Sea water filters are essential to keep large particulates from clogging engine coolant systems and other marine water intake systems. Choose a bronze strainer with enough capacity without restricting the flow rate.
Also, consider a marine raw water strainer to protect hoses and other components from clogging with plant life and salt water. These can be installed inline before deck washdown pumps, galley spigots, and saltwater toilets.
Cleaner Water
A filter protects the engine from seaweed, debris, sand, and other solids scooped into your boat’s water intake systems. If these contaminants reach your engine or cooling system, they can cause damage that requires expensive repairs.
When shopping for a new strainer at Groco strainer replacement part, look for one that can be easily cleaned. Ideally, the filter will be mounted above the waterline with a spin-off cap and lift-out basket that require no tools to access. It’s also best to find a filter that doesn’t need to be shut off when opened so you can clean it while the rest of the boat is underway.
Please browse our selection of boat cleaners to help clean out your filter, hull, and almost anything else on your boat!
Reduced Maintenance
A sea filter prevents large debris from entering your engine’s cooling system. Without one, sand, grass, and other debris can block water pumps and damage cooling systems.
Having a good strainer that’s easily accessible reduces maintenance time and frequency. Ensure it has the suitable capacity for your boat, and look for a strainer compatible with your motor and cooling system to avoid clogs or restriction of flow rates.
Often overlooked, inspect and lubricate all thru-hull fittings below the waterline, including seacock valves and strainers. Also, ensure all hoses attached to these fittings are double-clamped with t-bolt style marine grade hose clamps rather than slotted, worm-gear type hose clamps that provide less uniform pressure and can fail. Also, drain your boat’s intake sea filter and check for any ice that may have bent the nipple over the winter.
Increased Efficiency
The water strainer prevents debris like aquatic life, leaves, mud, and dirt from clogging boats’ pumps and plumbing systems. This includes marine engine cooling systems, sanitation systems, bilge pump intakes, and the boat’s washdown pumps.
The easiest-to-clean strainers have spin-off caps lifting-out baskets located above the waterline. They also have t-bolt seacock fittings rather than slotted worm-gear types, which secure with less uniform pressure.
Consider a duplex strainer with two separate filters if you want a more advanced filtration solution. This allows you to clean one while the other continues working, ensuring continuous water flow with minimal downtime. Another option is ElectroStrainer, which monitors marine growth and automatically generates chlorine directly inside the strainer basket. This eliminates the need for manual cleaning and scheduled maintenance.
Better Cooling
A badly overheated engine is one of the worst things that can happen on a boat. Not only will it spoil your day on the water, but it could cost you a lot of money in expensive repairs or an engine replacement.
A properly working sea strainer is a big part of keeping your boat’s engine cool by straining out all the gunk that gets scooped into the cooling systems and filtering out contaminants before they can cause damage.
Marine inboard engines, sanitation systems, bilge pump intakes, and marine air conditioning use sea strainers to prevent debris from clogging pumps and plumbing systems. Ensure your marine filter is protected from fouling with ElectroStrainer’s smart biofouling prevention device that generates chlorine directly inside the basket.
Less Noise
All strainers help prevent harmful debris from entering your boat’s water system. However, some filters catch more than others. Those with higher capacities capture more debris before needing to be cleaned, reducing maintenance frequency.
Choose a strainer with easy-to-access cleaning features. Most modern strainers have spin-off caps and lift-out baskets so they can be quickly cleaned. Look for strainers with clog-proof screens as well.
There are many marine strainers, including scoop and intake strainers, bilge pump and potable water strainers, and raw water strainers. In addition, there are duplex strainers that offer more advanced filtration with two separate filters to ensure uninterrupted water flow and less downtime.
