Unconventional method to retard marine growth

[Noel Hyde]

I was recently informed of a way to retard marine growth in an onboard
A/C system that I had never heard of before. The recommendation was to place one (or several) small cooper fittings (available at any hardware store) in the inline strainer leading to the A/C unit.

The idea was that the leeching of the copper by the salt water was enough to retard the marine growth in the A/C raw water cooling hoses the same way the copper in antifouling paints works to retard growth on a boat's submerged hull.

Has anyone heard of such an idea, has it been shown to be effective and is it environmentally safe?

 

[ranger58sb]

I've been doing that for a few years: copper pipe elbow in the strainer.

Still can't actually say whether it works or not, although we seldom have any marine growth in there when we clean the strainers. Mostly we get mud and jellies.

-Chris

 

[Don L]

Has anyone heard of such an idea, has it been shown to be effective and is it environmentally safe?

As someone who worked 15 years in water treatment of cooling towers etc. this used to come up along with silver ion systems.

Basically it will not work unless the water you are in wasn't going to have a problem to start with. You never are going to maintain enough copper to do anything. Better to just put a couple of AC Pan tablets or a small piece of the bromine tab in your strainer instead once in a while.

 

[fryedaze]

I use bromide tablets in AC strainer. It does keep hoses clean. Can't tell yet if it works on AC coils. I put copper fittings in engine strainers. Not sure it really does anything.

 

[PhilPB]

I thought that the lines are made of copper in the ac unit.

 

[Mako]

If the copper were leaching then they would, in essence, corrode away. I suppose you could inject something, but the bromide tabs do just about that. Or perhaps figure out a way to freshwater flush regularly.

 

[fstbttms]

If the copper were leaching then they would, in essence, corrode away.

Bingo.

 

[Ric]

The magical properties of solid copper (as opposed to ionic) are highly overrated. Our last boat (sail) had two long solid copper bars, 1/4"x2", one 10' and the other 20', as ground strips for lightning protection of the masts. The bare copper was a fouling magnet, and they were invariably heavily overgrown. We ended up covering them in ablative antifouling. Apparently if lightning were to strike, any coating on the straps would vaporize anyway.

 

[Deckape]

When I lived aboard in Marathon ,I would put 1/2 a pool chlorine tab in strainer . Would check and clean strainer monthly and replace tab as growth was a problem in any moving water . Never had a problem with condenser coils or strainer . Had a problem with grass clogging intake ,so drilled many 3/8 holes in bucket and mounted it to intake thru hull . Would removed when moving boat as we used it very little after we set up in the slip .

 

[Lepke]

I have a wood boat with copper plates covering the bottom. W/o bottom paint, the bare copper acquires growth.