Water Source for an Anchor Wash/Spray System?

[Wil]

The 'How To Anchor Solo?' (http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s42/how-anchor-solo-40677-4.html) thread is a good read; I thought my question might be too much thread-drift, so I'm posting here.

I want to install an anchor/chain rode wash system. For those who've rigged an anchor wash system, did you use a salt or fresh water (for those with a watermaker) water source? If you used a salt water system (probably most), did you install a separate through-hull? Or branch off of another seawater source? How did you do it?

Thanks,
Wil

 

[jleonard]

I Teed off of my generator raw water (salt usually) strainer. Initially I could not run the washdown and gen at the same time, the gen would pull all the water. But I had planned a larger thru hull and strainer anyway, so after putting in the 1 inch system there is no problem running both for those rare times.

 

[ranger58sb]

I T'd off from our existing cockpit raw water washdown (with its own existing thru-hull); just had to run a line to the bow and then we added a spigot up there. We have too much mud to waste our freshwater supply on, and don't have a water maker.

I can also connect a hose to our existing cockpit freshwater washdown, and drag that forward to the bow if necessary.

-Chris

 

[Larry M]

I added a T for an anchor wash down line after the thru hull on the salt water flush head on our last boat.

 

[Moonfish]

Our boat came with a dedicated thru-hull to a dedicated wash down pump. My issue, though, is how to rig up the spray nozzle if I don't have my 8-yr old handy to do her favorite job: washing down the chain as it comes up (she loves doing it!). I'll rig up some sort of clip/attachment one of these days so it will "automatically" hit the chain...

 

[Shrew]

I have a raw water washdown at the stern. I have a freshwater washdown at the bow. The fresh water pressure pumps isn't strong enough to do a decent job with mud and thick mud/clay on the anchor. The raw water has too high a volume to hook up to the freshwater tank.

I run a hose from the stern to the bow if I need to clean clay and much from chain and anchor. I use the hose up fron to rinse of salt and saltwater from the rode.

I'll often clean the boat with the raw water, then rinse it with the freshwater too.

 

[O C Diver]

I have both fresh and salt water spigots at the bow.

My raw water system is one 2" seacock and then a seachest / distribution box. The raw water wash down and the AC raw water pump share a 1" supply line that is bellow sea level (no suction required). Did several flow test after installation. The supply system is able to handle all units (engine, generator, AC pump, and anchor wash down) running at max capacity (60 GPM)......although it's unlikely I will be cleaning the anchor chain while the engine is running at full speed.

Ted

 

[caltexflanc]

I installed both on my old Hatteras. There was an extra through hull right slose to where I wanted the raw water pump due to a decommissioned saltwater toilet system. I ran the fresh water one from a tee off the seldom used forward head. We had a high volume shallow well FW pump that did a very good job; we used it when FW water use was not an issue. Even our GalleyMaid Dc pump did a pretty good job. Half the battle is having a good nozzle. I really liked having both as we could also use the raw water to wash the teak decks and the fresh water to mist down the boat after a sea passage. Had a FW wash down on the aft deck too, very handy.

 

[koliver]

Mine is Td off the Generator intake, after the strainer. It lies in the bilge and goes to both ends of the boat. At the stern it ends at a tap in the lazarette, that has enough pex to be brought out onto the deck when in use. At the bow, it Ts again into a hose line with a PVC valve and a nozzle that is fixed in place under the bow roller. The nozzle is a 1/2" copper pipe hammered flat, that aims at the chain as it rises towards the roller. If the mud is too heavy for the fixed nozzle, a hose nozzle will often work better.

 

[Wil]

Thank you for all the different ways of doing this. I'd like to set this system up on the bow for now using seawater with a freshwater chaser, without installing another through-hull. So a T off either the generator or AC seawater intake. The AC seawater pump is pretty strong so it'd be easier to just T off that, but the pump is 115vac thus requiring running the genny to wash the anchor. Our head is a freshwater vacuum type which uses the boat's freshwater pump, so not so strong. Maybe a separate stronger freshwater pump. Hmm.

 

[jhance]

Our boat came with a dedicated thru-hull to a dedicated wash down pump. My issue, though, is how to rig up the spray nozzle if I don't have my 8-yr old handy to do her favorite job: washing down the chain as it comes up (she loves doing it!). I'll rig up some sort of clip/attachment one of these days so it will "automatically" hit the chain...

This is what I was thinking of doing as well. This way I wouldn't need to plumb any new dedicated run. I could just insert the spray nozzle into the attachment and I'm set. Haven't found figured out said attachment yet!

 

[BruceK]

Thank you for all the different ways of doing this. I'd like to set this system up on the bow for now using seawater with a freshwater chaser, without installing another through-hull. So a T off either the generator or AC seawater intake. The AC seawater pump is pretty strong so it'd be easier to just T off that, but the pump is 115vac thus requiring running the genny to wash the anchor. Our head is a freshwater vacuum type which uses the boat's freshwater pump, so not so strong. Maybe a separate stronger freshwater pump. Hmm.

Try to use 12v power. Our OEM wash down system uses a mains (230v here) pump, and even has it`s very own thru hull. Powerful, but it needs the genset running,and if it`s not it needs to be for that one brief task.

 

[AKDoug]

Another T off of the toilet raw water. I put in a diverter valve above the petcock so when I use the toilet no water wash down, and when using wash down no toilet. That way it can't attempt to draw back from the toilet while I am washing down my filets I didn't want to make any more holes in the hull, and I have only engine cooling and toilet raw water as inlets through the hull...

 

[Wil]

Yep, keep it simple. I could come off the AC water before the pump if needed.

