Check your hose clamps...

[Maine Sail]

Hi All,

I recently helped a friend replace some "hose clamps" which turned into a rather large plumbing job.

Please, if you did not buy your boat new, and a PO worked on it at some point, please check all your bellow water, including max heeled location, hose clamps.

This hose clamp was marked "Stainless".

P.S. All macerator pumps should have a siphon break located as high as possible. Jabsco calls for 8" above max heeled waterline. This check valve ran from the macerator outlet directly overboard! Everything was bellow the static waterline and each fitting only had one hose clamp. This is very dangerous especially when mixed with cheap hose clamps.

Please check your clamps this type of inferior clamp is more common than it should be.

 

[capn jim]

all to often

I would guess that a majority of hose clamps these days even though they're labeled stainless, have a mild steel clamping screw. its really difficult to tell the difference sometimes, on new clamps .

 

[Maine Sail]

I've switched to

Non perforated hose clams such as those made by AWAB. Yes they are more expensive but they are very, very strong and I have yet to have one fail or "strip" on me and I've had a fair number of "Ideal" type clamps strip or fail.

 

[Warren Milberg]

Getting hosed....

Friend of mine nearly lost his Pearson 28-II in the slip due to a crappy quality hose clamp on the packing gland hose. He now buys and uses high quality AWABs.... Not only it is a good idea to check your hose clamps, but also check the integrity of the hose directly under the clamp. I took off my raw water pump a few years ago to replace the impeller in it. I normally just loosen the clamps on either side of the pump and pull the pump off. On that day, the clamp on the input side of the pump fell off. I was astounded to find that the hose under it was nearly shot...yet the remainder of the hose was in near perfect condition.

 

[Maine Sail]

Good point Warren

Especially wire reinforced hose!

This one came off my engine two weeks ago and of course it was the toughest to get to. I could only feel the corrosion of the wire and came away with the white residue of the corroding wire on my fingers. The wire had perforated the rubber of the hose.

I'd say 90% of my boat is now AWAB or T-bolt and the remainder, of Ideal style, are not critical but will be replaced as I get to them..

 

[Boat Babe]

Check hoses regularly

I was out sailing Friday, nice leisurely day, but very little wind so I decided to motor in the last mile or 2. While motoring, I heard a "beeping" sound... one I had never heard before... Checked the engine gauges.. everything was fine but the sound persisted. I finally took a look down into the cabin and found 1/4" water on the cabin sole. using what I had learned here on the forum, I smelled the water (to make sure it was not from the head holding tank), then tasted it...salty! The stuffing box was fine. I finally took the engine cover off and found water spraying from the hose connecting the water pump to the exchanger. The hose had split just above the clamp. Upon removal, I found it was half worn thru on the backside where it rubbed against the engine. Needless to say, I double checked all the other hoses! Thanks to the forum for the "pearls" of wisdom.

 

[Peggie Hall-HeadMistress]

All this illustrates why safety standards call for TWO clamps

on all hose connections in any system connected to a below-waterline thru-hull. Screws should be on opposite sides of the hose...or at least 90 degrees apart.

However, double clamping even with the best hose clamps is NOT a substitute for regular inspection and replacement of clamps and hoses as needed.

And while you're inspecting all the hose connections, check your wiring and electrical connections for signs of chafe, cracked insulation and corrosion too.