Windmills and water makers

[Chopper Pilot]

Here is a great article on the process:

http://www.albin25.eu/our-a25ak-dido/34 ... watermaker

[RobertB]

Nice setup in that article. 125 amps..............WOW

What is your actual need? How many gallons a day do you need to produce? How many hours per day are you prepared to power the unit?
The Katadyne 40E can make 1.5 gallons per hour using 4 amps. That would be plenty for my boat since I would run it when motoring - and output at least 3 gallons per day - for about $4k

[Chopper Pilot]

It is my into fid a way to mount the CAT Pump to the dingy outboard. I want it to be attached to a separate than norm outboard cover that will replace when used (meaning have two separate outboard covers) that will have the CAT Pump attached to it. The outboard will make more than enough power for the CAT Pump. I will also mount the small 12 volt electric pump that will provide the system it's water. I will use the water plug in the dingy to be the intake for the bump and find a portable method of bringing the filters and RO Membrane into the dingy. It is also my intent to use several RO Membrane so the time to fill up the water supply will be divided by the number of membranes I choose to use. This will require very short times to refill the tanks.

If that don't work, then I intend to have a portable generator to power an electric motor. I would prefer it (the CAT Pump) outside though to reduce the noise. That is why I like my option number one. Plus it allows me to leave the boat parked in a less than perfect water source and take the dingy elsewhere if I must to regenerate more water. O had thought about externally mounted quick disconnect on the boat that I could hook the dingy up to and feed the boat water as I make it.

The small 12 volt water pump that feeds the system (If mounted like the second option) can also be plumbed and used as a salt water wash down for the back of the boat for when you need to clean fish or wash the mud off. I could also use the fresh water 12V pump to do the same thing and double as an Engine Fresh water rinse after the motor is used when pulling it out of the water.

[RobertB]

Curious, have you ever plumed a RO filter? I have one in my house, and it can be a challenge, and expensive to get to run right (hint, the kit sold at HD or Lowes only works if you have real good city water pressure). I cannot stress how picky these filters are on water pressure. I do not see how you can run one or several on the same pump - unless the pump is sized for the cumulative flow rate and able to supply the high pressure these things need. Also, from just a quick look, seawater RO membranes need 800 psig to operate (DOW Filmtec) - this is alot higher than a household RO setup that needs 60 psig. This is a pressure not commonly available in an affordable marine pump - or marine plumbing.

Oh, and BTW, I have worked with these membranes before on a much larger scale. I managed the development of a nitrogen generator for aircraft manufacturing and appreciate how picky these membranes are not only to pressure, but also temperature and contaminates. Note, prefilters are really important and can be more involved than the membrane itself.

Anyhow, love to see the pictures when you are done. or better yet, see it in person since it looks like you do not live far. Where in the DC area are you?

[seahouse]

I am familiar with RO as well… as it applies to freshwater systems. That's one thing that struck me in the link; to see the higher pressures, in the order of 1000 psi, and high-pressure pump, that are needed for desalination. It sure is an energy-intensive process.

While we have now ruled out long-term cruising as something suitable for us (on anything economically feasible for us ), I remain interested in setups like this, and I also look forward to seeing the finished project.

[Chopper Pilot]

It is said that a seawater RO machine is the most liberating thing a boat owner can own other than the boat it's self. I hope to have this done by next spring or summer. But I am game playing the advantages and disadvantages of the external systems. It is easy to copy the many who have done it already, but I want many available opportunities to get water from my boat and my dingy. To me, I only intend to use it at anchore, not on the move. This allows me to repurpose my dingy at anchore for making water. It's vibrations will remain external from the boat hull at the time of use. Plus it would allow me to help other boats in need so they would not need to pull their anchore and move to an island that can support them.

