6.2.1 Maintenance

Clean the sea cock strainers according to the schedule and to the pollution condition of the sucked waters (seaweeds, mucilages, etc..).

Check and clean sea cock valves and strainers:

Check for barnacles or corrosion on the control levers of the cut-off valves of the strainer to be checked.
Clean the control levers of the valves with a brush, lubricate and protect with proper products.
Move the levers repeatedly.
Close the cut-off valve upstream the strainer.
Unscrew screws of strainer cover.
Remove the filter element, clean it with a brush and rinse it in water (replace as necessary).
Clean the strainer housing.
Check and, if necessary, replace the gasket of the strainer cover.
Fill the strainer with water to avoid the pumps running dry or that the system does not prime.
Reposition the strainer, the cover and tighten the nuts.
Reopen the cut-off valve and check whether the strainer cover is leaking.

CAUTION

Before carrying out the cleaning of the sea cock strainers, check that the uses supplied with sea water are switched off and not in use.

CAUTION

Isolate the strainer to be cleaned, cutting off relevant valves upstream and downstream.

CAUTION

The air conditioning system is also equipped with a draining valve, located under the water line; perform the same maintenance as for the sea cock valve.

WARNING

During navigation, regularly check the cleanliness of the sea water strainer baskets. If the yacht is crossing a dirty sea area, check the condition of the strainers and proceed with their cleaning. Taking suitable precautions is very important to prevent damage to mechanical parts (engines, generators, etc..), discharge systems and to not jeopardize the safety of the yacht.

DANGER

The lack of care while cleaning each sea intake strainer can cause serious damage to the on-board devices and, in some cases such as fire, it may have extremely serious consequences. Check before undertaking the navigation and at regular intervals during navigation, the condition of the sea cock strainers of the various devices through the transparent covers.