Freshwater Hoses & Filter... Identify brand? Hose types?

[Ziggler]

Fellow Sailors:

About the fresh water system in a 1984 Morgan 32. Two questions:

1) What brand is this filter in picture? Other than the metal mesh filter currently installed, should it (could it) have an additional finer particle filter?

2) Don Casey's Good Old Boat warns about problems with the grey hoses. Says they are 1980s-era concern because they decay through exposure to chlorine. Is this true and if so how much of concern?

Thanks, mates.

 

[dlochner]

The photos didn't make it.

 

[ggrizzard]

I can see one photo clearly.
Don't know about the 'grey' hose...
I use the reinforced hose to the right.

 

[Davidasailor26]

From the plastic colors and design it looks like a Sherwood filter, like these - Jamestown Distributors

We have one for our air conditioner intake, and it has just the metal screen. I can’t find any product listing online of a Sherwood meant for fresh water systems.

 

[Tally Ho]

My grey hoses like that are 30 years old (1988 O’Day 322)...no issues for me so far.

As others have said, the filter (really more of a screen to catch large particulate) looks like a Sherwood.

Greg

 

[leo310]

The grey pipe could be PB (Polybutylene) and yes they decay through exposure to chlorine. What I would do is replace it with PEX (Cross-linked Polyethylene) found at Home Depot.

 

[Ziggler]

OK, good information all around. Follow Ups:

- Filter: Having identified the filter (thank you), it sounds like it doesn't belong in my fresh/drinking water tank pipes? What filter(s) recommended instead?

- PB Pipes: Thanks leo310. I have now read more about PB v. PEX and see the problems are real. Still, is this "just" a structural issue (e.g. it may leak someday) or is it a "chemicals-are-leeching-into-my-fresh/sink-water-and-I-am-going-to-poison-my-family" issue?

 

[dlochner]

- Filter: Having identified the filter (thank you), it sounds like it doesn't belong in my fresh/drinking water tank pipes? What filter(s) recommended instead?

The filter is a first stage filter. It will capture lots of crud that might end up in the water. A second stage filter, like a household water filter will take care of chemicals and/or biological stuff. A few years back Practical Sailor wrote a series of articles on filtering water.

Keep the filter you have and if necessary add a second filter or use a Brita or Pur filter for the water you ingest.

 

[Terry Cox]

Like what you have on your boat, Hunter used 1/2 inch Zurn (Qest) Pex Quicktite brand polybutylene grey plastic hose for the fresh water system on our 1991 P42. This material has worked very well for us over the years, except where we've had the existence of a leak due to an improperly installed fitting when the boat was assembled. How much longer it will last only time will tell. Most of the fitting parts can be obtained online through various sources. Just be careful because pricing for these parts vary.

No idea about the filter, but I make it a point to use a PUR brand galley sink faucet filter for our drinking water even though the water straight from the tank tastes and smells as if right out of a municipal system. I wrote an article awhile ago about our system, which you can read here: Hunter 42 Owner Modifications and Upgrades

No plans here to replace the Pex system as it still works and meets our needs. I have a few spare fitting parts in the unlikely event one fails for whatever reason. And if you want a bit more to read about our system, here is another article I wrote about an incident we had: Hunter 42 Owner Modifications and Upgrades