Anchor Chain Locker Rinse

[Pgitug]

My anchor chain disappears below decks as I retrieve the 200’ of chain. How does everyone else rinse the salt water off of the chain pile to keep the chain from rusting?

 

[Xsbank]

Washdown system before it goes in its hole.

 

[O C Diver]

Washdown system before it goes in its hole.

+1

My chain locker drains into my shower sump and gets pumped over board. Periodically when I'm in port, I'll hose down the chain piles just cus it's easy.

Ted

 

[gaston]

Washdown system before it goes in its hole.

That's a little too technical for many to understand could you please make it simpler

 

[dhays]

My anchor chain disappears below decks as I retrieve the 200’ of chain. How does everyone else rinse the salt water off of the chain pile to keep the chain from rusting?

I have a washdown hose at the bow. I can use either sea or fresh water. If I am going to be out for a while and need to conserve water, we wash down the chain with sea water. If not, we use our fresh water.

When back at the dock, whether I have used fresh or sea water in my washdown hose, I will give the pile of chain a very thorough rinse with the dock hose.

 

[koliver]

I have a flattened piece of copper pipe aimed at the chain just below the bow roller, so with the stream hitting the chain at full power, it blows the mud right off. If that isn't being effective I can use the hose that is also at the bow and comes from the same saltwater pump. The chain goes into the locker wet with salt water. Never been a problem.

 

[psneeld]

I just pull it out and rinse it several times a year and rinse the locker.

No rust on the chain in 6 years and hundreds of anchoring situations.

if the galvanizing is good and not broken, it shouldnt rust with the ossasional rinse..... rinsing with fresh every time is great, but rust will still happen if the galvanizing is in poor shape.

 

[FF]

Most chain wash down is to remove mud from the links.

If allowed below the boat may smell like a beach at low tide from the life in the mud decomposing.

 

[diver dave]

One option that I took, as a S FL resident: I had 90 feet of chain, which I used for a few years, but later, I cut it in half. Most of the anchorages demanded far less than 90'. My windlass accommodated line or chain in the wildcat. While the 45' was rusting away, the other 45' was not exposed to the salt at all. I usually washed the chain while in the locker as it sat on top of the 200' of nylon. S FL will have more rusting than the higher lats. More salt content in the ocean, year round boating, and a much higher avg temperature and humidity. Zinc is a soft metal, all the clanking and wildcat action, and link to link motion will wear away the protection.

This all said, if the wildcat can deal with a mixed rode, I'd do that.

 

[Steve]

How about dumping a couple of gallons of saltX or similar salt rinse mix over the pile?
Anybody do that?

 

[FF]

Many anchor lockers are above the water line.

With a thru hill big P&S , a hose dockside , or a wash down pump could help clean the chain / flush the locker?

 

[AusCan]

For me it isn't really an issue.
There are no muddy bottoms around here so the chain stays clean with no washing required. The anchor locker is above the water line so it drains well. I keep the nylon rode at one side of the locker rather than under the chain so it doesn't act as a sponge and everything stays dry. A low humidity climate also helps.

 

[twistedtree]

I just cleaned ours the other day. Dumped all the chain out while anchored, climbed in, rinsed and extracted all the debris, mostly small shells and sea weed fragments. Probably a fist full in total. Then scrubbed with simple green, rinsed, and reloaded the chain.

We have an anchor wash so most of the debris gets rinsed off before the chain enters the locker, but after several years there is inevitable accumulation. If nothing else, I didn't want the drain to become plugged.