Watermaker decision

[drb1025]

I am looking at watermakers and three brands with similar products are FCI, Sea Recovery, and US Watermaker. The features I am looking at include semi-automation but require user input to set the pressure. It's boat show season and all are offering specials. The one negative is that Sea Recovery uses proprietary filters and membranes. The others do not. US watermaker is less well known, but they have a good product and are available for advice and help. All three are competitively priced. How to choose? What are your experiences with these brands?

 

[The Other Gary]

I am looking at these, a US/ Canadian company working out of Ontario and NYS.


Marine Smart Energy


They also have nice alternator upgrades.

 

[CPseudonym]

If you want to keep things simple and affordable the leader of the pack IMO uses all off the shelf parts and technology. Nothing is proprietary.

http://www.cruiserowaterandpower.com/WaterMakers.html

 

[drb1025]

One limitation is the membrane tubes need to be less than 40". That's why some brands are not being considered for the GPD volume I need.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

If you want to keep things simple and affordable the leader of the pack IMO uses all off the shelf parts and technology. Nothing is proprietary.

Yacht & Boat Water Maker by Cruise RO Water & Power

Crusty Chief has one of these and I was very impressed. I will be buying a 40PH unit at the boat show.

 

[ksanders]

OK, what is semi automatic operation where you set the pressure manually??

To run a watermaker "manually" you...

1. Turn on the boost pump
2. Turn on the High Pressure Pump
3. Set the pressure at the membranes by turning a valve.

I'm another happy Cruise Ro customer BTW...

 

[Crusty Chief]

Crusty Chief has one of these and I was very impressed. I will be buying a 40PH unit at the boat show.

40 GPH and all off the shelf parts for the Cruise RO, and the customer service is fantastic. The membranes with fittings are 45" long. Best part is it's modular.

Good luck!

 

[Bruce B]

OK, what is semi automatic operation where you set the pressure manually??

To run a watermaker "manually" you...

1. Turn on the boost pump
2. Turn on the High Pressure Pump
3. Set the pressure at the membranes by turning a valve.

I'm another happy Cruise Ro customer BTW...

Semi automatic likely refers to auto switching of the product water to the tank once salinity levels are below a certain level and I know that the US Watermaker automatically performs a fresh water flush when the machine is turned off.

In the scheme of things the US Watermaker is pretty simple. Parts are all off the shelf with the exception of the "semi automation" control panel and if that failed, it could easily be bypassed...
Bruce

 

[drb1025]

Automatic fresh water flush, auto salinity test and diverter, one button startup and shut down. Also remote monitoring and control. The brands i am looking at call these semi-automatic vs their fully automatic versions where it sets the pressure automatically and has other control features. So I have looked at the cruise RO models and their videos online. They are well priced and folks are happy with them but the membrane tubes are too large for the space.

 

[ksanders]

Semi automatic likely refers to auto switching of the product water to the tank once salinity levels are below a certain level and I know that the US Watermaker automatically performs a fresh water flush when the machine is turned off.

In the scheme of things the US Watermaker is pretty simple. Parts are all off the shelf with the exception of the "semi automation" control panel and if that failed, it could easily be bypassed...
Bruce

OK, now I understand.

Just so folks that are unfamiliar can understand...

When you first start up a watermaker the produced water is still salty for a couple of minutes. In practicality you wait a couple of minutes, then either test the water or just have a taste of it.

Then you turn a valve sending the water to your tank.

 

[Bruce B]

Ah yes, the smell of a just started watermakers product water...
First time I smelled that I almost vomited!
That and the smell of the filters when servicing the things.
Amazing isn't it?
Bruce

 

[101TUG]

I am looking at watermakers and three brands with similar products are FCI, Sea Recovery, and US Watermaker. The features I am looking at include semi-automation but require user input to set the pressure. It's boat show season and all are offering specials. The one negative is that Sea Recovery uses proprietary filters and membranes. The others do not. US watermaker is less well known, but they have a good product and are available for advice and help. All three are competitively priced. How to choose? What are your experiences with these brands?

Hello,

On Sea Recovery you can find adaptable filter for low price, and for membranes lot of compagnie use de 3" membrane like Sea Recovery

I got many SR on my boat and don't want to take any other brand

 

[Lepke]

I would stay away with proprietary filters and membranes. Besides the predatory pricing, standard membranes and filter replacements are available most places and on line much cheaper. Try to pick a brand that uses standard pumps so you don't need a mortgage to buy a replacement.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

The reality is most manufacturers don't build much of anything of their own. They assemble units using parts from the same or similar manufacturers.

So I'd pick a unit with the features you want that has a combination of best price, cheapest replacement parts and reliable customer service to meet your needs.

