Load
Review how the Katadyn PowerSurvivor 40E Watermaker connects, how it operates and which installation requirements apply to this model.
Open this example as a new project. Use your own parts and cable lengths to make the plan yours.
Published 4 A is cycle-average, not maximum or startup current; show the documented supply requirements without a complete current-sizing example.
Published 4 A is cycle-average, not maximum or startup current; show the documented supply requirements without a complete current-sizing example.
Wiring diagram
Open this example in Crimp to use your own parts and cable lengths. Review the assumptions and installation notes as you adapt the circuit.
4 A is a pump-cycle average, not peak. Preserve 10 A protection and verify motor voltage under load; 16 AWG/1.5 mm² minimum, larger for longer routes. Manufacturer installation manual
Edit this connection overviewInstallation notes
Guidance for this model, with sources linked beside the relevant advice.
Verified against the manufacturer's documentation (rev. Print No. 8012602/9), checked 2026-10-01. Manufacturer documentation →
This Print No. 8012602/9 manual describes the 12 V PowerSurvivor 40E. Do not transfer older 24 V variant data to this record. Nominal production is 5.7 litres per hour, plus or minus 15%, at the specified 13.5 V test supply and seawater conditions. The 4 A value is an average over the pump’s changing load, not a measured maximum or startup rating; new seals and other operating conditions can increase demand. Keep motor voltage above the manual’s 11 V minimum.
White at the motor is positive and black is negative. The installation drawing shows the positive extension in red, which does not change the motor’s white-positive identification. Provide the specified 10 A fuse/protected circuit and accessible isolation. Minimum cable is 16 AWG/1.5 mm²; the manual calls for 14 AWG/2.5 mm² or larger for runs over 20 feet (6 m). Independently check voltage drop over the actual outgoing-and-return route, since operation near the minimum voltage can stress the motor.
Secure the pump and prefilter where they can be serviced. Mount the filter vertically with its bowl down, ideally below the pump, and route the recommended intake size from an accessible seacock. Avoid air leaks in the suction line and keep brine discharge distinct from product water. Choose clean seawater: oil, fuel, chlorine and contaminated harbour water can damage the membrane or make product water unsuitable. The watermaker is not a general purifier for arbitrary bilge or freshwater supplies.
Commission with the product outlet diverted away from the drinking-water tank. Follow the manual’s initial 5–10 minute discard and test product salinity before accepting it. Monitor intake, brine discharge, pressure behaviour and leaks; poor output is not automatically an electrical fault. Use the specified membrane preservation procedure for storage and observe its chemical instructions. Disconnect electrical power before manual-drive conversion or mechanical service. Its manual-operating capability does not make the installed assembly an abandon-ship survival unit.
Katadyn installation manual, Print No. 8012602/9; pp. 3–5 specifications and conditions, pp. 7–9 installation including motor white-positive diagram, operating/preservation chapters. The original PDF is retained in the marine source ledger. This page uses an overview because the published operating estimate does not establish peak current for a complete cable-sizing example. The drawing represents the identified electrical interfaces; it does not simulate the equipment’s mechanical performance, radio signals or fluid system. Unpublished connector ampacity and startup current remain unspecified.
Build it out
Add PowerSurvivor 40E to your diagram, then connect your batteries, chargers and loads. Crimp calculates cable sizes and checks the connections as you draw.
Every cable you draw there is sized against ABYC E-11, from the same tables as the reference on this page.
Technical reference
Check the model, ratings and connection points against your own unit before choosing installation hardware.
Check stud sizes, fuse type, run length and how warm the space gets against the gear you actually have before you order.
Catalog connection points, current direction and planning limits. Check the manufacturer's pinout and connector ratings before installation.
White motor +
pos
positive · input
Black motor −
neg
negative · input
A dash means a current rating is not specified here.
Method & provenance
Manufacturer specifications describe the equipment. Crimp calculates cable results from the circuit and assumptions you enter.
From the maker
Manufacturer, model, ratings and which terminal does what come from the catalog. A newer revision, or the nameplate on the unit in your hand, can say something different — when it does, the nameplate wins.
ABYC E-11
Sized against ABYC E-11 — the US reference, and what Transport Canada accepts as an alternative to TP 1332 for pleasure craft under 24 m. The run length and the current above are what drive the result. Crimp doesn't know how warm your space gets; draw the cable inside an engine-bay zone on the canvas and it sizes for the heat.
Next step
Open this example as a new project. Add your equipment and cable lengths, then review the sizing and checks for your setup.