PSI Gauge for RWCFWC system

[lorddrek]

I have a surplus of water PSI

I have a surplus of water PSI gauges and was thinking that montoring the PSI of the raw water cooled side of my fresh water cooled half system would give me RWC pump failure warning and peace of mind. Has anyone efer seen or heard of this done? If so where is a good place for a reading and what PSI range would be best? I have a aq280 with a Chevy 350 motor. Thanks!

 

[el_pescador]

"I don't think a pressure

"I don't think a pressure gauge will help in either the fresh water or raw water systems, except to tell you that when pressure is zero either something has gone seriously wrong or the gauge has malfunctioned.

In the fresh water system, the pressure is controlled by the heat exchanger cap. which acts as a relief valve. However, the pressure varies depending on how hot is the engine and how high is the load/RPM.

On the raw water system, high pressure would likely indicate a clogged manifold/riser, and very low pressure would indicate a faulty pump or lack of suction due to anumber of reasons (faulty hose connector in the outdrive, clogged raw water strainer -if fitted-, etc). The problem is that the pressure would also vary with the engine RPM, so it would be difficult to interpret the readings.

In your engine raw water system, what you want to monitor is water flow rather than pressure. Therefore, a flow switch or a flow indicator would be, in my opinion, more useful than a pressure gauge."