Understanding the simple mechanics behind reverse osmosis (RO) helps boat owners understand how watermakers work and why they’re not as complicated as many have been led to believe. FCI Watermakers provides an overview to demystify RO and watermakers.
Simply put, RO is a form of filtration. Water is pumped at high pressure through layers of semipermeable membrane. So small are the openings in this material that only fresh water molecules can pass. Salt, calcium, lead, bacteria and viruses are trapped and removed. What’s left behind is pure, fresh and safe water.
A watermaker is a compact, self-contained RO system, either framed or modular. It includes the pump, membranes, valves and other components needed to make water. FCI builds models that produce from 200 gallons per day (GPD) for cruising couples to over 9,500 GPD for megayachts. Highly efficient, they have low power draws and can weigh as little as 68lb.
Today’s models are controlled by integrated circuitry and use a touch pad display. Advanced units, such as FCI Watermakers’ state-of-the-art Max-Q+APC, are completely automatic. Once programmed, they’ll start, make water, run diagnostics, shut down, flush themselves and come back online without anyone touching them. www.fciwatermakers.com
