POLL: Raw water impeller change frequency

[mentalfee]

Hello All,
Time for the spring diesel maintenance. I made my list of all things to do and could not find the recommended change interval for the raw water impeller. How often do the masses change theirs?

[billyruffn]

You need to add another option for the voting --

"When cracks appear at the base of the blades indicating that it's about to disintegrate"

--- or something to that effect.

That's got my vote.

(You need to inspect the impeller every few hundred hours or as often as you feel the need to do so. There was a time when my RW pump was damaging impellers in 50 hours or less. I checked them more frequently then. The impeller I have in now has several hundred hours on it with no visible sign of wear. Go figure.)

PS -- I remove the impeller during the winterization process and re-install it in the spring. That way I check it at least twice each season.

[FarCry]

Everyother year when the boat is hauled for bottom paint.

[Maine Sail]

Yearly for me..

For the $18.00 and ten minutes it hardly seems worth it to not do it. Some engines, like Yanmar, take more time but it's still worth it. New engine $15k +/-, impeller $18.00 - $50.00...

[Sequitur]

It has always been a part of my annual spring haul-out routine; do bottom, change zincs, change impeller, change oil, change filters, etc. I'm cheap; routine maintenance is cheap, repair is not. Besides, the removed impeller can usually serve as an additional spare.

[boatpoker]

Mainesail got it right. Potential damage is to great to get lazy about it. At the very least they should be removed for winter storage

[c40eb]

I just installed a Speedseal cover on my pump. WAY easier to open & get to the impeller. So...plan on annually.

[CaptainForce]

I selected yearly, but that's because I've been averaging 500hrs/year on my engine. This engine use factor is not in the poll, but it's important. 'Aythya crew

[Valiente]

I inspect it yearly, but as I put 20 hours or less on the Atomic Bomb (unless cruising around the lake), I can get a few years out of them. I carry a full spare (impeller already circliped to shaft).

[JibandJigger]

On the Morning Star, I pull the impeller when on the hard, and reinstall it when I put 'er back in. Usually Dec. to Jan. in La Paz, Baja. I'm with Main Sail, the $18 is nothing compared to burning up a motor.

"If you can't fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem"
sez
Capt. Crusty