Watermaker Installation - Bavaria 40 Ocean

[Nashira]

I have purchased and EchoTec 260-DML-1 watermaker. The Installation Manual cautions, "... keep away from the heat of the engine..." Of course, the engine compartment offers a handy location - save the temperature consideration. I have contacted EchoTec for their advice, but I'd appreciate actual Bavaria Owner experience with siting water makers in general and EchoTec units in particular.

Thanks for any feedback.

[Nigel]

I'd appreciate actual Bavaria Owner experience with siting water makers in general...

Mine is under the forward bench seat in the saloon. Hasn't been used for 8 years 

[njsail]

I have a couple ideas but I don't know the dimensions of your unit.   I have a 2001 Bavaria 40 Ocean and under the aft bunk between the fuel tank and the aft water tank there is a cable run.  Would there be enough room to fit your water maker there?  It would be very convenient since there is a water tank there.  you would have to figure a way to hook up a thru hull run.   The other more appropriate place would be under the forward bunk where you have much more space a thru hull and a water tank. 
Good luck.

[Nashira]

Hey Jersey - The EchoTec is modular in design; however, the space under the aft bed is too small for some of the components and reaching beneath them to service filters and all would be inconveniently tight. I agree about the areas beneath the forward V-bed and have that location identified as a fallback option - I just don't want to give up a part of all that handy space there if I can work other options.

The dimensions on the EchoTec website I've been planning with were published larger by 111mm than actual, so the PIA of finding a cooling solution in the engine compartment is thankfully off the cards now.

The area beneath the port aft-facing portion of the salon seat looks good for the high pressure pump and I'm hoping the 40" pressure vessel extending aft under the same inboard-facing seat will fit. The compartment also looks large enough for the strainer and filters - however, I'm going to measure a few times when I have the components on site during the upcoming week.

I take Nigel's point of the possibility of under-utilising a water maker... it could seem to be an extravagance that does require care and feeding resources to use. That said, the convenience of having an on-board source of clean water, at least for me, outweighs the flushing and pickling routines. Plus, I reckon those times may be considerably less than other water supply alternatives for how I like to cruise. So.. why not...?

Thanks for your feedback.

[Nashira]

After gaining understanding regarding the installation restrictions for the modular components, I determined the most effective location for the water maker kit is mounting the high pressure DC pump underneath the shower seat and the filter series and pressure vessel behind the shower wall mounted against the hull. I had a thru hull stainless fitting placed at the forward inboard corner of the shower underseat area, which should remain under water at all but extreme angles of heel and places it well over a metre forward of the head sink and head discharge ports. I'm using marine adhesive and short wood blocks to mount the filters individually and I'm still sorting out how to mount the high pressure pump. Although it is a close fit for the pump and large manual bilge pump under the seat, there is sufficient space but making the rather heavy pump secure remains under consideration. There is room to operate the thru hull ball valve without difficulty.

Removing the hull-side shower wall wasn't an option - it was sika'd solidly on all four sides without space to prise off... I cut through the wall leaving a 70mm border in the wall I'll use to secure a hinged access door. That way, accessing the filter array will be convenient and I'm installing a drip tray beneath the filters to catch water when servicing them. I'm installing a swivelling / telescoping gooseneck faucet in the head sink counter against the shower wall. I'm mounting the control panel in the new hinged access door in the shower. Only two thick wire bundles and the bilge pump hose occupied the lower portion of the area behind the wall making the location of the filters a good use of previously unused space.

The components of the system are all located within a metre - including the waste output. It's a owner-doable project, but it is more time consuming than one might initially estimate. I'll upload photos when the installation is completed and the unit is making potable water.

[russ]

  Hi we have a Bavaria 42 and ttook out the forward head and put in an echo2 watermaker. Works ok but the intake sucks in air when we are underway.

[Nashira]

Installation completed and system operational producing 50 litres per hour. I was able to complete the installation myself; however, it was not a speedy process. Getting everything to fit in the space, mounted, and plumbed correctly took some time. The Owner's Manual would benefit from a technical writer's rewrite to make it clear to those unfamiliar with watermakers in general. I received excellent product support from the manufacturer as well as the Australian Distributor. I am quite pleased with the water maker as well as the installation and function.