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Tips on installing Flush Pro?


kayakwv

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I'd appreciate feedback before I install my Perko Flush Pro this weekend. Not much room before the VDrive unit (05 VLX), so I'll plan to install somewhere along the long hose between VDrive and impeller pump. Bakes advised to try to install it with the hose inlet pointing up. Any other advice I should know. Seems like a straightforward install.

Should I locate it more forward under the rear seats or towards the stern under the engine?

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are you going to install the through hull?

My only advise is that if you cut that long raw water hose with a hacksaw like I did, be real careful of the sharp wire. You might end up piercing your finger, like I did.

Once you install it (make sure you get the direction right), if you aren't going to do the through hull, it would make sense to add a short garden hose extension so that when you need to use it you just hook right into the hose as opposed to fishing in the bilge to hook up your hose.

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Check my boat house you can see some picks. A few comments..I see you have a VLX so you can install before the transmission which is ideal. Try and install so you can access through the center seat cushion. The hose will cut easily and you may need a wire cutter to finish it off. Cut out enough hose to allow for the unit to install and use lots of soap to get the hose on tight. Any further quesitons shoot me a pm.

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I actually did install it on the intake side. The reason I did this is so when I run antifreeze through it for winterizing it will get in the v-drive cooler. It may *look* like there isn't much space but if have a boat like mine where the intake does a sharp bend, you can utilize that natural flex when you cut the hose to curve it slightly over the top of the v-drive housing. I have easy access to all my ballast pumps, shut off valves, fluid dipsticks, etc and there is still a couple inches of clearance between the nozzle and the cushion. Just my $.02 You can cut those hose super easy if you have a reciprocal saw (sawzall) with a bimetal blade. There is spiral wire in the hose which makes it very sturdy and hard to put fittings in. Cut through it with a hacksaw if you don't have a recip and then try to pull the wire out as far as you can THEN snip it as close as you can to the rubber and then jam the wire end back inside the rubber with a flat tip screwdriver (or risk cutting up your hands on sharp points later on).

flushKit.jpg

Trust me when I say if you go this route, buy two of these for your 90 degree bends:

http://www.bakesonli...il.aspx?ID=2651.

If you're planning on going to a hardware store to get the normal PVC fittings I wish you luck, sir. Those 1 1/4'' elbows are not even close to 1 1/4'' OD by the barbs. I'm a strong guy and I could not force those things into place even by oiling them, heating the hose with a heat gun, and not even if I hit it with my purse. However, these fittings fit perfectly (thanks again pete):

Edited by wakeboarder3780
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I actually did install it on the intake side. The reason I did this is so when I run antifreeze through it for winterizing it will get in the v-drive cooler. It may *look* like there isn't much space but if have a boat like mine where the intake does a sharp bend, you can utilize that natural flex when you cut the hose to curve it slightly over the top of the v-drive housing. I have easy access to all my ballast pumps, shut off valves, fluid dipsticks, etc and there is still a couple inches of clearance between the nozzle and the cushion. Just my $.02 You can cut those hose super easy if you have a reciprocal saw (sawzall) with a bimetal blade. There is spiral wire in the hose which makes it very sturdy and hard to put fittings in. Cut through it with a hacksaw if you don't have a recip and then try to pull the wire out as far as you can THEN snip it as close as you can to the rubber and then jam the wire end back inside the rubber with a flat tip screwdriver (or risk cutting up your hands on sharp points later on).

flushKit.jpg

Trust me when I say if you go this route, buy two of these for your 90 degree bends:

http://www.bakesonli...il.aspx?ID=2651.

If you're planning on going to a hardware store to get the normal PVC fittings I wish you luck, sir. Those 1 1/4'' elbows are not even close to 1 1/4'' OD by the barbs. I'm a strong guy and I could not force those things into place even by oiling them, heating the hose with a heat gun, and not even if I hit it with my purse. However, these fittings fit perfectly (thanks again pete):

that looks really clean. Great job!

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that looks really clean. Great job!

Thanks man, it's been working great so far. Used it to fire up the boat in the driveway a couple times already this season, loving how easy of a task this is now. Zero monkeying around. Another tip I got that I just remembered (got this tip from the buys at bakes marine) is to use a silicone sealant on the threaded end of those elbows since it's technically not a barb - just to ensure a nice seal. While it wouldn't be NECESSARY it makes me feel good knowing I did a good job installing it. The product they suggested was called life seal and can be found here:

http://www.bakesonli...il.aspx?ID=1105

To be honest after using it, it looks and feels and acts so much like silicone caulk if I didn't have life seal around I'd simply use a little silicone caulk laying around to make the seal. The stuff seems like it's silicon caulk without the smell. I'm sure there is something different in the mix but like i said, if you didn't have it and wanted to put SOMETHING in there, I'd go silicone caulk.

Edited by wakeboarder3780
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Just curious about adding one of these to my 06 VLX..I read that there are two different version of the Flush pro floating around because the first version had a lot of failures of the polymer breaking, causing water to gush into the boat. Supposedly they came out with an upgraded one that is beefier. When I searched online, I found one that looks clear like yours and one that is a see through black color. I wonder which is the updated one? I sure as heck don't want to sink my boat because of a failed flush pro, however it is nice to be able to start your boat before you take it to the lake so you can make sure it starts before you get all the way out there. I used to use the fake a lake but got tired of climbing under the boat/squeezing under the trailer to hook it up

I was also maybe considering one of these.

