Sale of Self-Contained Watermakers With Delivery
At our marketplace you can buy a self-contained marine watermaker for a yacht or boat with delivery within Europe and a warranty. Our catalog contains prices for self-contained watermakers from the best manufacturers of special marine equipment in the world.
Not sure which self-contained watermaker to buy for your yacht? We will be happy to advise you before buying and suggest watermaking capacity that will meet all your needs for fresh water during a long voyage.
What Is a Self-Contained Watermaker
This type of watermaker is also referred to as a stationary watermaker due to its design as a single, inseparable unit, in contrast to the modular desalinator, which consists of several units.
Modular models are designed for small boats where you need to save space for installing various equipment - such design consists of several elements, their placement is split to different places of the boat.
Self-contained desalinator is a single unit, all elements of which are built into one case, usually made of metal. For access to the contents of the case during maintenance, a removable cover or a hinged casing is provided.
If the size of the boat does not limit the choice of watermaker and the yacht has a spacious engine room where desalination equipment can be installed, the stationary model is the best choice, since all its parts are already pre-assembled in the correct order and are already configured to work together, unlike with a modular model, which you would have to assemble and configure yourself or invite a consultant from the manufacturer. In addition, modular desalination equipment has a number of restrictions on the installation order, the distance between modules, etc. With modular design, though, you can place parts that require regular maintenance or control in the most accessible and convenient area.
In order to minimize the need for maintenance and control when using stationary watermakers, you can simply install remote control panel, which provides useful data outputs.
This way, the choice - modular or self-contained - depends only on the size of the boat and the desire to invest in a remote control device. TopRik marketplace offers a choice of both designs, as well as full automation of the desalination process.
Pros/Cons of Self-Contained Desalination Plants
Stationary desalination systems provide a wide range of options for long autonomous navigation, while not requiring special attention.
- The duration and route of a sea cruise does not depend on fresh water supplies and the need to replenish them. You don't have to add marina entries as waypoints to replenish your fresh water tanks, as fresh water will be constantly produced on board the boat in the required amount.
- In addition to producing fresh water, desalination boat plants purify water from harmful microelements, bacteria and viruses, since they cannot go through reverse osmosis membranes - their dimensions are larger than the dimensions of a pure water molecule. They remain in the brine that is left after the desalination process.
- The design of the watermaking equipment does not affect its performance - both modular and self-contained watermakers can desalinate various volumes of seawater. Yet on large ships there is no need to save space, and stationary desalination plants most often have higher productivity than modular options. Therefore, one of the advantages can be added - higher performance of self-contained watermakers compared to modular models.
- The whole process in stationary desalination systems is fully automated, including membrane flushing, so the maintenance of standalone models requires a minimum amount of crew involvement.
- All parts of stationary systems are made of materials that are not subject to corrosion and deformation from the effects of sea salt and water: stainless steel, ceramics, high-quality polymer materials.
If the preventive maintenance of stationary desalination equipment is carried out in accordance with the instructions, it practically does not fail – in a year or two you will have to change the membranes, but that’s it.
For most skippers, the only downside to all watermakers is their high price.
How to Choose a Self-Contained Watermaker for a Yacht/Boat
The main indicator for choosing an autonomous watermaker for the boat is the estimated need for fresh water. Moreover, the calculation should be carried out for drinking fresh water and fresh water for other needs (hygienic, technical, etc.)
Miscalculations in the needs of purified water are dangerous whether you underestimate or overestimate them. The first option will lead to discomfort or even danger to the health of the ship's passengers, and the second one will lead to membrane getting moldy due to long downtime.
If you have decided on the required daily volume of water for your sea trips, this means that you know the performance of your future watermaker. From there, when choosing a model, just be guided by where you are going to put the equipment. If there is enough space, then choose a self-contained watermaker.
Make sure to figure out what power sources the desalination system is designed for. Several sources may be indicated in the instructions for one model, and there may be more than one source on the ship, including:
- generator - alternating current (AC) for 120/220 volts;
- alternative power sources - direct current (DC) for 12 or 24 volts;
- belt drive from the engine.
Consider the possibility of implementation energy recovery systems from the manufacturer. Some manufacturers have proprietary systems available that reduce the required power supply capacity by up to 80%.
If you need visual control over the condition of the membranes, choose a model where the elements are mounted using an open frame.
Make sure that self-contained watermaker in its basic configuration performs all the main functions out of the box.
How to Maintain/Care for a Self-Contained Watermaker
If you installed self-contained desalination equipment with automatic membrane flushing, its maintenance is reduced to a minimum - just check the data on the remote panel from time to time.
It is also necessary to ensure that chlorinated or outboard water is not sent for flushing. For this, only fresh water should be used. By the way, sea water for desalination should be collected on the high seas, away from crowded harbors and marinas, so as not to overload the pre-filtration system.
This way, with an automatic seawater desalination system, all you have to do is replace the pre-filters.
Chemical cleaning of membranes is required much less frequently. But even if the sensors show a decrease in the performance of self-contained watermaker, this does not unambiguously indicate clogged membranes. The reason may be the ingress of air through the seawater intake hole, depressurization of equipment elements, insufficient power of the power source, intake of colder or more salty water.
If all these points are checked, you will have to do chemical cleaning of the membranes. For this, there are special compounds that are used to flush membranes when they are moldy or are contaminated with bacteria, fuel and other technical substances. Such condition of the membranes can be caused by equipment downtime or the intake of heavily polluted sea water. Carefully read the instructions for use of the chemical membrane flushing agent, which can also be used when preserving the yacht for an extended period of inactivity.