What Should You Consider When Buying a Watermaker?
Key technical checkpoints to choose the right marine watermaker for your yacht.
- You should choose a watermaker with a kW rating suitable for the kW output of your generator.
- You should select a device with a liter/hour capacity that matches your average daily freshwater consumption. Instead of waiting for your freshwater tank to empty completely, choose a unit that can replenish your daily water usage by running 2–3 hours per day.
- If the installation location is close to your living area, pay attention to the decibel (noise) ratings.
- For ease of use, you should prefer fully automatic systems. Devices with a pressure adjustment valve are not fully automatic. Operating a watermaker at a fixed 60 bar setting causes long-term water leaks and vibration-related failures.
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Do not buy a system that does not include a three-way valve. Due to their structure, membranes produce salty water during the first minute. The three-way valve diverts this initial salty water overboard through the waste line. Systems without a three-way valve send this salty water directly to your freshwater tank. Even if you don’t taste the salt in the total volume, salt entering the tank will eventually cause bacterial growth and long-term corrosion issues.
- You should learn the origin and brand of the high-pressure pump, low-pressure pump, and membranes, and make your comparisons accordingly.
- You should prefer a device that measures salinity. When the salinity exceeds 800 ppm, the system should divert the production water to the waste line via the three-way valve.
- The system must have a low-pressure switch. If there is a blockage in the suction line, the device will shut itself off, preventing dry-running and protecting the pump.
- The system must have a high-pressure switch. If the pressure exceeds 70 bar, the unit shuts down to prevent membrane damage.
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In the event of a water leak in the high-pressure hoses, the pressure will drop; the system should detect this and shut itself off. Without this switch, the boat will continue filling with water until the leak is discovered.
- Make sure the cables used in the device and during installation are suitable for the unit’s kW rating and that marine-grade cables are used.
- Ensure the hoses used in the device and installation are reinforced (braided or wire-reinforced) to prevent kinking.
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Check whether the system has the ProPlus feature. In case of issues with electronic components, switches, sensors, or the main board, this feature allows you to operate the device manually until technical service arrives. You simply switch the valve from automatic to manual. Press the LP button to run the low-pressure pump, press the HP button to run the high-pressure pump, adjust the valve to bring the pressure up to 60 bar, and the device begins producing water.
