steelydon
Senior Member
I have come to believe my life is a cautionary tale for you guys. So there I was On Saturday working on the boat, what else. (new blinds, HVAC high pressure error, wind speed sensor) you get the picture. It was a beautiful day but a little brisk but hey the first sunshine in over a week i decided to go for a ride?
I had closed all the seacocks so I opened the engine strainer, unplugged, cast off and away I went to Beaufort NC (pronounced Beaufort). I opened the PH door to take pictures and I was the only boat underway on Taylor's Creek. The breeze cooled the PH down so I decided to crank the generator and turn on all 3 heat pumps. The NL fired right up I turned on the heat and shut the door. Without the breeze the sun warmed the PH so I didn't notice the generator had quit.
Upon entering the channel back to the marina I noticed no generator again. I figured that the 3 heat pumps and inverter had overloaded it so I cranked the gen again as I was entering the marina w/o the heat pumps. Once docked I noticed the generator had stopped again and there was also smoke coming from the lazerette. That's when it hit me that I had forgotten to open the seacock. (admit it, most of you saw this coming so why didn't you call me before I cranked the gen?) I rushed to open the seacock but the impeller had toasted back in Beaufort. At this point I forgot about the smoke and wondered where all the water was coming from. Shutting the seacock which stopped the water ingress I found the culprit. The exhaust gas had burned a 1" hole in the elbow and since the generator is below the waterline and no vanes on the impeller I had a clear path for the seawater.
Confession time, they say it is good for the soul. When I installed the generator in 2015 I put in a temporary elbow with all intentions of replacing it right away. I know it should have been a bronze or fiberglass elbow but hey, $1.99 compared to $65 and with other projects on the list it was quickly forgotten and it did great for 5 years.
I tracked down all the vanes while replacing the impeller and the generator runs great. (whew) No harm, no foul and now I get to spend the $65.
No reply necessary. It was stupid and I have been humbled. Fun ride though.
Don
I had closed all the seacocks so I opened the engine strainer, unplugged, cast off and away I went to Beaufort NC (pronounced Beaufort). I opened the PH door to take pictures and I was the only boat underway on Taylor's Creek. The breeze cooled the PH down so I decided to crank the generator and turn on all 3 heat pumps. The NL fired right up I turned on the heat and shut the door. Without the breeze the sun warmed the PH so I didn't notice the generator had quit.
Upon entering the channel back to the marina I noticed no generator again. I figured that the 3 heat pumps and inverter had overloaded it so I cranked the gen again as I was entering the marina w/o the heat pumps. Once docked I noticed the generator had stopped again and there was also smoke coming from the lazerette. That's when it hit me that I had forgotten to open the seacock. (admit it, most of you saw this coming so why didn't you call me before I cranked the gen?) I rushed to open the seacock but the impeller had toasted back in Beaufort. At this point I forgot about the smoke and wondered where all the water was coming from. Shutting the seacock which stopped the water ingress I found the culprit. The exhaust gas had burned a 1" hole in the elbow and since the generator is below the waterline and no vanes on the impeller I had a clear path for the seawater.
Confession time, they say it is good for the soul. When I installed the generator in 2015 I put in a temporary elbow with all intentions of replacing it right away. I know it should have been a bronze or fiberglass elbow but hey, $1.99 compared to $65 and with other projects on the list it was quickly forgotten and it did great for 5 years.
I tracked down all the vanes while replacing the impeller and the generator runs great. (whew) No harm, no foul and now I get to spend the $65.
No reply necessary. It was stupid and I have been humbled. Fun ride though.
Don