Fresh water flush

06Rinker270

My tech has advised me to add a fresh water flush to the engine which would allow me to flush fresh water through out.  I am in brackish water.  The flush kit is below along with a link

http://www.starmarinedepot.com/perko-1-1/4"-flush-pro-valve/pzz23191.html?gclid=CNLEm6Xa4MgCFUUXHwodGNsHEw

Dream_Inn

If you do that, run a line to the stern and have the hose adapter near your fresh water connection.  Just make sure to cap it off in case it would draw air.  I almost did this on my 310, but decided not to because there are a lot of things in there that could fail or slow down the water flow.  Also the one you are showing is plastic.  My 310 was raw water cooled and the risers/manifolds looked good after 10 years of brackish.  I really don't know how much it helps in our brackish water.  I guess it doesn't hurt.  I had a neighbor with a 270 that flushed his after every use.  His risers/manifolds didn't look any different when it was torn apart than my 310.

Handymans342

I made my own with a nylon tee, a hose bib and washing machine hose. 

Michael T

06Rinker270. Probably good advice from your tech but - I believe that was the flushing valve that I rejected for use as a primer pressurizer and antifreeze flusher at winterization for my HVAC and Generator units as it looked too flimsy, with too many moving parts. Like Steve (H342) I made my own for less money and FAR stronger.

06Rinker270

John, he did say he would run a hose to the transom with a SS hose adapter.  

@Handymans342 @Michael T care to share how one makes their own?

Michael T

@06R270. Of course I'll share. If you go to the Rinker Photo Gallery and look at the thread Fresh Water Flush. I think yours will be like that with one addition. The one I designed was an in-line flush for the HVAC and Generator systems. Of course both of those have sea cocks that can be closed. So I close the sea ****, open the valve I made and pressurize the HVAC or Generator with either water or antifreeze.

I do not believe your engine raw water has a sea **** so "off the top of my head" here's what I think you could do. Put a ball valve (see my pictures) in line with your raw water supply hose. One end of the ball valve would be connected to the section of hose coming from the river (the fresh water supply side). The other end would be connected to a T filling.  So, the first "arm" of the T fitting would be connected to the outlet  end of the  ball valve you just installed. The other end or second "arm" of the T fitting would be connected to the part of the supply hose you cut that leads to the engine. Last, the third "arm" of the T fitting, the one that points straight up - would lead to a second ball valve. Coming out of the top end of that second ball valve would be a piece of hose with a regular "female"garden hose fitting on it.

Here's what you would do to fresh water flush your engine: Close the ball valve that was installed in line in your original river water supply hose. Open up the ball valve on the upper or third "arm" of the T fitting. Connect a fresh water source to the female garden hose fitting and flush away. When finished you reverse the process -  close the ball valve on the upper T arm and open the ball valve that supplies river water to your engine. You're clean and ready to go on your next trip!

Look at my pictures for the second part of the device. All you would need is an extra ball valve "downstream".

This is way easier than it sounds!

Don't be shy to ask all of the questions you want - please. As you may have guessed I don't mind talking boats. LOL. BTW Steve (handyman 342) is a smart guy, he may have done it a different and/or better way!

Keep asking questions - it will save you a lot of money and stress.

Handymans342

I installed a 1 1/2 inch nylon T with 2 hose barb fittings in the raw water line right after the strainer. This is the hose that goes right down to the raw water pickups. I bushed the top of the T down to 3/4 and screwed in an ordinary hose bib that you use on any house. Then hook up the washing machine hose to the garden hose. Now, you have to be careful not to over pressurize the system when flushing and remember to close the ball valves at the pickups. I also double clamped the hose on each side of the T.  It works great and I can even run the engines when its on land. 

06Rinker270

@ MichaelT Let me see if I got this right, I made a drawing of what I think you meant.  Can I run the hose to the transom?

@Handyman342 Why use a hose bib? So you connected a washing machine hose to hose bib and then you connect the garden hose to that...Do you have pictures of your system?

When pressurizing, how do you know when its complete?  Do you run the engine with the fresh water or just let it run through?  

Also DI has a good point, will any of this interfere with the raw water pick up?  Even with the seacock open, it will not be as direct.  But sounds like you guys have a seacock there already.  

Michael T

@06R270.....100%. Nicely done! P.S. You probably know this, you might need a short piece of hose to transition between the ball valves and the T fitting ends (2 of them). I got ball valves with screw threads so that I could screw a "straight" barbed  fitting with a screw end into the ball fitting and use a short piece of hose to connect to the barbed ends of the T fittings (2) that had to be connected to the ball valves.....and a straight barb fitting to screw into the top of the second ball valve to attach the garden hose with female end. IF need be see pictures I posted or ask anything again! :-)

06Rinker270

something like this?

Michael T

Yes, and they come in Marelon and other plastics too. Some even have tapered threads that get tighter as they are screwed-in. I used plumbers' Teflon tape (3 winds all the way up, and wiped a film coat on 3M 4200 on before screwing-in the fittings. You can see by the pictures I posted in the Rinker Photo Gallery.....see Home Made By Pass....

