extra filter in shower hoses ?

[uk_exile]

The gauze filters at the valves always keep blocking with fine grit. It's a pain to regulary remove the locker wall to get access to the valves so was thinking of fitting extra filters in the hoses under the engine. I know I've seen it mentioned here somewhere. What type filters have been used ?

[VinRLX]

I think someone on here used garden hose screens, BICBW.

[SunriseH2OSkier]

Tvano has played around with this a bit, I'll ping him and have him chime in. I think he tried the garden hose screen route, but seems to me he found those screens to be to coarse to help significantly.

[vette-ski]

This is something I have to get figured out before next spring. Mine were contantly plugging up too. I cleaned them out and first trip back to the lake I had no pressure again. And it's a pain removing the valve body every time to clean. It's pretty easy to knock the screens out of the shower valve body. There's just not enough surface area there so they plug up pretty quick. But if you don't like the idea of all the junk going through the pump, then you'll want to put a in-line filter back in. I'm considering putting some of these back in: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4YD31

I've used them on a jetski before and seemed to work ok. There's a lot more surface area so they shouldn't plug up as fast, and will be easer to access.

[uk_exile]

The pumps use a robust rubber diaphram so a bit of grit going through won't effect the pump, but suspect over time it might block the shower head.

Not that we use the shower setting anyway, it's normally set on stream or wide and we just fill our wetsuits to warm up.

[uk_exile]

Vetteiski, that grainger filter looks exactly like what comes with the pumps. I think I'll punch out the valve gauze and will hunt out some hose fittings to fit in engine bay. Was thinking of maybe washing machine / dishwasher type gauze washers but the smaller dia hose the bu has might be a problem.

[trevorb]

The gauze filters at the valves always keep blocking with fine grit. It's a pain to regulary remove the locker wall to get access to the valves so was thinking of fitting extra filters in the hoses under the engine. I know I've seen it mentioned here somewhere. What type filters have been used ?

I did that to my shower last year. I started a topic here

I was easy to do and it works great. I just added garden hose barbed fittings into the hot and cold water lines. Then I added quick connects on them, and put a mesh garden hose filter in between another set of quick connects. When I start losing pressure on the shower I can just disconnect the filter and clean it out and put it back in. Make sure you remove the screens that are in the shower valves if you do this, so you never have to clean them again. It took me maybe two hours to install this setup and about 20 seconds to cleans the filters now.

[Liquidmx]

I was having the exact same problems as stated above. I posted about it somewhere related to showers. My ultimate decision was to T-off the heater line for the shower. It ended up working fabulously. The heater does not loose heat, and your shower pump gets plenty of hot water.

[vette-ski]

I can see how that will help with the scale out of the block plugging it up. I must have been running in some mucky water though because it wasn't rust scale and it was on the cold side too. I also think I'm going to need something with more surface area than the hose screens so I'm not rinsing them every time I use it.

[uk_exile]

I was having the exact same problems as stated above. I posted about it somewhere related to showers. My ultimate decision was to T-off the heater line for the shower. It ended up working fabulously. The heater does not loose heat, and your shower pump gets plenty of hot water.

How's that any different than taking hot straight from the side of the engine block ? It's still hot engine water and could still have rust in it, couldn't it ?

With mine it's generally the hot valve screen that blocks first but cold also collects a bit of grit so I clean it at same time.

Edited November 13, 2007 by uk_exile

[tvano]

i used quick connects at the shower supply lines. there is just enough room for faucet aireators(sp?). spin the connectors apart, clean the screen and i no longer need to tear out then tear down the mixer valve. y, i did leave the screens in the mixer. imagine i will need to clean them out on occassion or someday. they don't plug up near as much as they did prior to installing the screens in line. i have seen (granger, etc) larger, in line, screen filters w screw type covers to access/ clean out. if i can find a link i will add it to this thread.

[lake texoma]

I saw this filter with a washdown pump. Wouldn't it also work as an inline filter??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...A:IT&ih=015

[vette-ski]

I saw this filter with a washdown pump. Wouldn't it also work as an inline filter??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...A:IT&ih=015

Yeah, that's basically the same thing as what I linked above in post #4 - grainger filter.

[Liquidmx]

UK, its different since it pulls from the top of the intake (thus gravity is working for me, not against me). When I was hooked up to the drain hole I would get plugged before I ever even got the shower running. What turned me on to this was looking at a Sanger's hot water shower setup. This particular boat did not have a heater and they were running the hot line from the top of the intake line. I ride a lot in the delta and silty lakes, so needless to say there is always a bunch of gunk in the water. (knocking on wood), my shower went from completely useless to trouble free this entire season from this fix.

Edited November 14, 2007 by Liquidmx

[uk_exile]

UK, its different since it pulls from the top of the intake (thus gravity is working for me, not against me). When I was hooked up to the drain hole I would get plugged before I ever even got the shower running. What turned me on to this was looking at a Sanger's hot water shower setup. This particular boat did not have a heater and they were running the hot line from the top of the intake line. I ride a lot in the delta and silty lakes, so needless to say there is always a bunch of gunk in the water. (knocking on wood), my shower went from completely useless to trouble free this entire season from this fix.

thanks for the explaination