PDQ OWNERS FORUM

All,

Now that I am tied up to the dock again and the weather is heating up, we have recommissioned both of our air conditioners. The problem I am having is that at least once a day, one unit or the other has the thermal cut-out kick in and shut the unit down after the raw water pump sucks in a jelly fish and stops pumping water.

Does anyone have any creative ideas on what I can do to ward off the evil bastards and allow the AC's to continue running?

Thanks,
Tom
36041

This works only when tied up at at dock or at anchor...

You can take a sturdy bucket and drill holes all over it, creating a giant sieve. Then attach 4 bungee cords to the top of the bucket equally spaced apart. Next run lines to to the end of each bungee cord so that the top side of the bucket can be pulled up pulled up against your water-intake thru-hull. The lines then are pulled up and tied off top-side, fore, aft, port, & starboard. If the location of the thru-hull is in a area of the hull that's not flat, you may have to dive under and stuff sponges or rags in the gaps between the top of the bucket and the hull. The net effect is a giant sieve that allows sufficient water through to the intake even if parts of the sieve get clogged.

Ed

I used two pool noodle and glued a piece of screen rolled around each. With lines on each corner, I was able to pull it into position under the intake. Similar to the bucket idea. Kept those saran wrap tough nettles out all summer in Baltimore.

Serious question: aren't the nettle barbs still a threat after its been sucked into the raw water pump?

Sandy,

I ALWAYS used gloves when I removed them.

Yeah, even when they're smashed into jelly fish paste inside the strainer they still sting. Ouch.

Tom
36041

I wonder if they could be "backwashed" out somehow.

From my experience, they are so tough and tenacious, I have had to use needle nose pliers to pull out the embedded bits. Too bad we can't make them into sailcloth or something else useful. I did install a larger strainer which helped some, but the noodle screen was very good and I could slide it just a bit if one got caught on it against the intake. Our plus is that we don't have them in Florida, we just get Hurricanes instead!

I've done hurricane.* I prefer jellyfish. I Will build a noodle screen. They will come.

*Isobel terminated Tango Too, my previous cat, but made it possible for me to adopt Page 83. Happy ending.