Small (Quiet) GenSet recommendation

[Bigsfish]

BandB

Answer this question for me. Since you are traveling inboard on the rivers do you use your water maker on the rivers or just resupply at dock?

Thanks.

 

[Xsbank]

Onan doesn't make the pumps...I replaced my Onan fuel pump with an electric (generic) pump which runs just fine. Get the manufacturer's name off the pump and if it is Really difficult to get, use an electric pump. It will last longer and may not ever need impeller servicing.

 

[BandB]

BandB

Answer this question for me. Since you are traveling inboard on the rivers do you use your water maker on the rivers or just resupply at dock?

Thanks.

We use it some on rivers. It does require extra filtration and adjustment of pressure. We use a commercial filter and a "plankton" filter which is named such for PNW use but works on the higher bacteria and larger items in fresh water. Without extra filtration, you will clog your filters very quickly on fresh water and reduce the lives of membranes.

Note that every manufacturer of watermakers and each model they build will have different requirements. Some cannot be used for fresh water.

 

[twistedtree]

Onan doesn't make the pumps...I replaced my Onan fuel pump with an electric (generic) pump which runs just fine. Get the manufacturer's name off the pump and if it is Really difficult to get, use an electric pump. It will last longer and may not ever need impeller servicing.

Or call Depco in Florida. All they do are pumps, and they have a great reputation.

 

[Bigsfish]

BandB

That sounds like a real PIA to me. Every time I think about buying a watermaker I find multiple reasons for not buying one.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Arthurc]

Lots of good thoughts, thanks all.
I think my plan is to see if the current genset can make it through the summer then likely swap it with a newer Onan or NL when I repower her once I also have a chance to spend some time on her and fully understand the draw of the current equipment.
AC

 

[Jeff F]

I'm wading in here with nothing to contribute but a question. Is there any common case these days where both generators are used simultaneously to accommodate large loads? It seems like integrating AC power sources is more practical now than it used to be, just wondering if it was done in the pleasure boating world.

 

[twistedtree]

Lots of good thoughts, thanks all.
I think my plan is to see if the current genset can make it through the summer then likely swap it with a newer Onan or NL when I repower her once I also have a chance to spend some time on her and fully understand the draw of the current equipment.
AC

That sure sounds like the best approach if you can pull it off.

 

[BandB]

BandB

That sounds like a real PIA to me. Every time I think about buying a watermaker I find multiple reasons for not buying one.

Thanks for your input.

No, it's just getting it set up properly initially. That is one reason we didn't purchase either one offered by the builder but did a local install.

 

[BandB]

I'm wading in here with nothing to contribute but a question. Is there any common case these days where both generators are used simultaneously to accommodate large loads? It seems like integrating AC power sources is more practical now than it used to be, just wondering if it was done in the pleasure boating world.

It's done frequently on larger boats, in the 120' range and up.

 

[Bigsfish]

BandB

What brand did you install and wou,d you but it today?

Thanks as usual.

 

[BandB]

BandB

What brand did you install and wou,d you but it today?

Thanks as usual.

We have Sea Recovery and we've loved them and had no issues. However, we backed into them because the first boat we bought that had a watermaker used them. We didn't research as we didn't have a choice. There are some others we would consider and might select today as we know others who have had issues with Sea Recovery models. We would consider Cruise RO and Katadyn brands such as Spectra. Still when we had a choice last year we went with what we were familiar and happy with and went for Sea Recovery. Just as Spectra is part of Katadyn, Sea Recovery is now part of Parker Hannifin which has a couple of other watermaker companies.

We've had no issues with Sea Recovery but then we maintain them properly. We like that they have upgrades on filters and special filtering for oil and gas for use in marinas and for Plankton which is an issue in some areas of the NE and NW, plus come with UV systems and with fresh water flush systems. The biggest negative we here is that they use proprietary membranes and they're a bit more costly. However, we've gotten good membrane life due to the pre-filtering systems. That's really the key to membranes, protecting them from huge exposure such as gas or oil or larger items.

 

[AusCan]

I'm wading in here with nothing to contribute but a question. Is there any common case these days where both generators are used simultaneously to accommodate large loads? It seems like integrating AC power sources is more practical now than it used to be, just wondering if it was done in the pleasure boating world.

It's a great idea, but to operate generators in parallel, they have to be synchronized. This means voltage, frequency, phase angle and phase sequence have to be perfectly matched. A synchronization system such as this tends to be too costly for pleasure boats.

Another option is having a completely separate AC circuit for the second generator, perhaps powering 3 of the 4 air conditioners. This would be simple and low cost.

 

[Bigsfish]

BandB

Thanks for the info, when I decide I'll definitely look into that brand.