SkimOil Introduces New MarineVAP For Bilge Water

SkimOil Inc. introduced its next-generation electric MarineVAP evaporators for automatically evaporating away bilge water, gray water and even treated black water with no emissions July 3. With greater control and monitoring of the whole process, the new MarineVAP has improved safety features. These features include controls technology and capabilities compliant with Subchapter M requirements.

Roscoe McWilliams, SkimOil’s general manager, said that since hiring a new controls engineer, Steve O’Hohman, at the beginning of the year, special design considerations have been given to safety, performance and operation of the MarineVAP. With dual safety shutoffs and thermostats for overheating protection, the evaporators include audible and visual alarms for high or low water levels and optional dry contacts allowing the unit to be tied into a boat’s main control system.

The high-level alarm and cut-off switch notifies an operator when the unit is full and needs draining or attention. Its dual drain valves and a sight glass allow the operator to visually monitor performance and determine when to drain the unit for periodic maintenance.

Unlike the previous version of the MarineVAP, the new unit is highly controlled, automated and monitored. It is equipped with stainless steel tanks and special low-density heating elements for long life and no maintenance.

The heaters are staged to go on or off sequentially. When the operating temperature is reached, only the number of heating elements needed to maintain efficient operation are on. This system minimizes power surges, helps balance the load and greatly reduces power consumption that is a limiting factor on electric-powered evaporators. This heater technology has been used in SkimOil’s condensate evaporators for 10 years and is now available in the MarineVAP.

According to McWilliams, the MarineVAP system is the successor to the original BilgeVAP bilge water evaporator system that was introduced more than 15 years ago and is still in production and use on the inland waters. With seven sizes available, the new MarineVAP can evaporate up to 25 gallons per hour of marine waste waters, either onboard or on shore.