Independent guide · Australia

Every watermaker sold in Australia, measured by the number that matters.

Brochures give you litres per hour and watts. We divide one by the other: watt-hours per litre, what your battery bank pays for every litre of fresh water. 39 systems, every figure sourced and dated.

3.7
Wh/L, best in table
19.7
Wh/L, worst in table
5.4×
spread nobody publishes
Model efficiency—not a brand score
Wh per litre · shorter is better
Energy recovery, under 6
Conventional, 6–12
Conventional, over 12

* Water Makers Australia rows use published component nameplate totals, not measured running draw. Its 200 L/h Triple scores 8.1 Wh/L; its smaller 80 L/h model uses the same pump power and therefore lands at 20.1 Wh/L.

Why the 5× spread exists

It comes down to what happens to the brine.

Reverse osmosis needs about 55 to 60 bar at the membrane. A conventional system builds that pressure with a big pump and dumps the still-pressurised brine overboard. Energy recovery feeds the brine’s pressure back into the inlet, so the big pump disappears.

Conventional high-pressure pump
10–20 Wh/L
Conventional watermaker flowSeawater passes through a low-pressure feed pump, then a high-pressure pump drawing about 1,250 watts, then the RO membrane at 55 to 60 bar. Fresh water leaves one side; the brine goes overboard still at roughly 55 bar, so its energy is wasted.SeawaterFeed pumplow pressureHigh-pressurepump≈ 1,250 WRO membrane55–60 barFresh waterBrine overboard, still at ~55 barEnergy in the brine: wasted
Energy recovery (Clark pump, ERS)
3.7–4.5 Wh/L
Energy-recovery watermaker flowSeawater passes through a feed pump drawing about 110 watts into a pressure intensifier — there is no high-pressure pump — then the RO membrane at 55 to 60 bar. Fresh water leaves one side; the brine’s pressure is routed back to drive the intensifier before going overboard depressurised.SeawaterFeed pump≈ 110 WPressureintensifierno HP pumpRO membrane55–60 barFresh waterBrine pressure drives the intensifierBrine overboard, depressurised
Price against efficiency

You are paying for one of two things: litres, or watt-hours.

The cheapest systems in the table are also the hungriest. Every energy-recovery unit sits in the bottom band, and every one of them costs more than a conventional unit with twice the output.

Neither is the wrong buy. A boat with a genset should buy litres. A boat on solar should buy watt-hours.

Why Wh/L decides everything →
Price against efficiencyScatter plot of indicative price against watt-hours per litre for every system with both figures published. Bubble size is rated output. Every energy-recovery system sits in the shaded band under 6 Wh/L, and all of them cost more than a conventional system with twice the output.Energy-recovery band, under 6 Wh/L05101520Wh per litre$4k$7k$10k$13k$16kIndicative price (list or dealer conversion)
Dealer directory

Then find someone who can actually fit it.

37 Australian businesses with current, explicit evidence of marine watermaker work, from the manufacturers themselves to the marina electrician who will crawl into your lazarette. Each one links to the page that proves it.

Providers by state
tap to filter
Browse all 37 providers
Guides

Read before you buy

All guides →
Fundamentals
Wh per litre: the only watermaker spec that matters

Brochures give you litres per hour and a wattage. Divide one by the other and the whole market rearranges itself.

5 min read
Brand deep dive
Rainman's fixed 1,250 W pump: why the 140L is twice as efficient as the 70L

Same pump, same power draw, nearly double the water. The membrane pack is doing all the work.

4 min read
Australian maker profile
The Story Behind Water Makers Australia

How Kalim Scharenguivel turned a family boat project into an Australian watermaker company built around practical products and personal support.

10 min read
Technology
Energy recovery explained: Schenker ERS and Spectra's Clark pump

Two different mechanisms, the same idea: stop throwing the brine's pressure overboard.

5 min read
Buying
How much does a boat watermaker cost in Australia?

The unit is the part everyone quotes. Installation, consumables and the energy to run it decide what you actually pay over ten years.

7 min read
Buying
What size watermaker do I need?

Size from your crew's real daily water use, not from boat length. Then check the answer against the power you can actually spare.

6 min read
Deciding
Are watermakers worth it?

For some boats it is the best money you will spend; for others it is five figures of complication. The honest answer turns on three things.

7 min read
Deciding
Watermaker, bigger tanks, or jerry cans?

Three ways to solve the same problem, with very different costs. Work out which one your boat actually has before you spend.

5 min read
Deciding
Buying a used watermaker: what to check

A second-hand system can be a bargain or an expensive membrane holder. The difference is almost always how it was laid up.

6 min read
Buying
The best watermakers for Australian boats, ranked by what they cost to run

Not a sponsored list. Every system we can source figures for, ranked on the one spec that decides whether it suits your boat.

6 min read
Buying
Portable vs installed watermakers: which suits your boat?

A portable unit avoids the through-hulls and the invoice that comes with them. It also has to be set up, stowed and lived with every time you use it.

5 min read
Buying
12V vs 24V vs 240V: which power source for your watermaker?

The voltage decides where the energy comes from, how thick the cable has to be, and whether you can make water without starting anything.

6 min read
Buying
Watermaker installation: what it involves and what to ask

The part of the price nobody quotes up front. Here is what the job actually consists of, and the questions that make two quotes comparable.

7 min read
Buying
Can I install a watermaker myself?

Much of the work is ordinary boat plumbing and wiring. Two parts of it are not, and they are the parts that sink boats.

6 min read
Ownership
Watermaker maintenance: flushing, pickling, prefilters and membrane life

Watermakers reward regular use and correct shutdown. Most failures start with seawater left sitting inside a membrane.

7 min read
Ownership
Why is my watermaker not making water? A diagnosis by symptom

Low output, no pressure, salty product water: each points somewhere different. Work through the cheap causes first.

6 min read
Ownership
Watermaker membranes: sizes, life and what to ask before you buy

Membrane area is what turns pump power into litres. It is also the spec that decides whether a system is efficient or thirsty.

5 min read
Off-grid
Solar-only watermaking: what actually fits on a 400 W array

Making water on sunshine alone is entirely achievable — but only with the right system. The arithmetic is unforgiving and completely predictable.

6 min read
Reference
Watermaker glossary: the terms on every spec sheet, explained

Wh/L, Clark pump, ERS, TDS, brine, pickling. Plain definitions for the words dealers use without explaining them.

4 min read
Independence

We don’t sell watermakers.

Every figure comes from a manufacturer or dealer listing, with the date we checked it. Prices are marked indicative until an Australian dealer confirms them in AUD. If a dealer pays us a referral fee for a quote request, we say so on the page.