Raw water strainers: Plastic, bronze or both?

[jrd22]

Commercial or recreational, the point is the same. Plastic will melt before a heavy duty hose, it would be a bummer to have a fire and put it out but have the boat sink anyway because a plasitc part had partially melted. Also, as plastic ages it becomes more brittle so more prone to vibration breakage. Why not go bronze and never have to worry about it.

[David M]

That's how I feel. Spending a little more for bronze for a plastic boat is worth the piece of mind.

[delmarrey]

Mine's the bronze case with the Lexan bowl, below the waterline. I'm happy with it. It's been in line for 27+ years.

If there's a fire in that area the strainer will be the last of my worries. Besides, there is a seacock before it.

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by jrd22

Commercial or recreational, the point is the same. Plastic will melt before a heavy duty hose, it would be a bummer to have a fire and put it out but have the boat sink anyway because a plasitc part had partially melted. Also, as plastic ages it becomes more brittle so more prone to vibration breakage. Why not go bronze and never have to worry about it.

And your comments regarding the Lexan melting before the hose comes from where? The "plastic" in our last sea strainer is now 20 years old and still installed. I have accidentally whacked it with tools, etc. so it does not seem too brittle yet. I can look in the engine compartment and see immediately in an overheat situation if the strainer is clogged. If it is bronze I will waste the time to take it apart and find the problem is elsewhere. This alone was my decision to install a see-thru basket for a strainer.

[SkiprJohn]

I've got a question. Aren't most all Vetus plastic sea strainers for gensets installed below the waterline? I know the Vetus I used on my old boat for the Perkins main engine was below the waterline and it was plastic. Seems like there might be a problem with air leaks if they were mounted above the waterline?
Guess I'm confused again. Never ending confusion is hard to deal with.
I really do like to look through the strainer to see if water is flowing and there is no debris.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[Pblais]

The Coasties require metal thru-hull valves on Subchapter-T vessels.

I never suggested the valvae was or could be plastic. Gorco does use the filter container and sme caps as lexan that is about 1/8 inches thick the rest of the filter is all bronze. Any fire on a recreational boat that could melt a filter isn't one you could survive. Once they get that bad ,they can't be put out.

[Christian Van H]

Delmarrey, that picture is too pretty to be your bilge! I want to blow it up and frame it! Thanks!

[Chief Engineer]

It is a museum piece!!!!!!!!!quote=Christian Van H;235968]Delmarrey, that picture is too pretty to be your bilge! I want to blow it up and frame it! Thanks![/quote]