Fresh water flush at dock side.

[Al Gagnon]

Question about you guys that keep your boats at the slip all year. Do you flush out your engines every trip with fresh water and salt away. Looking at my water line I already see the begining of build up of sea creatures and crustations below the water line. I hope this is not happening in the heat exchangers. Just thinking too much again. Al

[DOGHOUSE26]

Yep you are!

Some guys have had a valve system and hose attachment installed inline from the pick up hose off the transom to just before raw water enters the pump. It you use your boat enough the hot water will kill anything that attempts to grow inside, but you have to use your boat!

[Al Gagnon]

Thanks for the info. I have a hose attachment so I can hook up fresh water to the engines, I open some valves in the engine room area, remove raw water lid and filters and flood the raw water canister with fresh water and any excess goes into the bilge and pumps out via bilge. It works very well. Did not think about the salt water getting hot enough to kill the creatures in the raw water circuit. Thanks for your advice.

[grey goose]

Never hurts to flush things out. When I got my boat it had been well used. as in frequency but the after cooler was rotted out from salt. so while I had it out for repair I installed a sea strainer in the bilge that tees into the stock raw water pick up before the impeller, and now when I come back to dock I shut a valve to the outdrive and shut off the sea cock on the strainer and run a hose to a tee just above the seacock to run the boat on fresh water while I take care of other things that need to be stowed
This works well with or with out the motor running.