Greetings, was wondering if any fellow CH'ers could tell me the manufacturer of the heat exchanger in this photo. (aka Cowboy: CH65/74). I am looking to do a coolant exchange (my last analysis was quite dilute, yes i am concerned about a leak too). I am hoping there is a drain plug in the bottom to do an "in water" exchange of coolant should the system survive a pressure test. My thought was to connect a hose to the heat exchanger (diver) and pump out from below. (this is a survey photo not currant) All thoughts welcome cheers! Steve
Keel Coolers were usually custom made. By whom?? Dunno. I would hope there is not a drain nut. The plumbing on the inside the hull should have service valves for flushing. A radiator pressure tester (Stant) should work nicely. Pump it up and come back in the morning. Do not test over 8PSI .
I’ve never seen a keel cooler with a drain on the exterior cooler itself. Doesn’t mean there isn’t one, I’ve just never seen one. They are typically serviced all from the inside. Even if you had an exterior drain plug, how would a diver remove the plug and hook a hose to it without getting contamination into the cooler? And then how would you avoid contamination upon removing the hose and reinstalling the plug? Should be easy enough to pump the coolant out from your engine room.
Maybe a better question might be: has any CH owners done an in water pressure test and exchange of their coolant, given the typical system that was installed in the CH series? I am concerned there may be a leak in the system certainly. There does not appear to be any easy access point to the keel cooler inside the bilge area.
Simply pump up the system to 12-15 psi and put a pressure gauge on it. If you have a leak you should know it, as you'll have sea water in your coolant. Cape Horn was made by several different yards as they were never a builder, figure out which yard built yours and call them. I've never seen a drain on a keel cooled system on the outside of the boat. PM Judy Waldman on here and she should be able to figure out which of the 3 or so yards, your boat was built at.
By this criteria, are you saying that Nordhavn isn't a builder either...?!? Anyway, Cowboy was built by these guys, who by the way were the best among the builders used by CH, imho. But I guess the OP probably knows that already, it should be mentioned somewhere on the boat and her papers.
We have a Fernstrum Gridcooler. The last time I called, Fernstrum answered the phone and had quick/helpful/knowledgeable customer service. There are multiple drains on our unit, accessible outside the hull. Some owners remove the coolant from inside the boat via wet/dry vacuum. Best Wishes.
I don't know enough on Nordhavn to comment. But what I do know is it takes them 3-4 months to finish a lot of things on the boat here before it's delivered to the customer and another 8-9 months to get all of the issues worked out on them. But you would have to BUILD something in order to be classified as a BUILDER. Supervising a shipyard, would not be considered a builder in anyone's eyes, that's a project manager.
I actually sympathize with your view - in fact, my question wasn't actually meant to disagree. Just to point out (for balance) that having never been a builder isn't more relevant for CH than it is for Nordhavn, Outer Reef, and others.