Warning - Check Your Raw Water Filter

[neil1967]

I have a 'piddler' as you so eloquently describe it, which goes over the side. Unfortunately I didn't notice that it had stopped last weekend until I looked into the bilge to see running water - the copper tube from the siphon break had fractured and the water was piddling into the bilge. Not a real problem, but I prefer to keep sea water outside the boat. I am inclinded to replace the copper tubing with plastic to avoid a recurrance.

Neil

 

[Flossdog]

I don't know if anyone else has suffered in this way but I used to have one of those ubiquitous cooling water intake grills on the outside of my boat. Once when entering an estuary to dry out the engine overheat alarm went off. As I was virtually at the place I wanted to anchor, I stopped the engine and dropped the anchor. At low tide I investigated. The grill was choked with weed. I managed to get it out with wire, screwdrivers etc but what if I was not dried out? Impossible. So I took an angle grinder to the grill and now if weed enters the water intake it is caught in the Vetus filter/strainer and easily removed. And, if it is jambed in the pipe I can now rod down from the filter/strainer. Simples!