R_p_ryan
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2014
- Messages
- 171
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Shellbourne
- Vessel Make
- 1978 Mainship 34 Perkins T6.354
Risk is something that has been discussed - here's my perspective.
What is the risk of loss of life from a failed raw water cooled exhaust manifold? It's non-zero and probably significant since failures in the manifold:
- Have actually happened
- Have led to immediate engine failure
- Engine failure could lead to loss of life
What is the risk of loss of life from a failed heat exchanger? It's still non-zero but imo less likely than a failed manifold. A failed heat exchanger is very unlikely to lead to an immediate engine failure, I would say it's at least several minutes, if not hours before an engine failure, and during that time there would be warning signs:
- Bilge pump alarm going off
- Engine temperature rising
I see the risk inherent in the raw water cooled manifold as excessive, since there could be zero warning signs before an engine failure.
In this thread we have one example of the pool heat exchanger working in a marine environment, and likely not the titanium version. I think it's worth further investigation, if I could add this exchanger (iow, in addition to the stock one), to my cooling system, allowing me to bring my manifold into the fresh water circuit. It seems cost effective and safer than the current raw water manifold. I am not saying it *IS* but I'm saying it seems like it is.
What is the risk of loss of life from a failed raw water cooled exhaust manifold? It's non-zero and probably significant since failures in the manifold:
- Have actually happened
- Have led to immediate engine failure
- Engine failure could lead to loss of life
What is the risk of loss of life from a failed heat exchanger? It's still non-zero but imo less likely than a failed manifold. A failed heat exchanger is very unlikely to lead to an immediate engine failure, I would say it's at least several minutes, if not hours before an engine failure, and during that time there would be warning signs:
- Bilge pump alarm going off
- Engine temperature rising
I see the risk inherent in the raw water cooled manifold as excessive, since there could be zero warning signs before an engine failure.
In this thread we have one example of the pool heat exchanger working in a marine environment, and likely not the titanium version. I think it's worth further investigation, if I could add this exchanger (iow, in addition to the stock one), to my cooling system, allowing me to bring my manifold into the fresh water circuit. It seems cost effective and safer than the current raw water manifold. I am not saying it *IS* but I'm saying it seems like it is.
