Overview
The 12VDC system is the Rainman watermaker that consumes the least power.
It’s a very simple and highly reliable system that can make up to 34 litres (9 gallons) of fresh potable water per hour.
Options exist for this system to be run completely portable without any plumbing or fully plumbed in with a minimum footprint installation.
Our 12VDC system is a great option if you don’t have AC power available to you but want to avoid the complexities and maintenance requirements of more efficient energy recovery systems.
Two Components – One Watermaker
The system is made up of a pressure supply unit (PSU) and a reverse osmosis unit (RO). Both parts are required to make a complete watermaker.
The PSU lifts the seawater, filters out the sediment and puts the system under high pressure, while the RO unit extracts fresh water from the stream of pressurised seawater. Most of the water goes out to waste as brine output, while about 20% of the volume is extracted as fresh potable water for your tanks.
Unlike the AC (electric) or petrol (gasoline) powered Rainman Watermaker, the 12VDC is compatible only with the single 40″ RO membrane.
Power
With recent advancements batteries, solar, and wind power, it is easier than ever to have sufficient useable amp-hours available for running your appliances.
Our 12VDC system requires 410 watts, or about 30 amps, to operate.
Installed or Portable
Our traditional system in the blue case can be used as either portable or installed. If you wish to install it, it becomes a two box installation. Various approaches that can be utilised include:
- Keep it portable, pulling it out and setting it up each time you wish to use it..
- Leave the unit in a locker, but pull out the hoses and throw overboard to make water, avoiding the need to move the system around on your deck.
- Keep the system portable, but use a cam-lock fitting to temporarily plumb the system into a teed deck wash fitting. This gives the benefits of an installed system while using your portable unit while underway.
- Fully plumb the system in, including the autoflush system.
It is worth noting that due to the lower output and shorter power cord of our 12VDC, most customers with this system will choose to fully install the watermaker.
Reverse Osmosis Unit
Due to the lower flow rate of the 12VDC PSU, only the single 40″ membrane configuration of the Economy RO unit is supported. This can either be in the traditional blue case or Naked in the easy mounting bracket.
This system will make 26-34 litres per hour (7-9gph).
Case or Naked
The system can be purchased either as the traditional blue case version or in the Naked configuration. The pricing, performance and power consumption are identical between the two options, so your specific requirements control which is best suited for your application. The table summarises the differences between the two options.
