Back4More

Well the sea weed is getting pretty bad in our lake since all the warm temps, so its time to get some for the old 42.
I looked at the KPM, Livorsi, Marine Machine and Hardin models.
I don't think the over sized ones are necessary but can't figure out if I need the 1" or 1-1/4" inlet/outlet one.
I'm swing toward the Hardin since they come with extra inlet/outlet ports for ease of install and I think they are reputable
Anyone have pics of these mounted in your boat or an opinion on ease of use on these?
I would rather install these after the raw water pump to catch broken impeller blades if ever need be before they end up in the oil coolers...

hillbilly24

As far as which brand to buy I think it's all a rpeference thing, they al work well. Some are easier to mount then others, I believe the Tegue version has mutiple inlets and oultlets too for ease of installation. The single port strainers look cleaner to me though. You realy can't plumb them after the raw water pump though. they are not designed to be pressurized, if you look at one while an engine is running it's never full, the water swirls like when you flush the toilet and this is part of how they work. If you plumbed it after the raw water pump it would be under pressure all the time and not work as effeciently, also part of the point is to keep the krap out of your raw water pump, sand and other things can be very nasty on the impellor housing. The larger volume sea strainers are designed to act like a capacitor, they hold enough water so that in the even that you pull the pickup out of the water the impellor never runs dry. Hope this was of some help.

Poorsche

When you plumb them in think about including a flushing connection so you can back-flush the strainer and/or fresh water flush the engine. Also helps if you have to winterize the engines.

Raceangel77

Impartial advice.

A strainer is a strainer , but it depends upon personal taste/style and ease of use. All the strainers I have seen on the market are good and do the job .I would advise that any strainer you buy has as many variations of input ports for future consideration. You may want to add something in the future. Also think about how much sand you might take on board. Also sea grass is a killer to intercoolers and you may need to filter this out. In england we have mainly tidal moorings so the boat will settle on silt (sludge) , cant explain this but its not nice stuff and it gets everywhere. As a result we tend to use more complex strainers with wound filter cores but these are very expensive and need a lot of looking after.

Ease of use,
Imagine that your hands are wet , the boat rocking and your drifting , you have no tools the strainers are buried in the bilges and you've taken a big lump of something thats restricting flow and causing overheat. A bit extreme ? I admit but it happens. In this case its important to choose a strainer that allows you to unblock the restriction quickly and easily.

Port sizes,
If you are going to use 11/4 try to ensure that you keep the pipe work the same size to reduce flow losses on the input side. You would be amazed how much water you can get through a 1 inch hole if plumbed well. And dont forget that water pickup is very important a well adjusted 1 inch, will flow more than a 11/4 inch pick up that is badly set. The Teague adjustable pickup is good .Sorry dont mean to teach to suck eggs.

Broken impellers

The best solution is to take away the need to filter out impellers. I would not suggest that you put the strainer after the pump, since the flow loss through a strainer is quite considerable.( we have flow loss charts for strainers if you would like me to email them to you)

If you filter sand and other debris this will save impellers and the likelyhood of failure but not always. It will also help increase pump life.

You could consider a run dry pump which would stop the impeller breaking. If you want to save money Globe rubber in Rockland make run dry impellers that last for 15 min. I dont know much about them since never tested one.

We have an inline filter for impeller entrapment that does not interupt flow and will trap the larger parts . This is for those that do not run our pump units but we have been asked so many times we decided to make one. Talk to fred at trick

Which ever unit you choose good luck. If at any time you need plumbing information please contact us we are here to help even if you dont use our stuff.

Jules

KEPP

The Hardin Marine sea strainer is used in some of the biggest and fastest powerboats today. The Hardin strainer has a simple one hand knob for easy clean out, no tools required. Dual inlets and outlets and an adjustable swivel clamp that allows the strainer to be rotated for installation. They are manufactured out of 316l stainless steel, and have a pure Lexan lid. Hardin strainers are also available with dual strainer baskets, so it will catch all of the sea weed, turtle grass or what ever else is in the water. You can check out the Hardin Marine sea strainers on our web site www.keitheickert.com, or call us at 386-446-0660 and we will send you out a catalog.
Thank you
KEPP

BROWNIE

Best strainer on the market: Stainless Marine. Built-in pressure relief valve. All stainless steel. Bulletproof. Big bucks. $869.

teaguecustommarine

we have a sea strainer that may work for you.
i have them in 10" and 5" (i recommend the 5")
they are all stainless steel with a aluminum ring
and a clear lexan to see if you have any "sea weed"
trapped in it. you can get it in any configuration you
want, heck! if i don't have one you need on the shelf we'll
make it for you and ship it the next day. They come in
U-Turn left and right, straight through left and right and
90 deg left and right, you can even pick the color of the
ring blue, red, pewter, black, purple or polished.
They are 1" pipe in and out so you can plumb any
size or style hose you want in any direction
here are some pics and if you have any other questions
give me a call and i can answer them for you
OHH! and i even have brackets with different angles in
case your transom isn't 90deg
thanks
Adrian

monstaaa

i have used almost every brand out there, and the Hardin marine is my choice for most applications. as stated above the dual inlet/ outlets ease installation and the single knob for removing the screen for cleaning is neat. also the x-tra port for adapting a flush is key. and we always use 1" npt for it is the same size as marine hardwire water hose.

good luck

p.s i have installed these on everything from a magnum to a 110 mph fountain and almost every thing in between.

Raceangel77

I think this is what they call a buyers market. I should imagine that you are feeling a little bit overwhelmed with all the personal attention. However; competition is good for the consumer . Best luck with your decision or if in doubt draw straws.
jules

BajaRunner

I have a question about the sea strainers. I dont have a bunch of "crap" in the lake, but Ive always thought about them when catching air and keeping water in the seawater pump.

But heres my question. If one clogs, do you lose your impellor?