Fresh water flushing question

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chiefaponte

chiefaponte

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Nov 26, 2010
62
s2 8.0 Jacksonville, fl
My 1976 s2 8.0c has a garden hose connection on deck that ends in the bilge. Additionally it has a three way valve so that the atomic four can take suction from the sea or a hose in the bilge.
Do you think this was meant to be a flushing system?

I believe the guys at Moyer marine have expressed concerns about pressurized fresh water getting in the cylinders and that may be the reason this fresh water line is not hooked up to the suction side of the pump.

All ideas welcome. Thanks ahead of time
 
K

klemsaba

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Sep 12, 2010
66
S2 8.0c Ninnescah Sailing Association
I have the same hose connection but haven't investigated much. I figured it was to hook up fresh water while at the dock instead of using the water tank. Just my uneducated guess though. I do know it doesn't go anywhere near my Yanmar YSM8 engine though. Figuring it out is on my 'to do' list for the spring.
 
Tom J

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,325
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
I have a similar setup in my Catalina 310 that I installed myself. The 3-way valve at the strainer allows me to use the raw water pump as an emergency bilge pump, or I can fill the bilge with fresh water, and flush the engine. I don't have the hose connection on the deck, though. I just run a hose down the companionway.
 
sailcruiser

sailcruiser

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Sep 6, 2011
435
The deck part is puzzling but the setup Tom describes is pretty common and something I plan to do on my boat. In theory it sounds like you could use it to flush the raw water lines. I see it as an anemic bilge pump but I figure every little bit in a taking on water scenario will help. Do you have the ability to ask the PO? SC
 
Tom J

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,325
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
sailcruiser said:
The deck part is puzzling but the setup Tom describes is pretty common and something I plan to do on my boat. In theory it sounds like you could use it to flush the raw water lines. I see it as an anemic bilge pump but I figure every little bit in a taking on water scenario will help. Do you have the ability to ask the PO? SC
Click to expand
Sailcruiser, you might think the raw water pump would be anemic, but it isn't. I fill the bilge with fresh water in order to flush the engine, etc., put the flexible hose from the strainer into the bilge, and start the engine. That raw water pump really sucks the water out of the bilge! I have to moniter the level of the water in the bilge in order to keep the system from running dry. The rate of flow is much higher than either the automatic bilge pump, or the manual pump.
 
sailcruiser

sailcruiser

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Sep 6, 2011
435
Tom J said:
Sailcruiser, you might think the raw water pump would be anemic, but it isn't. I fill the bilge with fresh water in order to flush the engine, etc., put the flexible hose from the strainer into the bilge, and start the engine. That raw water pump really sucks the water out of the bilge! I have to moniter the level of the water in the bilge in order to keep the system from running dry. The rate of flow is much higher than either the automatic bilge pump, or the manual pump.
Click to expand

I actually clocked ours at a little over 4 gallons per minute so that is ~250 gal/hour which is anemic compared to my bilge pumps. I have a smaller 'oh there is water in the bilge' and a big 'oh ##%^^ there is a lot of water in the bilge'. So in comparison it's anemic to even the smallest bilge pump but it's all perspective. I figure in a taking on water any water leaving is good. SC
 
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