A number of factors need to be taken into consideration when choosing a desalinator:-
Typically, each person will use at least 10 litres of water and the average is 50 litres per person per day.
If you have a washing machine or dish washer, these count as extra people.
It will also be worth considering how frequently showers are used if you have them on board.
When you have taken all of these factors into account, the following formula can be used to calculate your total requirement:-
Number of persons x Litre/person = Litre/Hour
Running Time (Hours)
[ top ]
This may be as little as two hours in twenty four, limited to battery charging, food preservation, and desalinating so you would need to produce a day’s supply of water in two hours. If, of course, you run longer generator hours for air conditioning then a smaller output desalinator will produce a day’s supply over a longer period of time.
[ top ]
Machines can be driven by various voltages of AC current and DC current, by belt drive from an engine power take off pulley, or be self powered.
The standard H20 and SH20 can be driven by on board AC generators of 4kW and have a run load of around 8 amps at 230V. The LE (Low Energy) model which is available in a limited range of outputs has a run load of around 5 amps. The LE models produce 15% less product water than the standard models. Smaller ‘Ocean’ models can be powered by AC (LE) or by 24V DC or 12V DC motors.
[ top ]
Most machines consist of four component parts which helps the installation particularly in smaller craft. Components suit a large number of cases, however, the components can be mounted in a ‘space frame’ sometimes called ‘a box without sides’. This type is usually found on in larger vessels and it should be remembered when planning an installation that access is required around it for maintenance.
[ top ]