| When is the installation of a belt driven watermaker recommended? |
The belt driven power option for your watermaker is ideally suited when the main engine is used regularly to maneuver, charge batteries and/or run the compressor of your fridge or freezer.
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What are the requirements for the installation of a belt driven watermaker?
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The high-pressure pump must be mounted directly to the engine to avoid vibration. The support for the pump can be fabricated by any workshop that can build brackets for a second alternator. However, in some cases there is just not enough space for the quite small high-pressure pump and an AC or DC powered system is the best choice. |
What capacity watermaker is right for my boat?
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The water consumption on a cruising yacht depends on the number of crew, the use of the vessel and the way the water is consumed. It ranges from 13 gallons per day for a cruising couple that uses water conservatively to 300 gallons and more on larger charter boats.
If you know your daily water demand, simply divide the amount needed by the hours your main engine runs every day or every other day. The result is the GPH rating of the watermaker that suits best your application. E.g.: 40 gallons / 150 liters per day consumption at 1 hour engine running time per day requires a watermaker with a capacity of 40 gallons / 150 liters per hour. |
How much power does a belt driven desalination systems take off the engine?
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Depending on the model and the engines RPM, the watermaker will take up to 2.5 HP of your engines power. This load added to the load of your high-output alternator and/or refrigeration compressor helps to avoid internal glazing and carbon buildup due to prolonged periods of running diesel engines at low loads. |
Will I need to run the main engine at a specific RPM when operating the watermaker? |
No. The high pressure pump can run between 1225 and 1750RPM. Some models can run as low as 900 RPM.
Raw stock pulleys are available in any size to match the engines RPM to the RPM window of the high pressure pump.
At lower revolution the watermaker will work but may produce less freshwater than specified.
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Can I change the engines RPM while the watermaker is running? |
Yes. ECHO Tec. belt driven watermakers are equipped with a patented automatic pressure regulating valve, that ensures constant working pressure at changing engine RPM without the need of any adjustment.
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Will the high-pressure pump of the watermaker always run when I start the main engine?
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No. The electro magnetic clutch enables you to run the high-pressure pump of the desalination system only when you want to produce freshwater. Normally the pump pulley spins free.
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What are the pros and cons of automatic product water diverting?
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Every desalination system produces water with high salinity and an odor of sulfur (foul eggs) when started up after more than 15 to 20 hours shut off period. Therefore the first product water must be dumped before diverting the fresh water into the tanks.
The automatic product diverter uses an electronic circuit in connection with a probe installed in the product stream to sense the electrical conductivity (remaining salt content) of the product water and switches an electro magnetic valve from the dump to the tank position when the product turns to fresh water.
Other than the need of incorporating electrical components that can and will fail at some point in time, the probe cannot sense odor and therefore the automatic diverter allows a certain amount of smelly water to enter the tank every time the system starts up.
On watermakers operated only a few hours a day the amount of bad product in relation to the water produced is much larger than on commercial systems operating continuously.
Many users of yacht watermakers with automatic diverters report that they got used to the scent of their water but guests will mention the strange taste.
The best and always safest procedure is to test the first product water for odor and manually divert it to the storage tank when the product is clean. |
When should I install a booster pump?
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If the desalination systems’ high pressure pump cannot be fitted well below the water level, a booster pump will be required. Although the high-pressure pump assists initial water draw, a booster pump improves the performance of the complete system.
A booster pump saves time and money as it helps to gain maximum pre-filter element life and to prime the system after pre-filter changes. It also avoids cavitation at the high-pressure pump intake that could lead to pitting of the pump head. |
Why should I flush my watermaker after every use? |
The freshwater flush exchanges the sea water in the membrane element/s with freshwater and therefore avoids biological growth that will clog the membrane element/s, leading to reduced output and premature failure. Repeated every 10 days, it avoids the need for chemical preservation usually performed for long-term storage.
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Should my watermaker have an automatic fresh water flush?
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The freshwater flush is a useful feature. It exchanges the sea water in your membrane element/s with freshwater and therefore avoids biological growth that will clog the membrane, leading to reduced output and premature failure of the membrane element/s. Repeated every 10 days, it avoids the need for chemical preservation, usually performed for long-term storage.
The main advantage of the automatic fresh water flush is that it will repeat the flush during your absence, often at a user selectable interval.
However, if you leave your boat unattended you must turn off the main battery switch; primarily to exclude the chance of an electrical fire, the most common cause for lost boats together with galley fires! Now, when you need it the most, the automatic fresh water flush will not work as it relies on DC power. In addition, you would always need to leave your entire freshwater plumbing under pressure – not a good idea when your boat is unattended.
Bilge pumps should be directly connected to the batteries. There are divided opinions whether the pumps should be fused or not.
For your peace of mind, disconnect your batteries and perform the easy chemical preservation procedure if you leave your boat for more than 10 days. The widely available preservative Sodium metabisulfite “pickles” your system for up to 12 months. All ECHOTec systems are supplied with enough preservative for three long term storages.
The remaining feature of the automatic freshwater flush would help to save the work of turning the standard manual fresh water flush valve after every use versus automatic actuation of the flush valve (when you shut off the watermaker) for the price of additional cost and the presence of electronic circuits and electro-magnetic shut-off valves all prone to fail at some point in time. |
What is backwash?
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The backwash is often mistaken for freshwater flush. Backwash refers to the return of the feed water stream in media filters often used on land based desalination systems where silt and other sediments would quickly clog the pre-filters.
It washes the collected contaminants back into the sea by lifting and tumbling the filter media under flow.
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Can I operate my desalination system in brackish or fresh water?
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Yes. Manually operated DC system like the ECHOTec DML Series allow you to regulate the operating pressure in order to process feed water from freshwater in rivers and lakes to seawater in the Red Sea ranging from 36 to 41 ppt.
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Where can I purchase consumables?
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Other than most brands, ECHOTec watermakers do not require proprietary consumables. Our pre-filter housings and pressure vessels are built to standard sizes in order to allow replacement with widely available spare elements.
All spares and consumables are also available for same day shipping with FedEx from parts@echo-marine.com |
Can I clean the pre-filter elements?
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Yes. Pre-filter elements can be cleaned several times before you have to replace them.
You should use only pleated polyester pre-filter elements at the micron rating specified in the owner’s manual. String wound or fiber type filter elements cannot be cleaned, have a ten times lower dirt-holding capacity and therefore are not cost efficient. Household under-the-sink filter elements are made from the wrong material; they will fall apart in seawater which will cause fouling and damage to the membrane elements.
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What is the life expectancy of an ECHOTec watermaker system?
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With proper maintenance, the life expectancy is 20 years and can last the yachts life time.
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