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Vetus overheating. Or venting...


cheesegas

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20 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

A the stack is out of the engine I would put it in a bowl or bucket (one end at time if necessary) and soak it  in a domestic descaler for a first try because I am unsure how a stronger acid would affect the  brass. copper and solder in the stack. it might just take longer than a more powerful product. If I could be sure i think Brick  Cleaner would do the job. I think that is somewhat dilute hydrochloric acid.

 

To dissolve any volume of crud requires large volumes of chemical. To get 500g of calcium scale out of a heat exchanger I find takes two tubs of Scalebreaker SR dissolved in perhaps 100 litres of water, and costs about £30.

 

The big problem with domestic descaler is to buy the sheer volume of it necessary will probably cost far more than the professional stuff. 

 

And to clarify my previous post, Scalebreaker FX and SR are both benign, easy to use and effective. Same stuff in either liquid or granular form. Scalebreaker HD is the evil one to avoid and eats stainless steel. 

 

 

 

 

 

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24 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

To dissolve any volume of crud requires large volumes of chemical. To get 500g of calcium scale out of a heat exchanger I find takes two tubs of Scalebreaker SR dissolved in perhaps 100 litres of water, and costs about £30.

 

The big problem with domestic descaler is to buy the sheer volume of it necessary will probably cost far more than the professional stuff. 

 

And to clarify my previous post, Scalebreaker FX and SR are both benign, easy to use and effective. Same stuff in either liquid or granular form. Scalebreaker HD is the evil one to avoid and eats stainless steel.

 

Thanks for the advice, good to get the low down from a professional who uses the stuff.

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Forgot to get a picture of it, but it's such a mess I recommended replacement. The scale jammed the tube stack in there pretty good, it took a lump hammer and a chunk of wood to shift it, and the mating surfaces where the O rings sit are all chewed up. Not sure if the brazing from end plate to tubes was damaged by our efforts with the hammer too, it was a good hour of whacking it back and forth a fraction of an inch before it could be extracted! The end caps' bolts are both sheared flush in the heat exchanger, and it's hard to work out what's bolt and what's brass! Could try and drill them out and tap the hole a size up I guess...but it's also not my boat, and whilst I'm happy to help him out after he's been screwed over by a dodgy engineer, I don't really want to spend hours on it. 

 

He's sourced a new tube stack at a reasonable price together with O rings and bolts, I'll help him fit it and hopefully will be on his way. Shouldn't be stuck again...but the Hurth mechanical gearbox or something in the driveline was making some pretty awful noises going into gear. Might just be the weird propshaft though...R&D coupling, then a double cardan joint, followed by two pillowblocks and finally a Centraflex. No thrust bearing, just a standard stern tube, all in the space of about three feet. Recommended that he avoid the semi tidal Thames until it's proven not to explode.

 

Thanks for the info on descaling though, very useful! 

Edited by cheesegas
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4 minutes ago, cheesegas said:

...R&D coupling, then a double cardan joint, followed by two pillowblocks and finally a Centraflex. No thrust bearing, just a standard stern tube, all in the space of about three feet.

 

Jeez, I'd be far more interested in a photo of that lot than one of the crudded-up tube stack! 

 

Totally understand about replacing the tube stack being the sensible option. Was just doing a brain dump really for anyone reading this thread in the future.

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6 minutes ago, MtB said:

Jeez, I'd be far more interested in a photo of that lot than one of the crudded-up tube stack! 

 

Totally understand about replacing the tube stack being the sensible option. Was just doing a brain dump really for anyone reading this thread in the future.

Much appreciated, putting the brand names of commercial stuff less known about in this thread is really quite useful. I'll try and remember to get a photo of the franken-propshaft, I think this poor guy's been duped by the seller given how nice the boat is inside, compared to the bodged state of the electrics and mechanics. Engine isn't the original, it's a Dutch barge but the bearers have been chopped around and the mounts are bolted to a questionable arrangement of angle iron.

Edited by cheesegas
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56 minutes ago, Bod said:

As a preventive, in future would using distilled/deionised water rather than tap water help to reduce "furring-up"?

 

Bod

I always mix my antifreeze with distilled/deionised water for both the engine and the heating. Doesn't cost much and it might help.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-x-25L-Litres-Deionised-Demineralised-Water-Lab-Highest-Grade-Purity-Level-/284239001373?

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1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

A the stack is out of the engine I would put it in a bowl or bucket (one end at time if necessary) and soak it  in a domestic descaler for a first try because I am unsure how a stronger acid would affect the  brass. copper and solder in the stack. it might just take longer than a more powerful product. If I could be sure i think Brick  Cleaner would do the job. I think that is somewhat dilute hydrochloric acid.

On the Beta Marin engine group people have done it using vinegar 

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