1. Messages
  2. [Amel Yacht Owners] Sea water chest

Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Sea water chest

Ron Hynes <riffhynes@...>
 

Back in April you were kind enough to send me your design for a snake to clean the path from the sea to my sea chest on my 1976 Meltem. At that time, I took the better part of an entire day to disassemble everything from the sea cock up. Big, tough job...I barely fit between the 1st and 2d step under the companionway!  I cleaned out lots of spaghetti-like marine growth. The next day, I dived and ran a flexible auger in and around as much as I could to clean the area outside the ball valve. Afterwards, engine had plenty of cooling water and none of the other users were shortchanged. A success!

So 4 months later on a trip from Gibraltar to the Canaries, I noticed the engine temp rising and not high enough water in the sea chest to feed the frig compressor. To tough to turn back to Gib after 12 hours and 500 nm to the Canaries!  I reversed the frig pump pulling raw sea water in through the cockpit scupper and exhausted the compressor water into the sea chest. I was able to run almost at cruising R.E.M.'s without overheating. 

Today in Lanzarote I made up the "tool" you suggested back in April. I needed more than 1 meter as the tortuous path on the old Meltem is on the order of 1.5 meters. I made a hole in the top of the sea chest cover so that I could open the sea cock and hopefully clean the entire pathway. I managed to work the tool down and out of the sea cock. As I was twisting and turning, always counterclockwise so that the wire didn't unbraiding, the wire started kinking.  So I'm thinking of getting a plumber's snake or something stiffer. Got any ideas. I'm somewhat limited here as the hardware stores have limited selections. I'm heartened by the fact that I can navigate the 1.5M with all the right angle bends...I just need something stiffer that I can mount a wire brush on the end.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated. 

My thoughts are with you folks in SE Texas. As a resident of Florida, I know how trying a time it is. In 2005-6, we had 7 hurricanes and the last, Wilma, nearly got me and my boat!  Keep the faith, you always come out better on the other side. 

Ron Hynes
954.319.0944

On Apr 3, 2017, at 2:28 PM, 'Bill & Judy Rouse' yahoogroups@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

Ron,

There is another tool that I made for cleaning lines. Have a rigger make it for you. Use 1 meter of 6mm rigging wire. Have one end blunted and welded so that it will not unravel. At the other end have him use a rigging wire sleeve clamped about 20mm from the bitter end. Splay the wires between the sleeve and the end. Insert the welded end in an electric drill. Push the splayed end into the pipe while rotating with the drill. This probably will not turn 90 degrees without some help, but if it does, you have a solution. You can also use it to push out plastic from inside the boat by using the blunt welded end.


Best,

Bill
X-BeBe

On Mon, Apr 3, 2017 at 3:51 AM, Ron Hynes riffhynes@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
 

Bill, thank you very much for all your help but the early Amels were early in the evolutionary path. Hull #29 has a 90 degree elbow on the bottom of the sea chest that attaches to a 75mm hose that is "U" shaped and is about 90cm in length. This hose terminates at a ball valve that is mounted on a fiberglass elbow that exits the hull. No way to force any brush down this tortuous path. We first removed all the hoses from the sea chest with the exception of the engine supply as this was only a few cm's from the bulkhead and had no play in it. The sea chest was then unbolted from the bulkhead and moved forward to pull out of the engine supply hose. The sea chest could then be raised and removed from the large supply hose. The large hose was then removed from the sea cock. This hose was completely blocked by spaghetti-like marine growth. These were easily removed and the sea chest cleaned. The only area still to be cleaned is the fiberglasses elbow on the hull. As I said ear lier, a diver cleaned about 20cm into the opening but didn't clean out the elbow. We will dive on it today and remove this growth. 

Thanks again for your time and expertise. Unfortunately, we were so involved we didn't take any photos.  We used a GoPro before starting tat really was helpful in planning the operation. 

Ron Hynes

On Apr 1, 2017, at 10:44 PM, 'Bill & Judy Rouse' yahoogroups@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Ron,

That is because you need to "login with your Yahoo user name and password to be able to view photos and upload or download files and photos.

I CC'd you of this email and I attached the photo that I downloaded for you...you should login on the website because there are lots of things available there. The dimensions for this tool are for a Super Maramu...maybe you can use this idea and make one to fit your Meltem.

Best,

Bill
X-BeBe

On Sat, Apr 1, 2017 at 2:05 PM, Ron Hynes riffhynes@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...om> wrote:
 

Thanks for your help, much appreciated. I recently joined this group and while I can read conversations, for some reason I am precluded from viewing photos.

Ron Hynes

On Apr 1, 2017, at 2:35 PM, 'Bill & Judy Rouse' yahoogroups@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...om> wrote:

 

Yes, there is a photo for the tool with dimensions that I uploaded. 

Search for "sea chest tools" in Photos on the Amel Yacht Owner's Yahoo website. 

You will find the tool I made that cleans from the top of the sea chest. I used this tool at least 8 times while circumnavigating. A few times for plastic removal, once for jellyfish and the rest for growth. Don't leave port without something to clean this!

The inside of that conduit from the outside of the hull to the ball valve is usually missed during the application of antifouling and, it is perfect for barnacle or mussel growth with the huge flow of water. 


CW Bill Rouse
Admiral, Texas Navy
Commander Emeritus
Galveston Island
Sent using Google Fi
& #43;1(832) 380-4970

   

On Apr 1, 2017 05:53, "Ron Hynes riffhynes@... [amelyachtowners]" <amelyachtowners@...om> wrote:
 

I have a '76 Meltem and have recently experienced a blockage below the sea cock feeding the chest. A diver was able to clear about 20cm from the hull surface to where the hose makes a 90 degree bend but was unable to clear further. Any ideas as to clear this last area would be appreciated.

Riff on Swan Song, Amel #29
Join main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io to automatically receive all group messages.