Using Acid to Clear Thru Hulls

[bryan25rs]

I searched but could not find any information on this topic. I have some barnicle growth in my thru hulls for raw water intake. i want to clean them out, someone at the boat yard told me to use acid. has anyone done this before? How do i do it? do i just take the intake hose off the sea strainer and pour it down? Do i use it full strength? how long do i let it sit on there before i rinse it off?

Thanks in advance - Bryan

 

[scoflaw]

Don't know about acid, but I modified my intake grates so I can get a long thin screwdriver up there to knock them off and then I stick a swab of cloth on a coat hanger and paint the inside of the tube all the way to the ball valve.

 

[fwebster]

Ask yourself this question: How can I get acid into the strainer with the boat in the water? You can't. It will immediately dilute in seawater and be useless. If the boat is out of the water, you might be able to spray acid up inside the intake with a bottle or garden sprayer, but you will ruin your clothes and shoes, besides, if the boat is out of the water, it is much easier to just use a putty knife or similar tool to scrape the intake clean. If it is in the water, get a mask and fins and go swimming.

Free advice is worth about what you pay for it, and I am a big fan of asking questions of those who feel called upon to tell me how to do something…….like "How?", "Why?", "Would you explain?".

 

[bryan25rs]

The boat is out of the water on blocks, and the thru hulls have grates on them, so i cant get a scapper in them.

 

[JimFromMD]

The boat is out of the water on blocks, and the thru hulls have grates on them, so i cant get a scapper in them.

There were some threads on here about using a muriatic acid solution and/or barnicle buster to clean the growth out of AC lines... that may be what you mean?

 

[fwebster]

It sounds like you have Great South Bay strainers. They are sometimes added to a boat due to their design because they keep ell grass out of the cooling system. We don't have them down here, but I understand there are 2 types…….one has a removable perforated grate, the other is fixed so it cannot be maintained. If yours are removable, there should be a couple of screws holding the grate in place. If they are fixed, I guess you are back to trying to use acid to clean them up.

If you have the fixed grate design, I would see about having them replaced by the removable type so you can maintain them…….probably be money well spent.

 

[bahamabreisus]

I pull the hose off the thru hull, ream it out with long screw driver. Let the water flow, make sure pumps are working first.