T&T: water line to dripless shaft bearings

[Rich Gano]

Chet, I have the same situation with my two PYI dripless packings, except
the take off point for my cooling water hoses is at the water injection
point of the exhaust elbows, just above the waterline.  Thus, I don't have
an issue with unstoppable backflow when changing impellers and such.

I do not have a source for 3/8" siphon breaks either, but maybe you could
just use some adapters to connect to the smallest sized one available.  If
you can switch your connection to a higher point in the main engine raw
water circuit like I did, your problem would go away.  The Ford Lehman gurus
at American Diesel did not like my packing cooling hoses hooked up between
the lube oil cooler and the heat exchanger, so I moved them to the current
location.

I have not given too much consideration to the possibility of siphon action
into my engines from this source, nor do I have siphon breaks after the main
engine seawater cooling pumps.  I guess if the boat were to accumulate
enough water to lower it in the water by about a foot without the engines
running, I'd have a problem.  I imagine there are many, many boats out there
running the same sort of set up.  I know I have seen a lot like that.

In regard to the issue of cooling the off side packing while running on the
other engine, my instructions indicate that cooling lines are only for 12
knot-plus boats; so I doubt that my 6-knot single engine speed will ever
heat up the packing.  Besides, if you were to run a cross-connect line, it
seems possible to me that you could pump water into the secured engine.

Rich Gano
CALYPSO (GB-42 #295)
Southport, FL (near Panama City)