A question for the Hamble people or any chemist

paultallett

paultallett

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 Mar 2009
Messages
1,422
Location
At work!!
www.caymanreef.co.uk
Morning :)

Popped down to the boat yesterday after she was lifted last week...... A question for the Hamble based lot...... Have you had a larger than normal build up of calcium on your props and skin fittings this year.

At the start of this season, I noticed a faster build up of calcium on my SS props. It was very easy to clean off, in fact, easier than normal. I spoke to my man Tom Parker and he checked my Mercathode system and bonding just to rule anything odd out. All was good so no worries there.

Mid season some of you may remember me posting about our toilet was getting harder to flush, as though we had a blockage on the inlet. I cleared the pipes, checked the toilet etc...... but it didn't appear to make much difference so thought I'd check if something had happened to the covering grill on the inlet when she is ashore.

So yesterday when I inspected the hull, I found no issues with the tabs and leg, hull all in good shape, the only thing different this year is a larger than normal build up of calcium on both the inlet seacock grill (explaining why the toilet was hard to flush) and also the pump out skin fitting (although we do always get a slight build up on this, but not as much as this year)

So my question being, has anyone else Hamble based experienced this? Any ideas of why this has happened this year and never before?
 
It certainly looked like Calcium, yellowish then when chipped away, clean white under the surface. It appeared even layered, if it is a shell of some type, I've never seen it before.

Any idea of a way to test exactly what it is?
 
paultallett said:
Morning :)

Popped down to the boat yesterday after she was lifted last week...... A question for the Hamble based lot...... Have you had a larger than normal build up of calcium on your props and skin fittings this year.

At the start of this season, I noticed a faster build up of calcium on my SS props. It was very easy to clean off, in fact, easier than normal. I spoke to my man Tom Parker and he checked my Mercathode system and bonding just to rule anything odd out. All was good so no worries there.

Mid season some of you may remember me posting about our toilet was getting harder to flush, as though we had a blockage on the inlet. I cleared the pipes, checked the toilet etc...... but it didn't appear to make much difference so thought I'd check if something had happened to the covering grill on the inlet when she is ashore.

So yesterday when I inspected the hull, I found no issues with the tabs and leg, hull all in good shape, the only thing different this year is a larger than normal build up of calcium on both the inlet seacock grill (explaining why the toilet was hard to flush) and also the pump out skin fitting (although we do always get a slight build up on this, but not as much as this year)

So my question being, has anyone else Hamble based experienced this? Any ideas of why this has happened this year and never before?
Click to expand...
Paul,it is a type of worm. It has been particularly bad this year in the Hamble as the water temperature has been high. It is A hardwhite deposit which does look like Calcium that seems to only build up in metal parts. I have had a constant battle with it on the outboard. There is nothing that I know you can do about it. The worm dies and leaves the hard deposit. I can't actually remember what the worm is called, but it will come to me.
 
Have had this or something very similar up here on the Medway in past years.
Does not happen every year.
Suspect it may have something to do with water temperatures or conditions.
In past years have experienced various sorts of fouling ranging from that thin "coral" type coating,which extremely hard to shift,to excessive coatings of green and/or brown weed and curiously last year to a bottom smothered in large barnycules which thankfully scraped off very easily.

Still, a much less expensive and worrying problem on lift out,than waiting to discover what had broken/leaked/rotted or simply fallen off outdrives on previous boats.:)
 
We had a similar problem last year at Portishead, as Solitaire says, it is white worm casts. Washes off OK with the jet wash. Not so bad this year as it was cooler.
 
Solitaire said:
Paul,it is a type of worm. It has been particularly bad this year in the Hamble as the water temperature has been high. It is A hardwhite deposit which does look like Calcium that seems to only build up in metal parts. I have had a constant battle with it on the outboard. There is nothing that I know you can do about it. The worm dies and leaves the hard deposit. I can't actually remember what the worm is called, but it will come to me.
Click to expand...

Wow....... You learn something new everyday! Yes only interested in the metal areas as you say. I've just googled 'white worm' as Rafiki has just suggested but didn't really throw much up, if you can remember the technical name, I wouldn't mind a look in to it :)
 
paultallett said:
Wow....... You learn something new everyday! Yes only interested in the metal areas as you say. I've just googled 'white worm' as Rafiki has just suggested but didn't really throw much up, if you can remember the technical name, I wouldn't mind a look in to it :)
Click to expand...
I think they are Tube Worms.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

F
KAD300 - advice on supercharger rebuilds
2
Replies
29
Views
695
aerobat
A
E
Nimbus 305 or Marex 330
Replies
19
Views
974
Time Out
T

Share this page

Top