If I mounted it in the boat, that is very simple with many ways to do it. I would just carry a generator for the power. The membrane can be mounted at any long 90degree bend of a surface (head walls, above the aft berth, under the long port bench seat). But I don't like easy, that's what everyone does. I am not everyone so give me a challenge. The idea of multi-purposeing a dingy to extend my water making ability is the most ideal situation and I really want to pursue that, unless it becomes impossible or less than beneficial.

[Stevenhigbee]

The Katadyn uses pressure recovery, so about 90% of the work to raise the pressure of the incoming water, is being provided by the rejected water. The methods linked to so far don't provide any pressure recovery, so would cost about 10 times as much watt-hours per unit of purified water.

I've wondered a long time about converting a Katadyn to electric, since the little life-boat units can be bought cheaply as surplus, because they have a use-by date when the military needs to replace them in their life-boats.

[Ixneigh]

Don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE frickin easy. I spend half the time on my boat thinking about the easiest, cheapest and most reliable way to do stuff
Ix

[Highlander]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBrlEI-xyCk

http://www.katadyn.com/caen/katadyn-pro ... r-40e12-v/

Think it would be cheaper & easier just to keep more Beer & Scotch on board !!
Just saying

J

[Ixneigh]

Can't believe no one has an economical small water maker. Run it off a weed eater motor and use three of this hand crank mini units on ebay. This is totally sky that with all the engineers in the world, we can have a sub 1000 water maker.
Ix

[Russ]

Don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE frickin easy. I spend half the time on my boat thinking about the easiest, cheapest and most reliable way to do stuff
Ix

I gotta admit, I learned this lesson the hard way. My instinct to tinker gets me into trouble too often.

[Chopper Pilot]

Why do we choose to make a water maker for little money? We choose, no because it is easy, but because it is hard. That is the American way!!!
So ask not what your Macgregor community can do for you, but what you can do for the Macgregor community!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwFvJog2dMw

[kurz]

Why do we choose to make a water maker for little money? We choose, no because it is easy, but because it is hard. That is the American way!!!
So ask not what your Macgregor community can do for you, but what you can do for the Macgregor community!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwFvJog2dMw

I think there is a misunderstanding:
Whatever I read is how to create a watermaker that is not as expensive than commercial ones and that has an output of hundreds of litres a day.
First: On a mac we do not need hundreds of littres of fresh water a day
second: A small watermaker that can easily powered with solar panels fits much better to the mac livestile
third: If you read exactely the handmade style watermaker stories you will see that at the END, if you count all that you have spent, are not so much cheaper than the katady ones. They are very complecated as you need so much power, big AC-DC converters (thad can break down) or other high consuming motors, high pressure pumps like the KÄRCHERS are not long life etc.
fourth: This systems take quite much space, you can not put ist easily in an other boat
FIFTH: If your power ot motor of the pumpt breaks down - no fresh water is produced

So the katadyn people seem quite smart to me.

So to electrify the very small katadyn makes so much sense for me:
Cheap, low consuming energy, you can have a second one for backup etc. etc.

[kurz]

Why not combine a handpowered Katadyn watermaker with a motor like this?

[Chopper Pilot]

ONE: You may not need so much water, but I want it. If my wife can wash off every time she goes in for a swim, then she will be able to. End result- a happy wife.

TWO: I will have a 1 KW windmill to assist in generating any power I need. If I want to have a laser light show on top of fresh water for showers, I can. I am happy you settle with so little energy consumption, but nature gives us so much more to use to make energy, I am going to use that gift.

THREE: I have methods of operating it on several power source to be chosen at the time of each operation.

FOUR: If it breaks, then I would, at that time, be brought back into the same position that everyone else is saying is a fine position. So in the end, there is no real loss if it breaks.

FIVE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: because I want to create something that most people find hard to do, I will do this. To build it yourself, you have the complete understanding of exactly how it works and can fix anything wrong with it. It isn't a single unit like the store bought ones so you can put all of the individual pieces in all of the nook and crannies on the boat so they don't take up space.