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Hello Doug, I have the same pumps and somewhere along the line, I don’t remember where, I believe I heard 50 hours on the impellers was the “recommended” service interval to change them. That was after my first year with them and they had 200 hours at that point. That recommended interval might have been influenced by the impeller source wanting to move impellers? We have settled into more anchoring/less running and probably end up more around the low 100+ hours a season now and my protocol is to change them every spring after being laid up for the winter. They have enough hours to have served their purpose and be nearing the end of their “useful design life” and I know that with the very intermittent winter running they have “set” for long periods of time. They are a bit of a PITA to do, but I do them myself, the parts are not expensive, and I would rather do them on my time, comfortably in the slip, rather than lose an engine underway and be forced to do it under who knows what conditions. Do keep any eye on the weep slots, in 6 years I have had to replace a water seal on one of them, they will tell you when it is time by the green tarnish. If ignored and they leak past the oil seal you will likely see high sodium in the oil sample. And if you don’t already, it is a really good idea to carry spares, even if it is only the one(s) you took off last in a pinch.
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The boat is about an hour away and pretty much laid up for winter, and I was just up 2 days ago for a check but I will add taking a pic to my todo list for the next check and get one. Probably some time in the next 2 weeks.
As for draining time, I haven’t had to do it yet. The stbd heat exchanger developed a leak, the aft end piece was separating from the cylinder. I replaced it straight away summer of 2019 and got around to doing the port spring of 2020. I installed the valves during replacement but haven’t needed to drain either yet. Oh crap, now I’ve gone and done it…
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I did this, although I don’t remember all the dimensions, but here is what I did:
I used a male/female threaded valve to screw male into the heat exchanger coolant drain hole. I installed it so the lever rests at the 9 o’clock position and has to be moved to the 12 o’clock position to open. I didn’t like the idea of 3 o’clock resting/6 o’clock open, as I was concerned about dropped tools, vibration/gravity, etc. and accidental draining if 6 o’clock was the open position. By using a female thread on the bottom I can screw the original plug back in for added safety.
To drain, I remove the plug and screw in a barbed fitting, slide on the drain hose leading to the collection jug(s), open the valve and smile. No muss, no fuss.
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Tony, sorry for the delay, had to go to the boat and get pics. They are hopefully self-explanatory but let me know if you want any more info. BTW, had a buddy with a very nice set up drill and tap the strainer lids, some piece of equipment that measures in 10,000th of an inch. WAY beyond my wheel house. Otherwise nothing special needed. The mains T is visible upper left of the mains pic and also in the STBD pic. The S bends enable removal of the strainer lid and for it to flop out of way without having to disco anything.
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I started in the lazarette with an inexpensive plastic quick disconnect that has a shut off on both sides and is easy to access. From there I routed hose, clamped to the bottom of the cockpit sole out of the way, to a T near the geny then on to a T between the sea strainers. I tapped all 3 strainer caps and installed ball valves. Each outing when we return to the dock I put 1 side of the disconnect on the dock hose, turn it on, connect it and open both quick connect valves (after insuring the ball valves are all closed).
I can then open 2 of the strainer ball valves, shut one thru hull and start that side. Puts nothing but fresh water to the running engine and gives pressure relief out the other strainer even when I shut it down. I run the mains for 5 minutes and the geny for 3. Probably overkill but after 3+ years and 650 hours I serviced the aftercoolers (purchased new, pre-serviced, from Seaboard when I bought the boat) and there was minimal build up on bottom of a couple of the tubes in the bundles which slid right out. This is despite the not having installed the flush system until 2 years in with 470 of the 650 hours on them.
Bonus: It insures I do a post cruise check every time, with 5 minutes per engine to crawl around and exam things. And when I do pull zincs (which last way longer) to check them you can barely detect a brackishness to the water sitting in the after cooler. I am definitely glad I spent the time and took the effort to install this!
Thx Tony and crew for all the great tips and tricks you share with us!
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