We get a lot of questions about the conditions that affect the performance of a watermaker. The top two conditions that can affect any watermaker are:
1. Water temperature
2. Salinity
Water temperature is a big factor for conventional watermaker production. Cold water (<50*F or 10*C) begins to affect the pressures inside of all watermakers, but with Spectra systems, these changes are not a problem, they just increase the efficiency.
Spectra Watermakers are rated to work in near-freezing water. The one exception is the Ventura 200T which is rated at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. All our systems are designed to be inherently self-balancing, so at the water temperature drops, there is no need to make any adjustments to your watermaker at all. Just start the system up and enjoy the water at its full rated capacity. Many customers have used our watermakers in arctic waters with much satisfaction.
Antarctica is on average one of the coldest, driest, and windiest continents, making it a choice spot for extreme adventurers. We recently caught up with one of our customers, Oleg, aboard the sailing vessel Kotik in Antarctica.
"Last year we were in touch while I was sailing to our regular Antarctic season…temperature ranging from 29 to 33*F. I used the Cape Horn Extreme 330 watermaker every day, with a pressure of 100 to 105 PSI, BOTH pumps working. Good production and good water.
We just came back after another season, with the same result. It was really a great help because this year was cooler and we could not get any fresh water from the glaciers.
This watermaker is really great, we are very happy." Oleg, S/V KOTIK
As you can see, using a watermaker in cold water (even as cold as Antarctica) is perfectly fine, and can even increase the productivity! Thanks to Oleg for sharing this story and his son Igor for the incredible photographs from Antarctica.
Copyright by Igor Bely.
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