Metalicmike
Active member
I have had Merak 2½ years and decided to decalcify my engine which is a VP2003. I bought a small pump and having removed the thermostat I created a circuit through the engine and into my plastic bucket with the water pump inside. The whole process went well with a lot of fizzing brown liquid being returned to the bucket. After about 4 hours I emptied a small tub of baking soda into the bucket with a little more fresh water. So far all going well and to plan. I carefully removed the pump and hoses from the bucket into a plastic container allowing them to safely drain whilst I disposed of the contents of the bucket with the intention of replenishing the bucket with tap water...................
On lifting the ½bucket of now a weaker acid ½way up the companionway the plastic snapped into three pieces depositing the whole contents into the saloon and galley from about 4ft, you can imagine the mess. First I had to get to a hose and wash myself off and luckily the acid wasn't strong enough to cause any burns then I mopped up, lifted the boards, cleaned out the bilges and went home absolutely distraught. I had to go back to tidy up and face the damage but it took a few days to assemble the slightest motivation knowing that Murphy is still laughing at me.
I managed to clean up most of the brown splash marks, but the Teak sole is now black and having successfully sanded a test piece its going to take days to get back to a good surface. Lesson learned......Never trust the handle of a plastic bucket.
On lifting the ½bucket of now a weaker acid ½way up the companionway the plastic snapped into three pieces depositing the whole contents into the saloon and galley from about 4ft, you can imagine the mess. First I had to get to a hose and wash myself off and luckily the acid wasn't strong enough to cause any burns then I mopped up, lifted the boards, cleaned out the bilges and went home absolutely distraught. I had to go back to tidy up and face the damage but it took a few days to assemble the slightest motivation knowing that Murphy is still laughing at me.
I managed to clean up most of the brown splash marks, but the Teak sole is now black and having successfully sanded a test piece its going to take days to get back to a good surface. Lesson learned......Never trust the handle of a plastic bucket.