MapisM
Well-Known Member
Do you mean that when the bilge pump works you can't see if/how much water it's pumping out?
All bilge pump outlets I can remember to have seen working were above the w/l...
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- Thread starter MapisM
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All bilge pump outlets I can remember to have seen working were above the w/l...
Portofino
Well-Known Member
Do you mean that when the bilge pump works you can't see if/how much water it's pumping out?
All bilge pump outlets I can remember to have seen working were above the w/l...
They all go into a manifold that runs the L of the boat R +L
Starts high finishes low and exits below the WL @ stern .
There’s no pepper potting on the hull sides like some boats - look as if Al Capone has machine gunned the hull
We’ve got indicator lights on the helm and saloon switch board so I know if ones running .
When you are actually running even if there was a side hull above the WL exist - how would you notice anyway ,
If we are sat in a berth all silent , you can hear them run anyhow after all we sit on top of the engines normally
petem
Well-Known Member
They all go into a manifold that runs the L of the boat R +L
Starts high finishes low and exits below the WL @ stern .
There’s no pepper potting on the hull sides like some boats - look as if Al Capone has machine gunned the hull
We’ve got indicator lights on the helm and saloon switch board so I know if ones running .
When you are actually running even if there was a side hull above the WL exist - how would you notice anyway ,
If we are sat in a berth all silent , you can hear them run anyhow after all we sit on top of the engines normally
Form over function (like guard rails)
.
sorabain
Well-Known Member
LOL, nice try.
Can you also explain why someone should build a bottle opener in bronze and attach it to a hull bottom...?
well I guess it's not to stub out your cigarettes either then.
MapisM
Well-Known Member
Guardrails (lack of), yep, that's definitely a matter of form over function.
But I actually like the "centralised" outlet solution in more ways than just aesthetic.
BTW, it's easy to guess that it was (a bit) more expensive to build, so that wasn't a corner cutting decision, as you might argue for guardrails.
I would have rather raised the outlet above the w/l anyway, because it's pointless to have anything submerged if unnecessary (less corrosion + one less potential water ingress in case of skin fitting failure).
petem
Well-Known Member
Talking of which (and I am almost scared to mention this
), I recently had a new skin fitting fitted for my A/C outlet. I opted to have this above the waterline with one of these fittings...
I was rather amused when the installer phoned me from Spain to ask if I wanted it pointing down or back!
Portofino
Well-Known Member
Good decision Pete .
Ideally it needs to be at the transom .
If you end up visiting a marina and next to a boat sans Aircon in the stinking heat , they tend to obect at side exit if it’s next to one of there open port holes ,- trickle keeps them awake they claim .
On this boat I had ours routed just above the WL at the stern .
You can see it reassuringly from the pontoon when you return etc .
Ideally it needs to be at the transom .
If you end up visiting a marina and next to a boat sans Aircon in the stinking heat , they tend to obect at side exit if it’s next to one of there open port holes ,- trickle keeps them awake they claim .
On this boat I had ours routed just above the WL at the stern .
You can see it reassuringly from the pontoon when you return etc .
petem
Well-Known Member
Not at the stern I'm afraid (that would be rather a long way to route it as the A/C unit is under the master cabin berth). Also, it's a challenge to get decent access for drilling holes and routing pipes due to the engines.
It's actually sited next to the sink drain for the aft cabin wash hand basin (behind a cupboard), hence poor access for a below waterline sea cock.
jimmy_the_builder
Well-Known Member
+1 about neighbour complaints due noisy a/c raw water outlet. The installers originally put mine in the same place as Pete's on the basis that that was the easiest place for them to put it; a couple of years later I replaced it with a below-the-waterline outlet in the engine room - no more neighbour complaints. I'm happy to rely on the a/c itself to tell me when it hasn't got enough water flow, I don't need to see or hear the telltale.
D
Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
I have the outlet below the waterline but a telltale above it. For me its worth having a telltale; if you rely on the AC to shut down if there's an obstruction to the water flow then you risk damaging the pump before it shuts down. I've only ever had one complaint from a neighbour about the telltale and that was from some bloke in a Sq78 so I ignored it
Pinnacle
Well-Known Member
MapisM
Well-Known Member
Well, it ain't such a silly question, actually.
Asking down or up, that would have made me laugh...
Out of curiosity, what did you choose?
petem
Well-Known Member
Well, it ain't such a silly question, actually.
Asking down or up, that would have made me laugh...
Out of curiosity, what did you choose?
Down, couldn't see any upside of going for back and thought back would look odd when stationery with the AC on. I don't think it will be submerged even with a banked turn.
Did I make the right choice?
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MapisM
Well-Known Member
Surely better than upwards! Only joking...
I'm sure to have seen them pointing backwards (and also half way between down and back) on some boats, but tbh I'm not sure of what the reasoning behind the choice is.
Maybe it's a bit less noisy when pointed backwards, because this way the water flow speed is a bit reduced before hitting the water, but I'm just guessing.
jimmy_the_builder
Well-Known Member
Surely better than upwards! Only joking...
I'm sure to have seen them pointing backwards (and also half way between down and back) on some boats, but tbh I'm not sure of what the reasoning behind the choice is.
Maybe it's a bit less noisy when pointed backwards, because this way the water flow speed is a bit reduced before hitting the water, but I'm just guessing.
I think you're right. Iirc mine was 45 degrees.
petem
Well-Known Member
There's a very nice Riva Bravo 38 near me and I think all of his scoops are pointing at 45°.
jfm
Well-Known Member
The pumps in a/c should be and invariably are centrifugal pumps, so can run dry 24/7/365. You just don't need a telltale.
petem
Well-Known Member
vas
Well-Known Member
+1
tried to run mine on the hard (just testing it was connected and functioning...) and it only lasted a minute (or even less) No way the bronze impeller will be damaged.
OTOH, a stuck bronze impeller on the housing (another regular occurrence) would heat up the 220V motor, but again just for a minute.
for the record my aircon in and out are below waterline, just have to sort the condensation outlet somewhere...
cheers
V.
Portofino
Well-Known Member
Thinking the control mechanisms, mine have a delay switching on .
Air handles turn on straight away so but no seawater and obviously they will never get real cool .
Also the compressor as you know is needed to really cool and it’s the seawater pump that cools that .
Again control mechanism or safety cuts outs are all you have if no tell tale - erh left untested in a marine environment.
So as you say with a proper Calpedi type brass impeller - that’s ok —— but the tell tale sends a reassuring sign at least nowts overheating .
The s there’s “ senior moments “ whereby one gets in a muddle fiddling in the ER ( with good intentions btw ) and inadvertently leaves the AC seacock closed .
Why rely on an expensive PCB in a marine environment to protect the comp ,or any other bits ?
The most reassuring sound on my boat are the engine tell tales after start up - more so when chucking the lines ,a quick look down to see water coming out of the fart pipe s ar the transom corners - means @ least I will make getting out of the berth without some alarm or other .- And returning btw .
Tell takes are nice ,they take all the “what if s out “
As mike F infers - repeated shut downs for lack of seawater be it AC system or main engines or genys ultimately one day the overheat chickens will come home to roost - re big bills will be nearer than a manual shutdown and physically investigated- like a senior Mo closed seascock .
Each to there own , but all three seawater dependant systems on my boat have tell tales - @ the stern , but location in the wider scheme does not really matter .
My 0.02 p worth
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