Watermaking for the future
Fischer Panda's HRO and Sea Recovery brands cater for a wide range of outputs
Water is fast becoming a precious commodity in many parts of the world. In areas where water is scarce, it is expensive and its quality is questionable.
A decision on watermaking capacity should not be taken on past usage experience on a boat without a watermaker. It can be shown that most users underestimate their capacity by at least 50% because with a watermaker fitted, normal on-board water conservation practice is largely ignored or forgotten.
New benefits such as frequent, longer showers, better tasting tea, coffee, ice cubes and additional deck washes become immediately apparent. The further benefits of deck washes with fresh water also become obvious after time; ie less deck hardware maintenance, no water spots on windows, bright work less susceptible to corrosion. All of these advantages allow more time spent using the vessel, as opposed to time spent maintaining it.
Some general guidelines on water consumption:-
- NATO military ship average is 17 gallons per person per day
- Average national household consumption (US) is 115 gallons per day
- Average consumption for hotel rooms is 290 gallons per room per day
- An average shower is 2.5 gallons/minute
- An average hosepipe delivers 4 gallons/minute
- An average washing machine cycle uses 20 gallons
Another selection point to watch is the manufacturer's rating. The HRO range, for example, base their outputs on 820 psi/ 56 Bar membrane pressure with feed water at 25°C and 35,000 parts per million salt content. But if the intention is to operate the watermaker in the Gulf region with sea water temperatures up to 38.5°C and high salinity levels, the output of some machines would be de-rated by as much as 50%.
Fischer Panda's HRO and Sea Recovery brands cater for the very smallest (27 litres per hour) to the very largest (7,000 litres per hour) desalination application. There are a range of standard accessories including an automatic fresh water flush; this preserves the membrane life by back-flushing the membrane with product water every seven days when the boat is left for extended periods. Also charcoal and ultra-violet filters are available for absolute assurance of odour and bacteria-free water quality.
Both product ranges are backed up by a global network of sales and service dealers ready to assist wherever the vessel is in the world.
Fischer Panda UK
T: 01202 820 840
E: info@ fischerpanda.co.uk
W: www.fischerpanda.co.uk.
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