Exhaust System Maintenance Tips For A Worry-Free Spring Launch
Centek Industries offers the following pre-launch maintenance tips to help boat owners avoid problems with their exhaust systems during the boating season.
• Inspect and replace worn impellers
• Check water pump and replace or repair as needed
• All screens and traps should be free of debris
• Check all hoses and clamps for wear and make sure clamps are tight and secure
• Visually inspect the muffler for these signs of damage from excessive heat: bubbling or flaking paint; discolouration; melted stickers and/or salt deposits.
• Check external rubber flappers for cracks, dry rot or other damage
• Thru hulls should be free of obstruction. Check to make sure a critter hasn’t made a winter home in the exhaust tube or muffler.
• Make sure seacocks are open and functioning properly before startup
Photo: This is what can happen to a boat exhaust system if it isn’t properly maintained, according to leading exhaust systems manufacturer Centek Industries.
Spring is also a good time to consider improvements to your exhaust system.
If your boat’s muffler is made of plastic, consider upgrading to Centek components which are made from high–temperature, flame retardant resin and which are also Lloyd’s Register Type approved and meet or exceed the ABYC-P1 standards.
Sound attenuation. Options are available to make the system quieter or give it a more pleasant tone.
Install a check valve to help prevent water from flowing back into the engine or genset.
If you’re re-powering or upgrading your generator, make sure the exhaust system is properly sized – existing parts and components may not be compatible with your new engine(s) or genset.
Get rid of the splash and gurgle you hear when the generator is running. The Centek GEN-SEP™ is specially designed to reduce this common source of exhaust noise.
Get rid of the sheen. A Centek Gen-Kleen™ system eliminates the sheen around your boat when the generator is running and a Centek BilgeKleen™ filter system does the same thing when your bilge pump is running.
Centek’s engineering staff has more than 80 years of marine wet exhaust system design and innovation experience. The company has designed, engineered and built more than 15,000 custom marine exhaust systems for ski boats, yachts, workboats, military and law enforcement vessels and many of these designs are used continuously to build exhaust systems for thousands of new boats and refits annually.
