Seaweed

Marc14857 · Jul 17, 2012

Lucky for you it was only the genet. I had the same problem with my engine pickup and didn't,t realize it until we were off of the mooring and 1/2 mile into the fog. Engine started to blow white smoke and overheat. Was able to get back to the mooring field but could not clear the clog. Tow Boat towed us back to our slip and I used the dockside water hose to back pressure the system and blow out the plug. I've been thinking about making a hose adaptor to connect between the galley sink faucet and the filter hose in case I ever have to back pressure the system again when I'm away from the dock.

What were you going to do with the hanger?

John · Jul 17, 2012

I've used the compressed gas air horn with success to unplug clogged up hoses.

Gunni · Jul 17, 2012

Thanks, I currently have a low-flow problem with my genset and will add this trick to my possible remedies. Hopefully it is only a seaweed problem and not a bunch of barnacles inside the thru-hull.

Maine Sail · Jul 17, 2012

Marc14857 said:
What were you going to do with the hanger?

All you get has a what appears to be a 1 1/4 seacock and a 3/4" male adapter for the genset intake.

He has this style external strainer.

Those are great external strainers and they work well in most instances but not when at anchor or moored and the water is filled with eel grass and weeds. Sometimes the eel grass will get through the holes in-between the strainer grate and the thru-hull fitting and "curl up" then pug the intake. This is especially true when the seacock is "bushed" down to a smaller hose size...

With a long enough inlet hose to reach above the static waterline, when disconnected from the internal strainer, you run the coat hanger, with a slight "hook" bent into the end, down the hose and into the seacock and pull the grass, weeds, jelly fish guts etc. etc. out. Once you get some of it you aim the hose into a bucket below the waterline and open the valve. This usually blasts the rest of the crud out.

All-u-get's external strainer opens but is a few feet below water and uses a ring clip to hold it closed. They are easy to drop when trying to open it so we tried all the internal tricks first before getting wet....

Fortunately the high suction for the RWP really plastered the weeds to the external strainer so much so that you could not blow any bubbles through it and even with an open seacock not a trickle.. It took almost all my weight, and I'm a fat ass, to blast if free with the dinghy foot pump..

With 10-12 foot tides we get to deal with a lot of crap in the water during the spring tides..

It probably looked like this...

seadaddler · Jul 17, 2012

Ceck

When ever I use the Gen I do look out side to make sure I am getting good water flow out the Exhaust.
Nick

onecoolair · Jul 17, 2012

All U Get said:
Hi all,
Had an incident with the genset while running it the other day. It shut down due to an overheat and I thought it might be the impeller. I shut off the seacock and disconnected the hose at the raw water pump then opened it again holding the end below waterline in the bilge. Nada, so I tried blowing in the hose, nothing doing. Closing the seacock again I undid the hose at the strainer and repeated the check, nope plugged solid.
Fortunately MS was stopping by and I explained what I had while he looked at the water. Hmmmm, someone has to get wet? MS said "Get a coat hanger and we'll try the foot pump from the dingy". Plugging the air hose into the filter hose MS gave a few pumps and "Bam" the plug popped out of my external round strainer. Unbelieveable, a clump of seaweed floated behind the boat and I had full running sea water from the line. Reconnected and reset the genset, it all ran fine. Lesson for me, don't run the genset if there is seaweed in the water. ????? OK where can you find no seaweed in the ocean?
Thanks MS.
All U Get

How about finding a huge honker of a jelly fish in the strainer. It happen to me once while anchored out on a long cruise from home. Went to the galley sink first with it without thinking and dropped it into sink. Looked like a big glob of snot. I finally realize what I had when I felt the stinging to my fingers. Had to chop it up with a butter knife to get it to drain down the sink. Check your impeller. If you find any missing pieces of the impeller, be sure to back flush heater exchanger. I now use the run dry impellers but still need to watch out.:stirthepot:

Rich Stidger · Jul 17, 2012

Wow, I have exactly the same type of external strainer as All U Get and I have never had a plug in over 6 years and in fact if I get more than 2-3 strands of seaweed in my strainer during an entire season, it would be a lot. In fact I have recommended this type of external strainer because I have never had it clog or plug. Prior to installing these external round strainers i was constantly cleaning weed out of my internal strainer.

I have run the genset in weedy water so maybe I just lead a charmed life?

jviss · Jul 18, 2012

All U Get said:
Reconnected and reset the genset, it all ran fine.

Might be a good idea to check the impeller, and perhaps for other overheating damage.

I think it would be a good idea to have a raw water flow sensor, and an automatic shutdown, or at least an alarm, in case flow is impeded, so you don't get to the point of tripping the overheat shutdown.

I experienced a clog on the main engine while charging batteries, for the first time in my boat in twelve years. Thinking of a flow sensor. Unfortunately, the M25 doesn't have a shut-dwon solenoid. Has anyone ever added one?

Thanks,

jv