closing raw water valve question

[nzfisher]

I don't close my raw water valve except when cleaning metal grate.. My boat is never in a place where water could freeze. I am wondering why people close it with the risk of forgetting to open it each time you go out is so high. My notion is that if the hoses fail I would rather it sink in the birth than at sea. I am sure that there are other opinions and I would like to hear them just to be sure I am not missing something- thanks.

 

[Brian B]

I make it a habit to close the raw water seacocks, visually inspect the engine compartment and turn off the battery switches before I leave the boat. Before I leave on another trip I open the the seacocks I intend to use, check engine fluids and visually inspect the engine compartment again. By visually inspecting the engine compartment for me is preventive maintenance. I noticed the genset raw water exhaust hose with cracks and promptly replaced it, had I not it would have burst unexpectantly, caused flooding and ruined a trip. I also caught a clamp leaking antifreeze on the main engine.
Hose failures are a major cause of boats sinking. At the berth after the battery dies she will sink if no one notices. At sea the high water alarm should alert you to a problem, closing the seacocks will at least save the boat.
For me this practice is good seamanship.

 

[Searaypaul]

My personal preference is to flush the motor and genset with fresh water when the weekend comes to an end. I leave the Seacocks closed. I have a placard that I hang over the ignition without fail. The sign states "Seacocks closed do not start". You can not put the key in the ignition unless the sign is removed. When we get ready to fire up the motor we open both Seacocks and remove the sign. The engine gets a quick once over when the Seacocks are opened.

 

[The Bud's Tug]

This leads me to ask if you are turning off the battery switches, does this prevent the solar panel from charging the batteries? ...and does this affect the bilge pump from working??

 

[Red Raven]

Hi Don,

As far I know unless modified otherwise, the solar panel charger and bilge pumps do not run through the battery switches. You should be good shutting them off unless needing battery power for other purpose.

Curt

 

[joempo]

Upon returning to the dock, I also close all (3) sea cocks on the 2007 SLO Ranger, mainly from concern of hose failure. I turn off the battery switches and with the 110 main to the "on" position, which connects the battery charging system. As others mentioned, opening the sea cocks, turning on the batteries and checking fluids are the regular routine prior to starting the engine. I see it as a safety issue as much as a maintenance issue.
I believe all the Ranger Tugs are wired in such a way that the bilge pump is powered until it is physically disconnected from a hot buss or the battery is depleted. Hopefully, someone would realize theres a flooding problem prior to that.
One of the modification projects on my list is the addition of a second bilge pump with an alarm as a back-up. The early R-25 had only one bilge pump from the factory.

 

[SGIDAVE]

I don't close my raw water valve except when cleaning metal grate.. My boat is never in a place where water could freeze. I am wondering why people close it with the risk of forgetting to open it each time you go out is so high. My notion is that if the hoses fail I would rather it sink in the birth than at sea. I am sure that there are other opinions and I would like to hear them just to be sure I am not missing something- thanks.

Hello NZ,

I don't mean to be argumentative, but I think there is 'another' way to think about this...

You create a false dichotomy by saying "if the hoses fail I would rather it sink in the birth than at sea." Certainly no one wants their boat to sink. And I know you didn't mean it that way. There is NO REASON the boat needs to sink...anywhere (at the birth, at sea, etc). The "other" option as pointed out above is to NEVER leave seacocks open on an UNATTENDED boat. If a hose 'fails' whilst you are 'away' - and the seacocks are closed...NO PROBLEM! Likewise, if a hose fails whilst underway, you will detect the failure BEFORE the boat sinks and close the seacock. Again, your boat is 'saved' whether at the birth or underway since, if any seacocks are open, YOU are aboard.

If you analyze the origin of boat 'fires' you will find that the VAST majority are 'electrical' in nature. Thus, the advise to TURN OFF everything possible is good advise. ABYC standards dictate the bilge pump/s be wired DIRECTLY the batteries, so they WILL FUNCTION even with the battery switches off. Chargers usually have leads going DIRECTLY to the battery terminals, so, again, they continue to do their duty with battery switches OFF.

The questions asked such as "But will my bilge pump work if the battery switches are off?" is an EXCELLENT question. It has been answered on this forum MANY times...however, this means that YOU HAVE NEVER INVESTIGATED YOUR OWN BOAT! YIKES! Some level of "self rescue" is REQUIRED if you go out in a boat which means, in this case, you must know WHERE THE BILGE PUMP FUSES ARE LOCATED. Since they are wired directly to the battery (WHICH BATTERY...on YOUR boat?) there will be a fuse very near the battery...ABYC requires it be within 7 inches. When that fuse blows, the 'auto' function on the bilge pump is lost. So, you should know WHERE it is...and have SPARES aboard.

You've read about the hose clamp coming loose and the pump emptying the Fresh water tank into the cabinet or wherever the hose separation occurred...again, if the battery switch is OFF (or the pump OFF at a minimum) when the owners left the boat then the mess wouldn't be nearly as big. The alternative scenario is that it WILL HAPPEN but you will be there and stop it before all 40 gallons of FW empty onto your provisions. You see, we are back to the seacock question...have them open ONLY when the BOAT IS ATTENDED. (i.e., switches, like seacocks, should be open/on only when the boat is attended)

Sorry for the rant. This is not meant to be personal in ANY WAY and I meant no offense to anyone. I am still learning too...

dave