Clogged thru hulls on my AC's....

[Jaxfishgyd]

I only had to go under the boat twice. Both time the clamshell had a TON of barnicles (our diver being as prompt as he is sometimes). The actual strainer inside the boat had to be cleaned ever 5 days or so this summer. Mainly it was clogged with minnows and small shimp. It was full of mud a few times due to the dredging going on just off the docks.
Is your strainer horizontal or vertical in your boats ? Like I said, everytime I open it I get a fair amount of water into the bilge so placing a vertical one seems to make sense to me

[CARL GUZMAN]

WOW WOW WOW After reading much threds on this subject someone said to do a fresh water flush and it should fix the problem !! due to an acid flush should only be done once per year , as to not strip your pipes ,so me and my friend made a valve system so I can flush the salt water intake / strainer or send all the fresh water pressure to the A/C system and flush it out I GOTTA SAY WHEN WE RAN THIS THING IT CLEARED OUT BOTH SIDES LIKE NEW so check out the Idea and I'm sure someone eles already has it but I'm really happy to learn about it and do it to my boat. you just need to fix a fresh water hose from the dock to the end and turn the valve on...

[Banshee36]

I think that groco mkes a self cleaning strainer, one that has a macerator on it. It was big and ugly but probably worked like a charm.
jW

[rtrafford]

we've implemented a new logic to the problem by installing oversized thru-hulls and strainers for the AC and genset pickups. the logic is that there will be less forceful suction and therefore less pull on the passing grasses.

and, yes, we use the round exterior strainers. be careful with the "scoop" style. you don't want water being forced into these systems while underway. it creates too many options for hoses failing under the waterline.

[Paul45c]

we have the large rectangular pickup with small holes in it. weeds cant go through. there are larger relief holed drilled in the rear to reduce pressure when under way. You may try to change to this type of pick up next time it is out of the water.

I've been eyeing up that kind of pick up for my mains, but I'm a little afraid -- when people use that type, they forego the standard Perko or Groco sea strainers and just go hose/elbow(s) from the seacock out. The big benefit would be getting rid of all that engine room bulk around the aft end of the engines & gears where access is the tightest. The worry is that those small holes might foul up too easily and restrict flow to the mains and raise temps. I guess not a big deal for me with this temperate water, as it would be a pretty quick scrape and scrub and your'e good to go again, but...I'm still a little worried. What's your experience been with them staying clean?

The other thing I wonder at is that the ones I see in the boat stores around here are bronze bodied but use a stainless mesh for where the holes are. I think I'd rather see all bronze, no?

I understand a lot of the new boat makers are going to this setup and not using sea strainers. I guess one big plus is those newfangled electronic diesels never have to risk an overheat from sucking up a grocery bag or ice bag into the strainer.

[captddis]

we've implemented a new logic to the problem by installing oversized thru-hulls and strainers for the AC and genset pickups. the logic is that there will be less forceful suction and therefore less pull on the passing grasses.

and, yes, we use the round exterior strainers. be careful with the "scoop" style. you don't want water being forced into these systems while underway. it creates too many options for hoses failing under the waterline.

Do you use self priming pumps with the round scoops? Otherwise the water would be sucked out when underway without a pump running.
A couple years ago I was taking a 60C to Miami. Got on plane and lost the air for the bridge and staterooms. Took the hose off the strainer and could see all the way through to the blue water, but not one drop came in running at 18 kts. Slow down and the water would pour in, go back to speed and no water. The scoop had come off! The unit worked fine at slow speed or dockside but not running at speed. Had diver replace scoop and all was well again.

As far as the large thru hulls have had excellent results using a 11/2 intake on the AC instead of the easily clogged 3/4 thru hull. Dave

[CARL GUZMAN]

This is the type of A/C intakes I have on my boat and they work fine the problem I was haveing was the A/C getting high pressure or not enough salt water when running and turning off because all the crud in the A/C that getts by the strainers and grows over time cloggs the A/C up . But when I flushed it with the fresh water I didn't think the fresh dock water would really clean out the crud but when we turned on the water we could easily see all the crud comeing out of the A/C discharge over board. I hope the Vicking's A/C next to me didn't suck up all my crud

[34Hatt]

I've been eyeing up that kind of pick up for my mains, but I'm a little afraid -- when people use that type, they forego the standard Perko or Groco sea strainers and just go hose/elbow(s) from the seacock out. The big benefit would be getting rid of all that engine room bulk around the aft end of the engines & gears where access is the tightest. The worry is that those small holes might foul up too easily and restrict flow to the mains and raise temps. I guess not a big deal for me with this temperate water, as it would be a pretty quick scrape and scrub and your'e good to go again, but...I'm still a little worried. What's your experience been with them staying clean?

The other thing I wonder at is that the ones I see in the boat stores around here are bronze bodied but use a stainless mesh for where the holes are. I think I'd rather see all bronze, no?

This has come up before many times and this is what a lot of boat up here have been doing for Many Many years 30 plus. As far as I know they were invented up here and have always been called Great South Bay strainers. Since the Great South Bay is know for its eel gr***. Yeah I know conditions are different in Fl but I know of many boats that go to Fl and have stayed year round with no problems. One friends sail boat has been there and the Island for years and he always has used them.
Like I have said in the past I still have some nice big Perko strainers is my basement any offers. Since I have gone 6 years now with out them.
I like the all bronze one's but some people like the removable screens.
You can paint them but need to be careful not to close up the holes. Also I use them on every thru hull with no problems.