Handymans342

I use a hose bib so I can shut it of and take the hose off. 

06Rinker270

When pressurizing, how do you know when its complete?  Do you run the engine with the fresh water or just let it run through?  

Also DI has a good point, will any of this interfere with the raw water pick up?  Even with the seacock open, it will not be as direct.  But sounds like you guys have a seacock there already.  

Dream_Inn

The other issue with this is every time you want to flush you will have to get in the engine room and change the valves.  I went thru all these thoughts with my 310, even bought some parts, but never did it.  Had thought about one-way valves as well.  Water restriction was just my biggest concern.  Then the failure of a one-way valve, or forgetting to turn a valve if going that route.  To me it ended up not being worth it in brackish water.  You are further south, so maybe a bit more salt.  Biggest thing is flushing it well before winter and then putting the correct pink stuff in there for engines (& yes, I like to leave it there).

06Rinker270

Yea I hear ya John, a lot of work.  Do you think I am in more salt in the Potomac thank you are in the Bay?  I am closer to the Atlantic I suppose.  I am not too familiar of where is more salt than others.

You flush the engine with fresh water before you winterize?  Using earmuffs?

Michael T

@DI, if you size the valves properly there will not a water restriction of any consequence, they will in effect be straight through. Yes, you would have to enter the engine bay and also remember to return the valves to their "underway" position but that IMO is a small price to pay to get brackish water out of your engine and is 100% necessary in salt water.

Handymans342

Plus I can make a solution of Salt Away in a bucket and pump it through as well

06Rinker270

what size ball valve do you use or should I use?

Tech advised me of Salt Away as well.  

Handymans342

Ball valve for what?

06Rinker270

to put in line of the raw water pick up so I dont have any water restriction problems.

Handymans342

You should have one at the thru hull fitting if you even have that. Maybe your engines sucks from the outdrive?

Dream_Inn

Handy, his engines pull from the outdrive. 

Patrick, yes I run up to temperature on ear muffs with fresh water.  I don't need to go to temp, I just do it to thoroughly flush for the winter before adding pink in.  There are some charts out there with buoy markers that will tell you salinity.  I think I have it bookmarked somewhere.

MT, I do agree with salt water.  You've gotta remember where we boat.  In the Chesapeake, the salinity level is low in the upper part.  Actually, 25 miles north of me it is completely fresh water and we go up there a few times a year (where we have our Rinkervous).  So I do flush it every now and then :-)  I'd probably have a hard time boating continuously in salt water, knowing how tough it is on a boat, but it's better than not doing it all!

MDboater

Isn't the salinity in the Chesapeake Bay dependent on the time of year?  That is, I seem to remember reading that higher salinity levels migrated north through the summer months.

Handymans342

MD, depends on rainfall

06Rinker270

So then can I do a fresh water flush?  I dont think I can through the way we all just discussed if I pull from the drive.

aero3113

Yes, you can. You will have to tap into the hose that feeds the engine from the drive. 

Dream_Inn

Patrick, you can, you just have to shut off the water flow from your drive when you open it from the hose feed.

MD, the salinity does change depending on rain and other factors, but is very low in the mid to upper bay compared to ocean levels.

TonyWalker

I too have a fresh water flush system installed.  My boat mechanic who did the install told me that I do not have to change any valves to flush the engines.  Connect the garden hose to the thingie on the transom, turn on full force and start the engine and leave it idle for 5 minutes.  He said do it that way and the engine will get all of its cooling water from the hose and be full of fresh water when done.  Of course all this is x2. That is the way I have been doing it for years here on Tera Ceia Bay on the Gulf of Mexico.  

Tony

Salt Shaker 342

PS, I should have added that the engines themselves have the closed cooling systems but the manifolds do not.  So it is the manifolds and related items that the fresh water flush helps.

Michael T

If you have a transom flush AND drives that pick-up you. raw water (that is you do NOT have a raw water seacock) then the mechanic who installed your "transom" flush probably installed a one way flushing valve that allows you to blow water through the engine and/or manifolds thereby allowing your engine or drive to take in raw water and not allow back flow. THAT is exactly what I have built a "manual" version of, because I think the "automatic" valves are too flimsy - but - that's just my opinion.

06Rinker270

On my engine, do I only pull raw water from my drive?  If that is the case do I instal a seacock at the raw water pick up from the drive and then install a fresh water flush on a different section of the engine?  Or does the entire fresh water flush set up go into the raw water hose from the drive?  

Affording to this chart, I am 2.6 - 5.0ppt but I have seen other charts that say I am between 5-18ppt.  Is it even worth it?  I am located at P4 on the map.

Handymans342

Do you go into the bay at all? Can you run up to P3 and back to your dock. That would help. I would still install the flush kit and do it monthly and end of season with salt away.