http://www.forespar.com/products/boat-marine-plumbing-engine-flush-out.shtml

Edited by Armyguy
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Just curious about adding one of these to my 06 VLX..I read that there are two different version of the Flush pro floating around because the first version had a lot of failures of the polymer breaking, causing water to gush into the boat. Supposedly they came out with an upgraded one that is beefier. When I searched online, I found one that looks clear like yours and one that is a see through black color. I wonder which is the updated one? I sure as heck don't want to sink my boat because of a failed flush pro, however it is nice to be able to start your boat before you take it to the lake so you can make sure it starts before you get all the way out there. I used to use the fake a lake but got tired of climbing under the boat/squeezing under the trailer to hook it up

I was also maybe considering one of these.

http://www.forespar....flush-out.shtml

I was concerned about the possible failure of the plastic Flush Pro (do a search on the Internet and you will find a couple of failures) so I went with one of these. It won't fail. :biggrin:

IMG_2941.jpg

  • Like 1
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Just curious about adding one of these to my 06 VLX..I read that there are two different version of the Flush pro floating around because the first version had a lot of failures of the polymer breaking, causing water to gush into the boat. Supposedly they came out with an upgraded one that is beefier. When I searched online, I found one that looks clear like yours and one that is a see through black color. I wonder which is the updated one? I sure as heck don't want to sink my boat because of a failed flush pro, however it is nice to be able to start your boat before you take it to the lake so you can make sure it starts before you get all the way out there. I used to use the fake a lake but got tired of climbing under the boat/squeezing under the trailer to hook it up

I was also maybe considering one of these.

http://www.forespar....flush-out.shtml

I heard the same from my research. My understanding was that the blackish one was the newer style. I ordered from a site that showed to darker one and got the clear one. Oh well. If it were to fail you can just turn the shut off valve closed and get a tow in. I'm not too concerned. At which point I will be calling perko and something tells me I'll get the beefier version for free ;) If not they're a terrible company that doesn't stand behind their product at all.

Edit: I also highly doubt the failure rate is that high and IMHO i would assume more of them crack because people let them freeze. Everyone knows to drain their block early and late season in case if you get a hard freeze overnight. If you don't bump start your engine, that flush kit pro is completely filled with water. After draining the block simply bump start the engine for 5 seconds or so and all the water gets sucked out. I sleep well at night even with the clear version. YMMV.

Edited by wakeboarder3780
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  • 1 month later...

I like the home-made brass setup shown by dgd. Do you have any more pictures of it installed? How much were the parts and where did you get them?

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I like the home-made brass setup shown by dgd. Do you have any more pictures of it installed? How much were the parts and where did you get them?

The device is called the Quick Flush and is manufactured/sold by Marine Technologies Group of Florida for $84.00. They manufacturer it in different size hoses and mine is a Part # 125-1 1/4". Their website is: http://www.marinetechgroup.com/products/. You can see my installation in the photo below.

IMG_3118.jpg

  • Like 1
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In my third year on the flush pro and no issues. I added the hull fitting so the connection now is even easier.

I was concerned about the plastic and freezing, so I store the plastic parts in the house for the winter - it is easy to remove and install.

One thing i do like about the flush pro is that you can see the water flowing through it.

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Just a question about that brass home made setup. It seems like there isn't a check valve in the system to prevent backwards flow like the perko flush kit has. That means when you hook a garden hose up water will be running both to the engine and back out the through hull of the boat where the boat normally takes in water. It might just be me but I'd be worried about how much water you're actually feeding your engine / impeller and how much is just running back out onto the concrete underneath you? Something to think about.

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Just a question about that brass home made setup. It seems like there isn't a check valve in the system to prevent backwards flow like the perko flush kit has. That means when you hook a garden hose up water will be running both to the engine and back out the through hull of the boat where the boat normally takes in water. It might just be me but I'd be worried about how much water you're actually feeding your engine / impeller and how much is just running back out onto the concrete underneath you? Something to think about.

I think the idea is that you'd shut your raw water seacock before running water through the hose.

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The device is called the Quick Flush and is manufactured/sold by Marine Technologies Group of Florida for $84.00. They manufacturer it in different size hoses and mine is a Part # 125-1 1/4". Their website is: http://www.marinetec....com/products/. You can see my installation in the photo below.

IMG_3118.jpg

Looks good, amy more pictures?

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I just got my FlushPro in the mail yesterday (thanks Bakes!). Any tips on an install in a direct drive? The boat is a couple of hours away, and the only component I see myself lacking is a shut off valve. Is there a specific one to use? I want to install a shut off valve partly because of the risk of failure, but mostly because I read a post where someone could shut off their raw water intake and connect a short hose to use their FlushPro as a bilge pump if they were ever swamped.

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Two quick thoughts...The 90 degree elbows on the first photos look good, but making gentle turns with the intake hose will actually be more efficient. The raw water impeller has to create a vacuum and draw up lake water to cool the motor and any restriction or elbow on the suction side will limit this ability. We've had trouble with some of our fire pumps while trying to draft water through pre-plumbed piping with 90 degree adapters so the problem is real. I'm sure that it works fine in the driveway using hose pressure, but the house pressure is pushing the water to the raw pump.

In regards to the location of the flush adapter, I made one simular to the brass one shown above and mounted it on the other side of the transmission and also use the raw sea valve to stop backflow. Mounting it to this side of the transmision allows for a "back flush" of the transmision and screen when the sea valve is opened.

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Fireman, totally hear your concerns and understand 90 degree elbows reduce efficiency. These particular elbows are the same elbows used on both side of the vdrive cooler on v-drive malibus (in other words there are already 90 degree bends in the system). While technically I'm adding 2 more elbows these particular elbows are shaped well on the inside to reduce flow as minimally as possible.

All that being said I have had absolutely no cooling issues and have been running for 4 months on this setup. Needle never moves above 160 and that's with a 2 year old globe impeller. I'm not concerned at all and have the utmost confidence this setup will cool efficiently enough so as not to cause a problem.

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  • 8 years later...

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