After keeping an eye on the web I have found myself a brand new Katadyn 160 e Watermaker at a very good price. I am planning to install it later this year. I am in Australia and the boat is in Ensenada waiting for me. Makes planning a little tricky. Won't need it for the 2012 Baja Haha but will need it running for the 2013 Pacific Puddle Jump which will see us heading on home to Australia next year.
I plan on putting it either under the settee where the freshwater pumps are and handy to the kitchen sink and forward tank. Also a straight power run from the batteries.
If room doesn't suffice then it will be going under the aft bunk, close to the stern tank.
If the first option then I will need to put in a new thru hull for the water intake. Waste water out can either go into the sink or connect it to the sink drain thru hull. Tossing up whether to add a feed pump before the Katadyn pump, this feed pump can then also feed to a saltwater tap at the sink. I wanted the saltwater to enable us to conserve fresh water but the catch 22 is that this is not so important once the Watermaker goes in. Watermaker will be run frequently so I believe we will be flush with fresh
If it goes aft then I plan on sharing the engine water intake but will need to determine a waste water solution. Either to the aft waste tank drain thru hulls or install a new one.
I'd like to minimise any additional thru hulls, Especially underwater ones.
Being a world away from my boat makes it hard to plan an installation like this too far in advance, it is hard to work out where it will all fit together.
I will be hauling the boat for a new bottom paint and thru hull replacement of a few suspect looking bronze fittings. I have been researching the Marelon fittings and am keen to use them to replace the bronze.
Last month we put up 280 watts worth of solar panel and a new wind turbine. The solar panels surpassed my expectations. But the wind turbine only really worked well in decent winds. If I had to redo this job then I think I would think seriously about not using the turbine and going for a third panel... Time will tell. Will be enough power to run the Watermaker when I need too.
One added benefit of the wind turbine is that it brakes itself when the batteries are fully charged. This gives me a great idea of the battery state when I am above decks just by seeing when the turbine kicks in and out. Quieter than I expected too. Sounds like a ceiling fan on less than full speed. Hardly noticeable when underway in a decent wind.
I would appreciate your thoughts on my plans, any experiences you may have had with a Watermaker install or your experience with Marelon.
Thanks
Simon
I plan on putting it either under the settee where the freshwater pumps are and handy to the kitchen sink and forward tank. Also a straight power run from the batteries.
If room doesn't suffice then it will be going under the aft bunk, close to the stern tank.
If the first option then I will need to put in a new thru hull for the water intake. Waste water out can either go into the sink or connect it to the sink drain thru hull. Tossing up whether to add a feed pump before the Katadyn pump, this feed pump can then also feed to a saltwater tap at the sink. I wanted the saltwater to enable us to conserve fresh water but the catch 22 is that this is not so important once the Watermaker goes in. Watermaker will be run frequently so I believe we will be flush with fresh
If it goes aft then I plan on sharing the engine water intake but will need to determine a waste water solution. Either to the aft waste tank drain thru hulls or install a new one.
I'd like to minimise any additional thru hulls, Especially underwater ones.
Being a world away from my boat makes it hard to plan an installation like this too far in advance, it is hard to work out where it will all fit together.
I will be hauling the boat for a new bottom paint and thru hull replacement of a few suspect looking bronze fittings. I have been researching the Marelon fittings and am keen to use them to replace the bronze.
Last month we put up 280 watts worth of solar panel and a new wind turbine. The solar panels surpassed my expectations. But the wind turbine only really worked well in decent winds. If I had to redo this job then I think I would think seriously about not using the turbine and going for a third panel... Time will tell. Will be enough power to run the Watermaker when I need too.
One added benefit of the wind turbine is that it brakes itself when the batteries are fully charged. This gives me a great idea of the battery state when I am above decks just by seeing when the turbine kicks in and out. Quieter than I expected too. Sounds like a ceiling fan on less than full speed. Hardly noticeable when underway in a decent wind.
I would appreciate your thoughts on my plans, any experiences you may have had with a Watermaker install or your experience with Marelon.
Thanks
Simon
