Supposedly this device uses the same energy as 3 lightbulbs while making 12 liters of water per day. Cost is about $1200 - which is a lot, but also a lot less than a seawater-using watermaker, and this one won't require a thru-hull. The company website says it is "compliant with any power source", and to look for solar or wind powered versions in the future. On sale in America, the UK, Italy, Australia and Japan in the spring.
http://www.elementfour.com/products/the-watermill
It's about 3' in diameter. I could find room for it aboard, if it works well. I wonder how hard it will be to marinize it. :D
I think you'd be better off with a reverse osmosis water maker.
A Pur/Katadyn Power Survivor 40E (http://www.katadynwatermakers.co.uk/Katadyn%2040E%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf) can be manually operated and only draws 4 amps at 12 VDC, while making 5.7 liters/hour. That means, in three hours, you could make enough water to equal the Watermill's output and have enough to backflush the membrane. That'd be twelve amp-hours, which is probably considerably less than what the Watermill would use.
The major difference is that the Watermill could be used in harbors, where using an RO watermaker is generally not recommended, since oil and bacteria can damage the RO membrane.
Quote from: CapnK on November 23, 2008, 06:38:13 PM
Supposedly this device uses the same energy as 3 lightbulbs while making 12 liters of water per day. Cost is about $1200 - which is a lot, but also a lot less than a seawater-using watermaker, and this one won't require a thru-hull. The company website says it is "compliant with any power source", and to look for solar or wind powered versions in the future. On sale in America, the UK, Italy, Australia and Japan in the spring.
http://www.elementfour.com/products/the-watermill
It's about 3' in diameter. I could find room for it aboard, if it works well. I wonder how hard it will be to marinize it. :D
Kurt,
This looks to me to be a dehumidifier placed over a Britta type water filter. I bet you could rig up a smaller version for testing (for a bunch less $$$). I have a small 12v dehumidifier that can fill up it's basin in about 6 hours (2 quarts). Judging by the size of the transformer I bet it draws 6a or so. (it is AC, with a brick). I do not see it being efficient, but would like to have someone prove me wrong. Seems like it would be about as power hungry as an AC with no insulation..... ?
When i was little there was a guy in my neighborhood who was a trapper / black powder gunsmith. He had some way cool stuff, and did a lot of counter culture stuff. Knowing what I know now, I bet he was opposed to fluoride. He and his wife only drank water from their 'still' which was a length of copper coil sticking out of a drinking fountain (the kind that makes the water cold). I bet he had run the coolant into the copper tube and was drinking the condensate. The water tasted good, and was always cold....
I haven't looked into this but.... what about distiling seawater on the stove? I cannot - this early in teh morning - see why it shouldn't work. The distiller could also, ahem, serve dual purpose if you accidentally would find yourself the owner of some les than pleasant tasting fermented beverage ::)
that is quite interesting that this machine is supposed to draw the same power as 3 light bulbs , because IRC 1 100w 12v light bulb draws about 7-8 amps so the power usage would be huge
I haven't seen what type of light bulb they are referring to, but that would be good to know. For some reason I figured they meant 60W 120V bulbs.
It seems to use a cold plate for producing the condensation, based on the Flash animation they have on the site. The most efficient cold plate tech I know of is buried in the Engel freezer/fridges. Wish I had 2, so I could experiment. (I would use 1 in the normal manner, the second to 'play' with. ;) )
I've read many stories of folks distilling salt water on their stoves to make freshwater, so that can be done...
Water, water everywhere, and how to get the drops to drink? That is the question. ;)
From what I've read, distilling water over the stove is not at all energy efficient.
I don't think we would want to spend the power requirements on our small boat OR give up the room a watermaker would occupy. Just too costly in energy. Catching rain water in awnings is far more effective to my thinking, particularly in the Caribbean. Plus, you'd have to have the tankage anyway, for longer passages, just to be safe.
We carry 38 gallons in two tanks, plus another 8- 10 in gallon and half gallon jugs stowed here and there. That's for the two of us. If we're being reasonably careful with it, that lasts a long while.
On my trimaran I carried 42 gallons, with three aboard. On longer trips away from rewatering we carried a couple of flexible 5 gallon jugs extra. We never got anywhere where getting water or seriously running low was that big a deal, including several weeks in the Tortugas.
On a much larger, more complex vessel I could see having one. Not on our 25 footer.