Closing Seacocks

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

$100 engine temp alarm on exhaust elbow is easier and cheaper

https://engineguard.com.au/product/e...caArXqEALw_wcB

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

It will not prevent starting and running the engine with closed cooling intake.

I can't see a real problem here.

So what if you start the engine with a closed sea cock - it isn't the end of the world. The worst damage might be an impeller or some exhaust hose perhaps.

The engine won't be cooked, the over temperature alarm should sound well before that.

There are plenty of safeguards already -

The first and foremost being it should be part of a start up procedure like the other things you do (or should do?) e.g. in neutral, throttle set as required, no lines in the water (especially near prop) etc.

Secondly - clean cooling water flow out of exhaust immediately after start up (surely everyone does that; either by sight or by sound).

Then there is a engine temperature alarm (or gauge or both).

Simi's point about fitting a temperature sensor on the exhaust system near the water injection area is a good additional safe guard.

If all of the above is not enough, then replacing a burnt impeller might be a good lesson and a way of remembering next time.

What is wrong with the checklist method, it has worked in many industries and is standard practice in aviation for as long as planes have being flying.

Crikey, we are not splitting the atom here. Apparently we have collectively being smart enough to make enough money to buy a sailing boat, we have been smart enough to work out how to sail it, how to navigate it, how to provision it and how to go to distant places using our own initiative - surely we can turn on a seacock before starting an engine. Do we really need some automatic device to stop ourselves from making what is really a small mistake.

Or maybe some should simply hire an engineer to manage the onboard machinery

OK rant over...

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

But the second your exhaust elbow gets above 47c due to no water the piercing alarm will activate forcing instant shutdown or bleeding ears

Unless it does not due to a poor contact or another malfunction.

[AJ-SeaChange]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Why so many?

We are full time liveaboard cruisers on a 60fter , two showers, 2 toilets, 6 sinks and have 2 seacocks.
One for the primary engine
One for the genset and washdown pump.

1 Raw water intake for engine.
2 Saltwater intake for aft head.
3 Water outflow for aft head.
4 Aft head sink outflow.
5 Aft head shower outflow.
6 Saltwater intake at galley.
7 Sink outflow at galley.
8 Fwd shower outflow.
9 Saltwater intake for fwd head.
10 Water outflow for fwd head.
11 fwd head sink outflow.
12 fwd head shower outflow.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Here's a guy who didn't close his sea cocks:


Attachment 202698

No, that's just very low freeboard.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Secondly - clean cooling water flow out of exhaust immediately after start up (surely everyone does that; either by sight or by sound).

Yeah, but don't do what I did recently when I checked the cooling flow immediately after starting the engine, I should have taken a longer look.

It looked great, then a few minutes later I realised something didn't sound right. Turns out the cooling intake was completely blocked and what I had seen was the last of the cooling water being blown out of the system.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by AJ-SeaChange

1 Raw water intake for engine.
2 Saltwater intake for aft head.
3 Water outflow for aft head.
4 Aft head sink outflow.
5 Aft head shower outflow.
6 Saltwater intake at galley.
7 Sink outflow at galley.
8 Fwd shower outflow.
9 Saltwater intake for fwd head.
10 Water outflow for fwd head.
11 fwd head sink outflow.
12 fwd head shower outflow.

How many of those are below the waterline?

[NYSail]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Yep, another absolutist statement. Google the terms pompous, arrogant, stuffed shirt.

Of course green garden hose is not a good choice for most applications in a boat.

Of course it should be replaced.

But you, mr NYSail, don't need to go out of your way to diminish the OP.

I'll tell you a story: Thirty four years ago, while trying to finish a project on a Sunday afternoon, after marine stores were closed, I ran out of hose for my shower drain. On the dock I found an old, discarded, broken piece of green garden hose. It fit, I installed it. Got the shower up and working and retained the use of the sink drain system into which that shower drain connected.

Now, 34 years later, it is still there, and has been in use daily for 34 years.

And it wasn't even new.

My bad. But it works. It seems that there isn't much pressure on a shower drain.

So, before you wet your shirt sputtering about how bad it is, you might consider the OP's application, and be a little less sure of yourself.

Nobody is diminishing the OP wings..... It was not the OP's application. He did not do this fine work. It was there when he bought the boat and he is looking to learn and correct the situation.

