when I put the watermaker onto it,
But I am not concerned with it as the generator runs the watermaker with out problems, one litre per hour for petrol, Its cheap to run,
I need petrol for the outboard, So I have to cart petrol any way,

Cheers, Brian,

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by eheffa

I went through this recently with my newly installed (used) AC watermaker; a village Marine 600 which draws 12 Amps AC while running. I have 550 W of solar and a 160A alternator serving a 660 AH (Firefly Carbon Foam) House bank. We also have a 9 KW Onan Generator so do not lack AC power generation. I do not like to run the generator any more than necessary though. In our cruising grounds of the BC coast, sunshine can be limited, especially in the winter months.

Recognizing that this 12 Amp AC current translates into about 100A at 12 VDC I thought I could at least run the watermaker off the inverter while underway. (I would not try to run it off battery power alone.) As it has turned out my inverter (a Magnum MS2812) while easily capable of handling the 12A running current, cannot tolerate the brief startup surge of > 80A.

As I've thought more about though, the draw of ~100 A DC along with potential charging demands, say starting off in the morning after night at anchor, would represent a fair bit of load and wear and tear on the engine alternator.

While at anchor, we commonly run the generator for re-charging the House Bank for ~ 2 hours. In that time, we can easily make 35 USG of fresh water. If we need to make water while underway, we just need to use the generator.

I have abandoned attempts to get a soft start etc. to make it work under DC.

-evan

Ditto the above. Same watermaker, same alternator, but LFP bank and 4kw Trace inverter. Zero issues making water underway with the alternator tuned back to 110 amps via a Balmar MC624 vr. Like you, if we run the genset, we're making water. If that isn't enough, we make it under way. 12 years and counting with no issues.

[Q Xopa]

Originally Posted by motion30

I faced this same. Delima. I have a seapro unit with twin 40" membranes powered by a 1hp 115 v ac motor. Makes 35to 40 gph. I traded the AC motor for a 1-horsepower DC motor. Water output remains the same and consumes 80 amps 12 dc. I have 1740 watts solar so on a normal sunny day solar carries thus no problem. I live full time on the hook and need only to run the water onebhour per week.

I assume you dont want an Inverter?

I have heard some people say they dont want DC AC conversion losses. I havent looked at numbers but a 12V 80A 1 HP motor must have some losses?

80A DC sounds like a fair bit of current to run through a motor for an hour or more. Of course at 12V its still 80A feeding an Inverter.

Like many of the others I went the Inverter route. I've got 24V so mine is 'only' 40A into the Inverter. But to me this seems like a lot. 8A, 110V motor.

You have obviously sourced a 12V 1HP motor. They dont sound common?

[alansmith]

Mr B, a man after my own heart. It is amazing how much yachties can get screwed for price on just about everything without blinking an eye. Saw a collapsible yacht bike last year on alameda island. Six thousand dollars. I snorted so loud the sales people thought a wild bull had wandered into the shop.

Good on ya, mate.

[MVDarlin]

To avoid confusion convert amps to watts in all applications for best analysis.

[MVDarlin]

After endless watermarked analysis, maintenance and disappointing performance I added a 100gallon bladder to my water supply and now cruise blissfully without fresh water concerns. I rarely am away from amenities for more than a week and my total capacity is 250 gal. My $5000 8gpm Spectra has not been unpickled in over a year.

[john61ct]

Lots of smaller boats can't afford to carry an extra 2000 lbs around

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Mr B, a man after my own heart. It is amazing how much yachties can get screwed for price on just about everything without blinking an eye. Saw a collapsible yacht bike last year on alameda island. Six thousand dollars. I snorted so loud the sales people thought a wild bull had wandered into the shop.

Good on ya, mate.

I really hate getting ripped off,
Being Marinised is the biggest scam ever, A licence to charge a minimum 3 times extra,
Stainless steel is 304 or 316, There is no such thing as Marinesed stainless steel,
You buy stainless steel fittings at your local nut and bolt shop, Very cheaply,

I buy all my ropes direct from the manufacturer online,
100 metre roll of 12mm double braid polyester is $130-00. delivered,

Electric Foldable push bike, is $650-00 and its from the USA, Delivered,
6 grand for a push bike, Hahahahaha
I have a bridge in excellent condition for sale, Hahahahaha

I had to buy an invertor any way, Mine got drowned, and the Powerjack 5000 Watt invertor I bought from china 6 years ago, was a Dud,

I didnt find out till I tried it out this year, So I did my money, Cold,

This invertor I bought, Its also Chinese, But the seller is local, I can lean over the counter and tell them Im not happy,
Same for the Gen, battery charger, Pressure pump, Local sellers,

So for $832-00, Delivered, I have every thing I need for my boat and no worries about whether I can run it,
The stainless quick fit, fittings cost me about 30 bucks extra, But he did have to machine one part up for me as the Indians use different sizes to every one else,

But it all fits now, Indian, Chinese and USA parts all fit together, And I can buy new parts for every thing off the shelf,
I now have more than enough Amps, Watts or what ever to run every thing I need,

Cheers, Brian,

[ericoh88]

Crayiii,


Last week out, I ran the 1hp Baldor cat pump for (4 hours, 2 hours and 3 hours )a total of 9 hours - all on inverter 2kva Xantrex while motoring.



Have you considered installing / (diy) a soft starter ?



Hope that information helps.



Eric

[motion30]

[QUOTE=Q Xopa;2978596]I assume you dont want an Inverter?

I have heard some people say they dont want DC AC conversion losses. I havent looked at numbers but a 12V 80A 1 HP motor must have some losses?

80A DC sounds like a fair bit of current to run through a motor for an hour or more. Of course at 12V its still 80A feeding an Inverter.

Like many of the others I went the Inverter route. I've got 24V so mine is 'only' 40A into the Inverter. But to me this seems like a lot. 8A, 110V motor.

You have obviously sourced a 12V 1HP motor. They dont sound common?[/QUO an internet search turned many choices. I picked one that looked robust....just a guess really. Certainly did not by the cheapest on. So far so good.
My solar panels easily carry the load on sunny days