Conventional · 6–12 Wh/L

Rainman Modular 48VDC 140L

Modular · 48V DC · 2 × 40in
100–140litres per hour
1,250watts drawn
10.4Wh per litre
$6,421indicative price

What you are actually buying

Drawn to this model’s own published specification: modular, 2 × 40in membranes, and a pump driven by a 48V DC motor.

Schematic of the Rainman Modular 48VDC 140LA flow schematic of the Rainman Modular 48VDC 140L, a modular watermaker. Seawater passes through a prefilter to a high pressure pump driven by a 48V DC motor, then through two 40-inch membranes. Fresh water leaves at the manufacturer's rated 100–140 litres an hour; the concentrate goes overboard.seawaterprefilterHP pump48V DC1250 W2 × 40in membranesfresh water100–140 L/hrbrinesold as a modular unit
Schematic drawn from the published specification, not from the manufacturer’s own drawing. The Rainman Modular 48VDC 140L is a modular system with two 40-inch membranes, driven by a 48V DC motor. Rated 100–140 L/hr for 1250 W, which is 10.4 Wh per litre.

What it costs to run

A four-person crew using 25 litres a head needs 100 litres a day. On this system that is:

0.8 hrun time per day
1,042 Whenergy per day
87 Ahfrom a 12 V bank
0.7×400 W panel-days
$54per L/hr of capacity

DC systems have to fit inside the energy your solar, wind and alternator can spare. Run the numbers against your own bank in the calculator.

Is it worth it?

At 10.4 watt-hours per litre it sits mid-table: 2.8 times the energy of the most efficient system we rank, and about 1.9 times less than the thirstiest. 1,042 Wh puts 100 litres in the tank.

Suits

  • Filling tanks in a short window. At 100–140 litres an hour, 100 litres takes 0.8 hours — the length of an engine run you were making anyway.
  • Awkward spaces. The modules mount separately, so they fit around obstructions a single frame will not clear.

Look elsewhere if

  • Boats you cannot drill. This is an installed system: intake, seacock, brine discharge and a wiring run, quoted separately from the unit.

Worth pricing against it: Schenker Zen 100 makes 100 litres an hour at 4.0 Wh/L, so the same 100 litres costs 642 Wh less every day — for $3,179 more up front. See the Zen 100 →

Every line above is a consequence of a published figure. We have not tested this machine and publish no opinion on its build, reliability or support. How we judge systems.

Where it sits in the market

Ranked 19 of 34 rated systems on watt-hours per litre, where lower is better.

0best 3.720 Wh/L

A conventional high-pressure pump, but with enough membrane area behind it to keep the energy per litre reasonable. How the two technologies differ →

What people cross-shop it against

The rest of the Rainman range

Common questions

How much power does the Rainman Modular 48VDC 140L use?
It draws 1,250 W and makes 100–140 L/hr, which works out to 10.4 watt-hours per litre. Making 100 litres — four people at 25 litres a head — costs about 1,042 Wh, or roughly 87 amp-hours from a 12 V bank.
How long does the Modular 48VDC 140L take to make a day's water?
At its rated 100–140 L/hr, 100 litres takes about 0.8 hours. Output falls in cold or silty water, so treat that as a best case rather than a promise for every anchorage.
How much does the Rainman Modular 48VDC 140L cost in Australia?
Our indicative figure is $6,421, taken from the manufacturer's published US list and excluding freight, duty and installation. Australian dealer pricing is usually all-inclusive and reads higher. Ask a stockist for a landed AUD quote before you budget.
Who sells the Rainman Modular 48VDC 140L in Australia?
16 verified Australian businesses are listed as Rainman dealers or specialists, including Quadrant Marine, Spot on Marine, CROFTECH Marine and Motor. Each entry links to the manufacturer or company page that proves it.
Is the Modular 48VDC 140L efficient?
It ranks 19 of 34 rated systems in our table on watt-hours per litre, where lower is better. The best in the table is 3.7 Wh/L. It uses a conventional high-pressure pump, which is the main reason it sits above the energy-recovery systems.
Is the Rainman Modular 48VDC 140L worth it?
At 10.4 watt-hours per litre it sits mid-table: 2.8 times the energy of the most efficient system we rank, and about 1.9 times less than the thirstiest. 1,042 Wh puts 100 litres in the tank. It suits several cases: Filling tanks in a short window. At 100–140 litres an hour, 100 litres takes 0.8 hours — the length of an engine run you were making anyway. Look elsewhere if: Boats you cannot drill. This is an installed system: intake, seacock, brine discharge and a wiring run, quoted separately from the unit. We publish no opinion on build quality or reliability, because we have not tested it.