 

[BandB]

Hello,

On Sea Recovery you can find adaptable filter for low price, and for membranes lot of compagnie use de 3" membrane like Sea Recovery

I got many SR on my boat and don't want to take any other brand

We have Sea Recovery and have been very pleased. We don't particularly mind their proprietary parts as we use OEM regardless and their pricing isn't unreasonable in my opinion. I've just been pleased enough to not try other brands. That isn't to say others aren't good.

 

[Bruce B]

We have Sea Recovery and have been very pleased. We don't particularly mind their proprietary parts as we use OEM regardless and their pricing isn't unreasonable in my opinion. I've just been pleased enough to not try other brands. That isn't to say others aren't good.

I am pretty sure that they are all pretty similar in performance given similar specifications. My preference is to avoid companies that are so big that personal service disappears. I really enjoyed my exposure to the salesman at US Watermaker. Yes, that is his job but he did make an impression...
The watermaker we had on our sailboat(s) for the past 15 years was a perfect example of a larger company with proprietary parts. I hated the rep (arrogant, condescending jerk!) and over the years when I had issues, I almost always had a different person answer the tech support line.
The system performed admirably and the parts were always available but they lost me as a future customer years ago.
The only parts of the US Watermaker system we are purchasing that art unique to the system are the electronic controls. They are simple and I could easily bypass them without even looking at a manual.
I'd even bet that I could rig a substitute if needed...
Everything else is simply boilerplate. That was my desire when we went shopping.
Bruce

 

[BandB]

I am pretty sure that they are all pretty similar in performance given similar specifications. My preference is to avoid companies that are so big that personal service disappears. I really enjoyed my exposure to the salesman at US Watermaker. Yes, that is his job but he did make an impression...
The watermaker we had on our sailboat(s) for the past 15 years was a perfect example of a larger company with proprietary parts. I hated the rep (arrogant, condescending jerk!) and over the years when I had issues, I almost always had a different person answer the tech support line.
The system performed admirably and the parts were always available but they lost me as a future customer years ago.
The only parts of the US Watermaker system we are purchasing that art unique to the system are the electronic controls. They are simple and I could easily bypass them without even looking at a manual.
I'd even bet that I could rig a substitute if needed...
Everything else is simply boilerplate. That was my desire when we went shopping.
Bruce

We've gotten excellent service from Sea Recovery. No issues getting parts quickly. Also, they're so well known everywhere we go. I would have an issue with proprietary parts if it was a company I didn't know well and didn't feel would be there when I needed them.

I do understand your decision though. Will be anxious to see how your watermaker performs for you. On our last boat, the factory choices were Idromar or HRO Seafari. The Seafari offered was too small and while Idromar might have been a good choice in Europe, I didn't see it as that for the US. So, we let them plumb it and set everything up and had a Sea Recovery installed.

 

[ksanders]

40 GPH and all off the shelf parts for the Cruise RO, and the customer service is fantastic. The membranes with fittings are 45" long. Best part is it's modular.

Good luck!

People do not realize the power of that last statement.

For folks that have a stand up engine room, and a nice waist level or higher shelf available a self contained unit might be nice...

For the rest of us, the ones that have to figure out a space, like the lazarette (likeI used) the remote operating panel made the installation practical.

I'm sure that there are some very skookum self contained units with fully remote panels, but for me 40 GPH for $6K with the panel nice and neat inside the boat where I can see and operate it, sure was handy

 

[ksanders]

Ah yes, the smell of a just started watermakers product water...
First time I smelled that I almost vomited!
That and the smell of the filters when servicing the things.
Amazing isn't it?
Bruce

Yep Anerobic bacteria I think. Ick

 

[Shoalwaters]

Off the shelf filters is important- you will use a lot. Membrane should last a long time if treated correctly. Automation adds to the list of things that might have gone wrong when the machine stops making water. Almost always miles from anwhere. To be avoided IMHO. Remote panel is nice, but always watch the machine when you start up. 800+ psi in those pipes and you can power-wash your whole engine-room with salt water at that pressure!

 

[Bruce B]

People do not realize the power of that last statement.

For folks that have a stand up engine room, and a nice waist level or higher shelf available a self contained unit might be nice...

For the rest of us, the ones that have to figure out a space, like the lazarette (likeI used) the remote operating panel made the installation practical.

I'm sure that there are some very skookum self contained units with fully remote panels, but for me 40 GPH for $6K with the panel nice and neat inside the boat where I can see and operate it, sure was handy

The watermaker on our last boat was modular and there was simply no other way we were going to get one in that boat! I installed it and I made the decision to put the filters where they fit and more importantly where they did the least to impede water flow to the pumps and membranes. The watermaker worked very well and unlike some, we never had problems with the mag drive feed pump.
That location was not the best for servicing but as I was the person doing the service...
I am looking forward to being able to service the unit on our Tug with less work to simply get at them!
BTW, $6k is a low price for that much water output. I'm now going to take a look.
Bruce

 

[drb1025]

Thanks for the comments so far. I may have to reassess the location options and consider Cruise RO. Anyone have experience with FCI watermakers?