Your Marine Heads Manufacturers Give Pointers on Preventing Engine Overheating
Raritan Engineering your marine heads professionals would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this week regarding how good maintenance prevents boat engines from overheating.
Your marine heads specialists share how one of the problems with boats is they live in water that is shared by things like seaweed, algae, mollusks, scum, and sometimes floating trash — all of which can easily find a way into the raw-water intake port.
Kelp and other types of seaweed can easily clog your intakes and cause engine overheating.
Dire Diagnosis
I decided to let the engine cool for several minutes while we drifted. That gave me time to assess the possibilities — perhaps the water-pump impeller had failed, or a bit of plastic sheet (maybe a discarded floating sandwich baggie) had been sucked up against the cooling-water inlet, or it might be the raw-water strainer was clogged, or one of the cooling-system hoses had come loose.
Impeller pumps are prone to failure and a good thing to check first. Carry a spare.
Knowing that water-pump impellers are prone to eventual failure, I started there. It took only a few minutes to open the pump, and to my dismay, the impeller looked perfect. As long as I had the pump open, I went ahead and swapped in a fresh impeller, closed things up and started the engine.
Aha! A telltale bit of kelp was poking out of the inlet. I pulled what I could of the slippery seaweed out of the hole but knew there was still more inside. I needed another strategy to fix the problem.
In the Clear
Back topside, I zeroed in on the raw-water strainer once again. Simply looking at it, without opening it, had deceived me into thinking it was OK. It was not. I shut the one of the seacocks to prevent the ocean from rushing in when I opened the strainer housing, then unscrewed the canister. It was full of slime, algae and bits of sea grass.
Now I was puzzled. I clearly had a free-flowing route for raw water to get to the pump and the impeller was turning properly, but no water was being pushed through the system. That’s when I got on the phone and called for some tech advice. The answer I got was so simple, it was almost absurd. “Did you lubricate the impeller?” the tech adviser asked. “With what?” I responded. “Try dish soap,” he replied.
Use dish soap as an impeller lubricant if you need to replace it in the field. The soap eases impeller installation.
Your Marine Heads Experts Continue Talking About the Importance of Proper Maintenance
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One of the problems with boats is they live in water that is shared by things like seaweed, algae, mollusks, scum, and sometimes floating trash — all of which can easily find a way into the raw-water intake port. So how do you keep that from happening? The solution is twofold — routine maintenance and constant situational awareness. Fail here and engine death is not far behind.
Despite the difficulties, or more correctly, perhaps because of them, this boat trip was one of the most valuable we have ever taken. The fact is we rarely learn anything of value when everything is going well. Unfortunately, most of our learning seems to require that we’re tested by challenges, like mechanical breakdowns, to be overcome.
How I Cleaned My Screen: Before
1. When I started to pull the screen out of the raw-water filter housing, I could immediately see the problem. The screen was clogged with slimy yuck that had accumulated over time.
2. Not only was the screen clogged, but also there was something ominous floating around in the bottom of the housing.
3. I poured out the contents and found bits of sea grass that had been sucked in through the raw-water through-hull. It doesn’t take long for a clog like this to overheat an engine.
4. A toothbrush from the toolbox is the perfect instrument to use for cleaning the stainless-steel screen, and also for scrubbing out the housing. No, I didn’t use Becky’s toothbrush. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Standing Effective Watch
When it comes to the situational awareness part of this story, it all boils down to standing watch effectively. Standing watch isn’t only about looking out for other vessels and being careful not to run aground, although those are important.
Female Cops Inches from Engine after Boat Capsizes. That’s When Stranger Grabs Her Arm
The wake of Hurricane Harvey was crippling for Texas. Police officers, firefighters, and rescue divers restlessly searched flooded roadways helping anyone and everyone stranded by the storm.
Additionally, civilians played an important part in several rescue efforts. Josh Hohenstein, an Army veteran living in Houston, gathered on a boat with locals Tuesday, Aug. 29 to film the aftermath of Harvey.
During his recording, Hohenstein captured a pontoon boat as it flipped over into 15 mile-per-hour rushing water. The vessel, carrying six police officers, suddenly became tangled with a tree before capsizing.
A Facebook post written by Hohenstein said his team rushed over to pull the first responders to safety. The current from nearby Lake Houston was so strong that it was a challenge rescuing one female officer.
The vet credited the successful rescue to driver, Jonathon Crawford. If it wasn’t for his “boating skills,” the cop would have been inches away from going under the boat’s engines.
Hohenstein said he used all his might to save the cop. “I barely caught her by one arm and used everything I had to get her on board,” he wrote.
He continued: “The world doesn’t judge a man on what he does for himself, but rather what he does for others.” Facebook friends agreed with his message, one even calling his team “Hurricane Harvey Heroes!”
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So don’t forget these great tips regarding how to avoid engine overheating. 1) Impeller pumps are prone to failure and a good thing to check first. Carry a spare; 2) Use dish soap as an impeller lubricant if you need to replace it in the field; and 3) always have good tools with you.
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