Tuesday, 6 June 2017
Detecting
problems before they are
Up to this point, generator checks have consisted of
looking at the level of the coolant recovery bottle and the oil dip stick
before starting. Being somewhat of a
belt and suspenders type, I wanted to double check the coolant level at the
source. So I reached back to lift the
radiator cap and noted the heat exchanger was loose in its saddle mount. I pulled the top of the sound shield off and
found the two worm gear clamps broken. I
will be headed over to the chandlery to get three suitably sized clamps because
the box of clamps on board contains nothing big enough. I would like to find some sort of cushion
materiel to go between the saddle and the heat exchanger too. The concern here is that with the heat
exchanger beating up and down in the saddle, its thin wall would eventually
rupture with all the attendant catastrophe.
I went over to the boatyard section of this place and ran
into Fred, the owner, who cut me off a piece of old firehose which I sliced
open to make a pad for the saddle under the heat exchanger. I bought three clamps (one for spare) large
enough to go around the saddle and exchanger and strapped it all back
together. The broken clamps were not old
and decrepit looking by any means (although two short ones had been used to
make up one big enough to encircle the heat exchanger), and I begin to think
they broke from the forces of expansion of the heat exchanger as the generator
warmed up. The break was in the solid
stainless steel section midway around the clamp where you would think they were
strongest. I did not really honk down of
the new ones, and hopefully the cushioning effect of the firehose will aid in
preventing more breaks.
We went to a little unique restaurant called The Bistro on the small town square for our 19th anniversary dinner.
Underway early tomorrow headed for Sumter City park anchorage
56 miles distant.
