Posted on 3/4/2016
I’m crawling through a bilge, flashlight clenched firmly in my teeth, during a vessel inspection when I come across a corroded and leaking assemblage of metallic plumbing fittings. Some of the components are green, which, while unsightly, isn’t worrisome. Others are pink, a sure sign of dezinc-ification; and the oozing emerald-colored seawater threatens the more troubling prospect of flooding and sinking.
Regrettably, this is an all-too-common occurrence. On countless occasions I have made the following entries in vessel inspection reports: “Stainless steel raw water fittings corroding, leaking”; “PVC fittings used for raw water, and poorly supported, risk of failure and flooding”; “Polyethyl-ene plumbing, designed for potable water use, used to supply raw water to wash d...