Try to use 12v power. Our OEM wash down system uses a mains (230v here) pump, and even has it`s very own thru hull. Powerful, but it needs the genset running,and if it`s not it needs to be for that one brief task.

 

[markpierce]

Have fresh water faucet near the bow to wash off salt and mud of the rode and anchor. A raw-water rinse from salt water will leave salt.

 

[O C Diver]

Have fresh water faucet near the bow to wash off salt and mud of the rode and anchor. A raw-water rinse from salt water will leave salt.

It can take a lot of water to clean a muddy chain. Mine is 7 GPM @ 60PSI. After cleaning off the mud from the bow roller to sea level, I rinse the chain with fresh water as it's coming over the bow roller. It takes very little fresh water to just rinse off the salt.

Ted

 

[psneeld]

My saltwater pump was teed off the thru hull that fed the air conditioner pump.

Worked fine till I changed salt water pump this spring. The new pump is either too weak compared to the A/C pump or allows the A/C pump to pull air into the system from somewhare that wasn't leaking water. The air would cause the pump to continuously run...and I am guessing it is because the new pump. So I am adding a separate through hull just to avaid that situation with fighting other pumps.

The original intake was 1.5 inches which I thought would be plenty to feed the A/C and salt water pump.

 

[O C Diver]

My saltwater pump was teed off the thru hull that fed the air conditioner pump.

Worked fine till I changed salt water pump this spring. The new pump is either too weak compared to the A/C pump or allows the A/C pump to pull air into the system from somewhare that wasn't leaking water. The air would cause the pump to continuously run...and I am guessing it is because the new pump. So I am adding a separate through hull just to avaid that situation with fighting other pumps.

The original intake was 1.5 inches which I thought would be plenty to feed the A/C and salt water pump.

My wash down pump would pull air back through the AC pump which is centrifugal. Installed an over size PVC check valve above the AC pump to eliminate the problem. The larger size eliminates flow restriction and only requires about 1 PSI to open it, you can put it to your lips and blow through it.

Ted

 

[Henning]

I ad hoc it with a large submersible hanging off the bow. It takes a bit of time to rig, but works just fine. I plan on plumbing something directly into the hawse pipe, but didn't get around to it yet. There's also a 25 hp fire pump in the engine room, but I don't feel like it's needed, so I'll probably never get it working.



I have found that the key is to use lots of water, not to spray it at high pressure. I'm sure your mileage may vary on this point, but at least with 3' of hawse pipe, lots of water at low pressure seems to do the trick.


I also have a 2kw pressure washer which I inted to experiment with, but plumbing it is a very low priority task at this stage.

 

[psneeld]

My wash down pump would pull air back through the AC pump which is centrifugal. Installed an over size PVC check valve above the AC pump to eliminate the problem. The larger size eliminates flow restriction and only requires about 1 PSI to open it, you can put it to your lips and blow through it.

Ted

Thanks Ted, had to swap around some thru hulls, if I get rid of one, I will try the check valve.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Seawater is fine IMO as long as things get washed w fresh now and then.

However if anchor locker smells are noticed in the rest of the boat perhaps freshwater wash is warranted.

 

[AKDoug]

That's why I use a diverter valve, check valve can become plugged with raw water debris that is picked up by the wash down pump filter and will pass through the toilet with no problem. If I don't see water when I flush, I know I left the diverter in the wrong position. I seldom use the wash down pump, so it's easy for me to make the switch when I am in a mud bottom and then switch it back. Very few mud bottoms here...

 

[Nomad Willy]

Doug,
No mud? How’s an anchor gonna stick w no mud?

Seriously Doug what kind on bottom do you have ... gravel?

 

[AKDoug]

A lot more coarse sand and rocky bottoms, rather than mud it can be a heavy clay that holds extremely well and can stick to the anchor but not on the chain. You have to consider it's recent glacial history and the tendency to have to anchor deep, poor recommend for a Danforth. You also have to "look" for large rocks on the bottom with your sounder to avoid fouling your anchor in a tide change by dragging the chain under or around something.

The currents keep light mud from accumulating as well, holding it suspended as silt and not allowing it to accumulate on the bottom.

 

[Wil]

3-Way

Maybe something like this would deal with the leak/backflow issues:
T-580-70-W3 - Two-Piece Bronze Ball Valve - Conventional Port, Three-Way On NIBCO

 

[markpierce]

With heavy, sticky mud, I've dragged the suspended anchor in the water while going in reverse.

 

[markpierce]

Seawater is fine IMO as long as things get washed w fresh now and then.

However if anchor locker smells are noticed in the rest of the boat perhaps freshwater wash is warranted.

Now and then? I've always rinsed chain and anchor upon recovery since my current boat has a bow-located, fresh-water faucet.

 

[AKDoug]

Maybe something like this would deal with the leak/backflow issues:
T-580-70-W3 - Two-Piece Bronze Ball Valve - Conventional Port, Three-Way On NIBCO

This is what I use on the toilet through hull, mounted above a Marelon valve so I still have a shutoff for the thru hull.

 

[Wil]

Yes, I'm thinking that would work well right after my AC pump through-hull. Need to be able to shut off the entire thing in case of failure of some kind. Seems a better place than the genny through-hull if a choice--lower priority. Whichever one pulls less water is another consideration too.

 

[grahamdouglass]

My winter project

An anchor wash down system is on my todo list. I was going to tee right off the fwd head thruhull. Now I’m thinking of putting in a Tee further down the thru hull line with a diverter valve before the connection to the head. Is this idea an improvement or a complication.