Cleaning the Heat Exchangers

Cleaning the Engine Heat Exchanger

Engine Heat Exchanger

Housing for the Engine Heat Exchanger

Another maintenance item checked off the list - Leonard spent the entire day cleaning out the heat exchangers for the diesel engines and the heat exchangers for the transmission on the port and starboard sides of the boat.  Heat exchangers are the equivalent of a car’s radiator, except sea water is used to cool the engine instead of air.  Coolant antifreeze surrounds the heat exchanger while sea water flows through the small tubes inside the heat exchanger.  To enable cooling water to flow more freely through these small tubes, a brass rod is used to clear out any debris.  Cleaning out the engine heat exchangers is a messy job and involves removing hoses, draining out antifreeze coolant, and removing engine parts.  Care needs to be taken when using the rod inside the small tubes so as not to damage the unit.  After cleaning out the heat exchangers and putting hoses and parts back together again, the antifreeze coolant is added back to the engine's reservoir.  Since raw water or sea water used to cool the engines is expelled through the exhaust system, we always check for water at the stern of the boat when starting the engines.



Cleaning the Transmission Heat Exchanger

Adding Antifreeze Coolant