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Why You Must Keep Your Sea Strainer Clean (and How to Do It)
As the weather grows warmer and you spend more time on your boat, air conditioning is a must to keep indoor spaces comfortable and free from humidity. But at the same time, leaving the air conditioning running means there’s oxygenated sea water running through your system at all times.
While this isn’t an issue when sea temperatures are cool, it can quickly become an issue as sea water temperatures rise, especially in the late spring.
Because of this, it’s vital to keep your sea strainer clean to keep your cooling system functioning as it should. But, how are you supposed to do it? We’ll discuss this and more below, but first…
With the right skillset, cleaning a sea strainer is a routine task that keeps your boat running as it should. But there are some sea strainers that are quite difficult to clean, meaning that they don’t typically get cleaned as often as they should.
For simple cleaning, you should choose a strainer with a spin-off cap and lift out basket. Strainers like this require no tools to service the filter and if it’s positioned on the boat above the waterline, there’s no need to shut off the seacock for basket cleaning. However, if your strainer is located below the waterline, you must close the seacock before servicing by opening the filter, dumping the basket, and cleaning out the bowl. If it has been awhile since your last cleaning, you may want to use a brush on the screen to remove debris that has grown attached.
If your boat has an old strainer, it will often need to be disassembled to access the screen. And if your boat has an old strainer, you may want to consider replacing it for simpler cleanings in the future.
Not always! In fact, once you have a high pressure warning, chances are you’re going to need a more in-depth cleaning and service than if you were to have addressed the problem before it became more advanced.
If you’ve received a high pressure warning, you’ll need to not only clean the strainer but the bowl assembly and back flush the thru-hull and flush hoses to your AC unit as well. This is done with dock water to ensure there are no further organisms or debris getting pushed through the system.
If your system is in markedly bad condition, you may need to use a chemical de-scaling flush to clean out the system back to operational condition.
At Oceanic Yacht Management, We Do it All
If you’re experiencing issues with your boat’s cooling systems or haven’t had a proper sea strainer cleaning for awhile, Oceanic Yacht Management can help.
With over 35 years of experience and a personalized, craftsman approach to maintenance, we’ll have your boat operating as it should in no time. Contact us at (561) 406-4608 to schedule your bespoke services!