Sorry if you think I'm a pompous, arrogant stuffed shirt for thinking its "absurd" to have garden hose in that application and recommending that he replace it.... Just I never read about using garden hose in ABYC standards nor saw the product offered for sale at a marine store or even heard of its inclusion on a Practical Sailors comparison chart for below water line use. And I am pretty sure that if your boat goes under water due to garden hose use below water line they would not honor the policy.

Anyway, good luck!

[billknny]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

It may sound like a stupid question and I don't want to threadjack, but... how do I know how many seacocks I have and their locations? I should really read the entire manual, cover to cover, right?

Should you read you manual from cover to cover?

Really? Is that a serious question, or internet irony I am missing?

You should read it cover to cover, over and over... Reading your manual, reading well written boating books is how you learn!

[Knotical]

Originally Posted by AJ-SeaChange

1 Raw water intake for engine.
2 Saltwater intake for aft head.
3 Water outflow for aft head.
4 Aft head sink outflow.
5 Aft head shower outflow.
6 Saltwater intake at galley.
7 Sink outflow at galley.
8 Fwd shower outflow.
9 Saltwater intake for fwd head.
10 Water outflow for fwd head.
11 fwd head sink outflow.
12 fwd head shower outflow.

Wow, that's a lot of seacocks, and you haven't listed the 2 additional cockpit drains.

The way I see it, 3, 4, 5 can be combined into one and 8, 10, 11, 12 can be combined into one - eliminating 5 seacocks. Depending on the location of your galley, even 7 can be combined into one of the heads outflow.

8 & 12 seem like the same, do you have a separate fwd shower?

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Wotname

.

Secondly - clean cooling water flow out of exhaust immediately after start up (surely everyone does that; either by sight or by sound).

Then there is a engine temperature alarm (or gauge or both).

Simi's point about fitting a temperature sensor on the exhaust system near the water injection area is a good additional safe guard.

If all of the above is not enough, then replacing a burnt impeller might be a good lesson and a way of remembering next time.

Yep, we always check but due to size of boat , wheelhouse up a level at front, exhaust down a level at back there is a delay.
That sensor would go off in seconds, impellor saved and on our sized raw water pump they ain't cheap.

As the sensor can also be set at whatever temp you want its handy for alerting to problems before they eventuate.
Set it for several degrees above normal operating elbow temp and if the alarm goes off it indicates there is reduced flow be it from weed, lost impellor blade, partially blocked cooling core.
You can then monitor and do a fix before it turns into an emergency shutdown due to overheating engine.

We have the two probe model with the second probe on an oil filter monitoring temp as well.

Same on genset.

[desodave]

I keep my seacocks closed if we're away from the boat. I only have 5 of them and they're all in one compartment under the galley floor - a one minute job. Rather do that than trust hoses to keep the boat afloat.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by AJ-SeaChange

1 Raw water intake for engine.
2 Saltwater intake for aft head.
3 Water outflow for aft head.
4 Aft head sink outflow.
5 Aft head shower outflow.
6 Saltwater intake at galley.
7 Sink outflow at galley.
8 Fwd shower outflow.
9 Saltwater intake for fwd head.
10 Water outflow for fwd head.
11 fwd head sink outflow.
12 fwd head shower outflow.

So while underway you can’t use your head, shower nor the galley. Sounds like fun passages

[NYSail]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

So while underway you can’t use your head, shower nor the galley. Sounds like fun passages

Why can’t he use those facilities??

[AJ-SeaChange]

Originally Posted by GILow

How many of those are below the waterline?

All of them when we're healing and tacking.


If the water surface was smooth glass three of them would be above the waterline.

[AJ-SeaChange]

Originally Posted by navdi

Wow, that's a lot of seacocks, and you haven't listed the 2 additional cockpit drains.

The way I see it, 3, 4, 5 can be combined into one and 8, 10, 11, 12 can be combined into one - eliminating 5 seacocks. Depending on the location of your galley, even 7 can be combined into one of the heads outflow.

8 & 12 seem like the same, do you have a separate fwd shower?

Yes we do have a fwd separate shower.


You are correct we 'could' combine several into one outflow, but that's a big job that I'm not ready to tackle.