sea water wash down vs fresh

[magna 6882]

By boat has an exterior wash down valves and it been fresh water. Today i found a valve that will divert water from a thru hull to the system for using salt water to wash things down. I use the outside valves to wash the salt off stuff. My wife and i are trying to think of reasons one would want to use salt water. Perhaps it so you can use the thru hole when boating in fresh water?
Ideas for using salt water to wash down things/

 

[draakken]

you have a large mess to clean, and the initial getting rid of the mess can be done with salt, and then a final rinse with fresh to get rid of the salt.

 

[Simi 60]

Timber loves salt and salt loves timber
We always wash with salt, fresh is the enemy.

But on a plastic boat, no reason I could see apart from supply?

 

[Simi 60]

you have a large mess to clean, and the initial getting rid of the mess can be done with salt, and then a final rinse with fresh to get rid of the salt.

Yep, I'm not making fresh water to wash mud off the chain.

 

[draakken]

Yep, I'm not making fresh water to wash mud off the chain.

or a crab/shrimp/lobster trap/pot etc...

 

[ranger58sb]

Ideas for using salt water to wash down things/

Chesapeake mud from the anchor...

-Chris

 

[Gdavid]

Easy way to feed a removable live well for fishing.

 

[rslifkin]

Definitely raw water for anchor washdown. In some muddy places, you can go through 50 - 100+ gallons to clean things off during anchor retrieval. Of course, raw water washdown isn't useful for cleaning the decks unless they're wood (where salt is good) or you're boating in fresh water.

 

[O C Diver]

While doing the refit on my boat, I added a second faucet on the forward area of my boat with a salt water wash down.

As already mentioned, I blast mud off the anchor chain with salt water and then rinse the salt off as it's going into the chain locker.

I use salt water with a pressure wand to blast bird poop and then wash with freshwater. Sometimes I will clean with saltwater just before it rains. There are other cleaning operations where large amounts of water make it easier but don't require freshwater until you just need to rinse the salt off.

I often spend half the year in freshwater. So no need to use stored water for exterior cleaning.

Ted

 

[jleonard]

Also teak decks like salt water if that applies.

 

[wkearney99]

By boat has an exterior wash down valves and it been fresh water. Today i found a valve that will divert water from a thru hull to the system for using salt water to wash things down./

To what part of 'the system'?

Because you really don't want to have sea water getting backflushed into your fresh system.

 

[Mac2]

Do you have a deck hatch to your chain locker, and does the locker drain directly overboard? If so, use the raw water for cleaning the chain and then a quick fresh water rinse of the chain/locker at the end....I think. Maybe someone here can report on how well this technique works. Not sure how much fresh water it takes to work it's way down the stacked chain to sufficiently rinse/dilute the salt.
I'm redoing my washdown system as well. My chain locker drains into a 2 gallon garbage can (under the front cabin bed) using a 1/2 inch hose-ridiculous!

 

[wkearney99]

I'm redoing my washdown system as well. My chain locker drains into a 2 gallon garbage can (under the front cabin bed) using a 1/2 inch hose-ridiculous!

A bucket, inboard? That is ridiculous.

The locker on our EB47 has drains to overboard, and the locker is entirely separated from the rest of the boat (no hatches or access from anywhere inside). At the bow there's three compartments, two storage and one center chain locker. The chain locker has drains port/starboard to the storage locker, and those have drains overboard.

I put some Dri-Deck grates down on the floor of the chain locker. These raise the pile of chain up to help prevent the chain and mud/debris from blocking the locker drains. Also helps to allow blasting water at or into the drain holes to clear them. Otherwise piled up chain tended to block the drains.

 

[bgillroy]

Salt w washdown is for cleaning your gear when hauling the anchor. A MUST have.

 

[Mac2]

A bucket, inboard? That is ridiculous.

The locker on our EB47 has drains to overboard, and the locker is entirely separated from the rest of the boat (no hatches or access from anywhere inside). At the bow there's three compartments, two storage and one center chain locker. The chain locker has drains port/starboard to the storage locker, and those have drains overboard.

I put some Dri-Deck grates down on the floor of the chain locker. These raise the pile of chain up to help prevent the chain and mud/debris from blocking the locker drains. Also helps to allow blasting water at or into the drain holes to clear them. Otherwise piled up chain tended to block the drains.

I was planning on grates as well. I am looking for aluminum grates that are at least 1 inch high. I will have 5-6 hundred feet of 1/2 inch chain sitting on top. I'll have to create some sort of tub to direct the water to drains I'll have to drill. I was also thinking about a shower/rinse system for the inside of the chain locker. Something you turn on for a few minutes retrieving the anchor.

 

[magna 6882]

Right now the valve is set to fresh water. There is a hose in the front by the chain locker that drains outside the hull and there is a hose in the back in a hatch that also drains on the swim step. We use the bow hose to rinse off the chain while bringing it in and we use the rear hose to rinse off any saltwater on the swim step and the two staples that get salt water on them while under way. I am currently using the fresh water to get the salt off leading me to question why i would want to put salt water on these areas.No teak on the boat.

Salt w washdown is for cleaning your gear when hauling the anchor. A MUST have.

 

[2savage]

To what part of 'the system'?

Because you really don't want to have sea water getting backflushed into your fresh system.

Salt w washdown is for cleaning your gear when hauling the anchor. A MUST have.

Well, not a 'must have'. I carry 1,100 gallons of fresh water so fresh is always used. And, being a steel boat, salt is my enemy.

 

[Duetto]

if you're in the islands and don't have a watermaker you'll learn to deal with salt water.

years ago, a friend showed us how to use salt water and a microfiber on ss. you can wipe everything down and leave no salt residue.

 

[Kiwi.]

Horses for courses. When we're doing one or two day trips we use fresh water washdown. If we're away for a week or more we swap the valves to salt.

 

[47Rah1980]

I’m with you. Use fresh for the NP45 and just fill the tank as needed. I have ours set to fresh since I want to hose off the swim platform

 

[hmason]

I think the choice between freshwater and saltwater wash down is dependent on whether you have a saltwater or freshwater anchor.

 

[AnnapolisJoy]

Salt water in the chain locker?

Yep, I'm not making fresh water to wash mud off the chain.

Over time aren’t you concerned about the build up and corrosiveness of salt on chain in the locker?

We use fresh water for all wash downs. Washing the boat with water that has been run through our RO watermaker leaves less water spots and is much less corrosive. When we are at a marina we use the watermaker to produce <5PPM water. Showers are wonderful and again there are no water spots to clean in the shower.

Regarding use of salt water to wash the boat I imagine that should you not have a watermaker and carry a limited amount of fresh water a good case can be made for using it.

 

[jleonard]

I think the choice between freshwater and saltwater wash down is dependent on whether you have a saltwater or freshwater anchor.

Lol I must have had a salt water anchor

 

[BruceK]

I think the choice between freshwater and saltwater wash down is dependent on whether you have a saltwater or freshwater anchor.

Easy to tell which you have, they are engraved with an "F" or "S" respectively at the factory.

 

[Simi 60]

Over time aren’t you concerned about the build up and corrosiveness of salt on chain in the locker?

Nope
She's a timber boat
Fresh water is the enemy

And the chain is used in salt water daily
I could winch it in, wash it in fresh (helping timber rot) and several hours later that chain is back in use in the ocean.