Commissioning and Troubleshooting Our New Schenker Watermaker

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After installing our new Schenker Zen100 watermaker, now we have to commission it and try to make water for the first time. We filmed this process to prove that no matter how carefully you plan, some troubleshooting is always required!
Fortunately we had some good technical support and Starry Horizons is one step closer to being a true off grid boat!
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[@douglasrobbie9998]

Glad you got watermaker to finally work properly. Very complicated, efficient and anything but KISS. Personally prefer a system with more manual control, like increasing pressure using a needle valve.

[@OutChasingStars]

Which type of watermaker to go with was a decision I mulled over for a _long_ time. We did really like our manually controlled CruiseRO system but it uses significantly more power than these energy recovery systems. And since our overarching goal during this refit was to get as energy efficient as possible, I decided the additional complexity was worth the trade off. I will also say though that one of the big reasons we went with Schenker is that it has manual overrides for pretty much all the controls so if something does go wrong with the fancy controls, I should still be able to make it work.

[@tlowe2502]

I'm sure glad you found the problem, because you kept after it and figured it out. I was wondering why you weren't using your marriage saver's? Can't wait for the adventures to begin. Thanks guys, stay safe and have some fun.👍🏻👍🏻💕🐾

[@OutChasingStars]

At this point, it'd been so long since we'd used the marriage savers during the refit that the batteries were dead. 😆 But it was another scenario that proved just how useful they are!

[@francismontocchio9910]

Hi! Thanks for your great videos! I have the same water maker as you and I’ve spent the last hour trying to troubleshoot. When I switch on (on/off button) it beeps then after a few seconds I get a long beep and both buttons start flashing. The pump motors don’t start either. Any idea what that could be? Thanks for your help.

[@elysiumsailing]

I saw that Starlink on the stern, hopefully you plan to talk about that too. As an IT guy I am very curious how it is working, how far offshore it works, and how it is doing in the Bahamas! As always, great video!

[@OutChasingStars]

I'm rapidly becoming of the opinion that it's the biggest cruising game changer since GPS. I uploaded this video and am replying to comments from an island where we had zero internet coverage last year. And I couldn't believe that I could stream the World Cup from 600 miles offshore in the Atlantic on the sail down. 😄

[@elysiumsailing]

@@OutChasingStars Wow, that is a bold statement! So do you have the portable hardware or the in-motion hardware?

[@OutChasingStars]

We have the portable hardware at the moment (Residential service + portability). I do fully expect that additional limits/changes in services will be coming so this year is still a 'testing' year for us.

[@HopeOfJoe]

Certainly is a ton of parts to this system. Curious as to why you choose it as it seems rather complicated? Happy all is well and good to see you out on the water again. 😊 ✨ 🌊💨⛵️🏝👙🌞✨

[@OutChasingStars]

That's a good question and one I debated a lot given how much we liked our relatively 'simple' old CruiseRO watermaker. And the answer came down to energy efficiency. This Schenker is among the most energy efficient watermakers on the market and with our overall goal to be fully off-grid and powered via solar, energy efficiency was vital. And while there is some more advanced automation with the new setup, it still has manual backups. So if the fancy stuff fails, I can still make it run!

[@maxx9384]

I have had the very same watermaker and I am happy with it. What I did not fully understand: why do you add complexity and have a automatic relay for the quality? I have a 3 position (manual) valve where I can route to forward/aft/faucet. I let it run to the faucet in the sink for the first 10 minutes and then to either tank 😀 no wires, no worries. The faucet position lets me fill glass bottles without going through the tank. Additional bonus.

[@OutChasingStars]

Figuring out how to install the Schenker in the most efficient way/re-using parts of our previous install was a lot of work! One of my goals for the new install was to be able to control it without having to go up into the locker every time. (It wasn't super fun having to go turn on/shut off the watermaker when it was raining!) I thought long and hard about going with a manual 3-way valve like you have as that is what we had previously. However, the best location I could come up with to mount it for easy access was where we installed the control panel... which is where all our 12v switches are located. So a water leak there could be disastrous! The automatic relay was my compromise. It keeps all the water lines in the locker but lets me control things from inside. It does add some complexity, but if it fails, I can still control it manually so I was okay with the trade-off.

[@harleysoltes]

Do you have any video yet if cleaning and pickling? I would love to have a diagram of the hose and three way valves for cleaning. Our Schengen installed per manual with no places to tap in. Thank you…..great install!

[@OutChasingStars]

We've been using the watermaker so regularly, we haven't yet had to pickle/clean it yet. If you want to send us an email at [e-mail] we can share the diagram we made of our install.

[@wanabesailer9599]

Does that 12v watermaker do a self clean cycle when you finished making water or do you have to initiate the cleaning cycle yourself?

[@OutChasingStars]

We have the option to set a timer for 1,2 or 3 hours of production. When that timer ends, the unit will do an automatic freshwater flush. But if we choose to just turn the unit on, then we'll need to initiate a freshwater flush ourselves.

[@jerryhartley2495]

I just wanted to ask if Schenker advised the order of the filters. I have my own company that deals with filtration and the order of filtration should be the particulate filters, one or two stepping down in micron efficiency then followed by the carbon filter. Your carbon filter may plug up faster than you want in the order you have and they are more expensive than the particulate filter. I would advise switching the order and using the particulate filter as your “sacrificial pawn”

[@OutChasingStars]

Hi Jerry! The particulate filter and the carbon filters are actually on separate water lines. The particulate filter is on the seawater intake side and then the carbon filter is on the fresh water flush side. So for this system, the carbon filter is more for protecting the watermaker membranes from chlorine/chemicals that may be in the fresh water tanks when filling up at a marina. Hope that makes sense!

[@marc4322]

Great job! I really like all your Technical video So your tds is adjust to 500 ppm to start filling your water tank, but how lion you get in production in ppm?

[@OutChasingStars]

I'm assuming the question is "how low does the ppm get during production"? If so, we're now averaging about 250ppm now that we're down in the Bahamas. But the 'quality' of production water varies significantly depending on where in the world you are and the 'type' of water: salt/brackish/etc.

[@TPLeary]

David, I enjoy your attention to detail. How's the 2:1 main halyard working out?

[@OutChasingStars]

Like a dream! No chafing issues at the mast head and the diameter is small enough through all the clutches and blocks that the main is happy to slide right down the track.

[@TPLeary]

@@OutChasingStars awesome to hear, enjoy the warmer weather.

[@bfs007a]

Nice! Now go south! (no, there is basically no limit to the amount of frustration systems like that can cause)

[@OutChasingStars]

You can probably guess what's coming up next! 😆

[@CruisingDarkWind]

Where did you source the 3-Way valve used in the Brine Discharge? Thanks

[@OutChasingStars]

Rich at CruiseRO has a good supply of them. I've also found some on the US Plastics website.

[@CruisingDarkWind]

@@OutChasingStars Thanks. We installed a Zen30, cruised last summer and kept our water tanks full all off of solar. Great system.