Hose below the water line

[Administrator]

I've got some water hose below the water line which is the traditional clear polyethylene. I keep thinking I should swap it out for the reinforced black stuff.

What do you think?

Bill

[Mo]

Absolutely Bill,

I would do as you are thinking and replace it when the opportunity arises. What you have there may last and never have a problem but its good practice to keep Heavy Duty hoses and clamps below the water line. Double clamps on the hose on both ends.

http://hoseclamps.manufacturer.suppl...lamp_74550.jpg

[joe_db]

Originally Posted by Administrator

I've got some water hose below the water line which is the traditional clear polyethylene. I keep thinking I should swap it out for the reinforced black stuff.

What do you think?

Bill

[sastanley]

Bill, almost every hose in my boat related to grey water is clear/braided poly. The only hoses that go to a thru-hull that are poly are the drain hoses from the sinks...these seacocks stay closed unless we are using them (i.e. everytime we get off the boat anyway.)

I thought about using big-fat reinforced hose on the bilge pump & drain hoses someday...if I ever replace them..I probably will do so.

[Dave Neptune]

Bill, is this a trick question? I know a few that have removed the opaque hoses for the clear reinforced type as it is much stronger and you can actually see through it for the first few seasons.
I have also seen dish & washing machine hose (black) which isn't worth a tinkers arse as far as strength.
Personally I recomend if you are changing out the lines for the engine either on the cold or hot side, go ahead and opt for the silicone heater hose (available most performance shops and a few parts houses). It's good on most race tracks and has an exceptional life span~~the strength is just a bonus for confidence.
I once chastized a friend for using a chunk of garden hose for his remote oil filter assembly and a few weeks later he was asking how to get a bunch of oil out of the bilge. He was fortunate he had a cut out switch so the line leaked a bit before it burst and the engine shut down without any damage.

Dave Neptune

[ILikeRust]

Timely.

I went to the auto parts store the other night to buy some hoses for hooking up all the cooling circuits - raw water from the seacock through the strainer to the pump, from the pump through the heat exchanger and out to the exhaust, and all the hoses between the heat exchanger and the engine itself.

I asked for coolant hose - the stuff they gave me is black rubber, appears to have a braided fabric (nylon?) layer embedded within it, and was in a box labeled "heater hose."

It certainly appears to be the stuff intended to have hot engine coolant circulated through it.

Any issue with using that for everything? It's all below the water line. I of course intend to keep the seacock closed except when the engine is running.

[sastanley]

Bill T, heater hose is what I have all over the engine compartment.

I've found the best way to cut the stuff is with a super sharp "carpet knife", or a simple razor blade.

[Dave Neptune]

Shawn, a good PVC hand held cutter works well on tubing until it gets dull. Nice thing is that when it's closed the blade is protected in the tool box. I keep one in my ditty box on the boat with the extra assorted hose.

Dave Neptune

[sastanley]

Thanks for the tip Dave...I really don't like using a razor..someday, I expect I will have a length of half cut 5/8" heater hose hose and a 1" hunk of finger in the bilge.

[roadnsky]

Originally Posted by sastanley

...I really don't like using a razor..someday, I expect I will have a length of half cut 5/8" heater hose hose and a 1" hunk of finger in the bilge.

Been there. Done that. Have the scar and the T-Shirt...

[Administrator]

Anybody notice the recently posted image that rekindled my thoughts about this?

Bill

[Dave Neptune]

Not me .

Dave Neptune

[hanleyclifford]

Originally Posted by Administrator

I've got some water hose below the water line which is the traditional clear polyethylene. I keep thinking I should swap it out for the reinforced black stuff.

What do you think?

Bill

Except for exhaust hose I see no value in steel spiral reinforcing in hoses on a boat. Below the water line for such things as cockpit scuppers and head plumbing I now use the PVC hose, still using the old boil and fit method FWIW.

[ndutton]

Bill,

Exactly what is the function of this particular hose? To what are both ends connected?

[Administrator]

It's part of the AC system. Runs from a raw water pump, through the AC and out the side.

Bill

[ndutton]

Since it's connected to a submerged thru-hull via a raw water pump I'd treat it the same as an engine intake, braided reinforcement and no clear hose (read: heater-type hose).

[Carl-T705]

Ilikerust, I would use the silicone heater hose, not that stuff you bought at the local auto parts store. It;s not cheap about a buck an inch or more but it's worth every penny. Goodyear makes a great hose , it's blue and a little cheaper. That brand X generic black hose is not what you want on a boat or even on your car. If your NAPA store doesn't have silicone try a large truck dealer like Freightliner or Kenworth. when you hold a piece in your hand you can tell the difference. it will stay soft and pliable it's entire life and you will never have to worry or replace it.