Frequently Asked Questions

If your vessel…

• uses seawater in a raw water network for cooling
• has a freshwater tank larger than 10 gallons
• has a 12/24V electrical system

…then a PHIBER system can be retrofitted into it. 

Alternatively, if you are commissioning or already in the process of building a new vessel, the PHIBER System can be installed by the manufacturer of the vessel as it is being constructed. 

PHIBER Systems lessen costs by extending the service life of heat exchangers, turbos, intercoolers, aftercoolers, oil coolers, fuel coolers, gear coolers, mixing elbows, and other components in raw water networks. It increases the resale value of your vessel and engines, and virtually eliminates the time investment required for traditional (manual) flushing of outboard engines.

A PHIBER flush uses significantly less water than conventional flushing methods. Extensive testing of flow rates and salinity on inboard and outboard engines demonstrated that the combination of proper timing and water flow allows very short duration flush times to achieve optimal results.

The freshwater flush duration recommendation by most outboard manufacturers is ten minutes, and since municipal garden hoses usually provide a flow rate of around 12-13 gallons per minute, that means it takes the average boat owner over 120 gallons to flush EACH ENGINE (per manufacturer spec).

In testing salinity before and after flushing a large V8 outboard, the PHIBER team recorded salinity of less than a thousand parts per million (1000 PPM) after a pressurized flush of only 30 SECONDS using the onboard 5 gallon-per-minute freshwater pump and consuming a little less than three gallons of freshwater from the vessel’s freshwater tank.

On a separate test of an 8-cylinder diesel inboard with a native idle-speed raw water flow rate of 15 gallons/minute, a 45 second PHIBER flush achieved similar results, using only around 12 gallons of fresh water to flush the engine.
A PHIBER user can obtain optimal results with very miserly water usage as these examples demonstrate.

Consider also the added benefit to vessels that are used primarily as day-boats or other non full-time cruising applications that activating the PHIBER fresh water flush system promotes cycling of fresh water through the vessel’s tanks, minimizing the stagnation of water in the onboard freshwater system.

A PHIBER System can be easily installed with the vessel in the water. All plumbing modifications are performed downstream from the raw water intake, therefore, once it has been turned off, the lines can be safely evacuated and alterations made. Qualified PHIBER installers will account for any other installation factors when designing the system and selecting the necessary plumbing fittings, hose, auxiliary pump, etc. 

Marine engine and equipment manufacturers recommend routine flushing of raw water networks, either at specified “run-hour” intervals, or after each use in seawater. They do NOT specify “how” this maintenance must be performed, rather, only that it should be.

Until PHIBER, nearly all methods require labor, time, and inefficient use of water resources. PHIBER is a revolutionary design, because it offers truly automated “push-button” and highly-efficient methods for performing this tedious task.

The Control Module is very miserly when it comes to power consumption.  When in standby mode, the Module only requires 2-4 watts of power.

Depending on the size of the Primary FWF Gate, it can require 12-24 watts during flushing cycles.  

The freshwater pump may require more depending on the particular application, but run times for any FWF cycle are very short, to overall power consumption is very light.

One PHIBER Control Module can control flushing for one raw-water network. In outboard configurations, this may include up to two engines, provided they are flushed simultaneously as a single network.

For installations on vessels with three engines or more, the use of a valve sequencing system is recommended. 

PHIBER Systems are compatible with many aftermarket flushing systems that allow for streamlined installation for larger outboard engine configurations. 

With the traditional means of manually flushing an inboard marine engine, there is an inherent risk of either starving the engine of water, or if equipped with a muffler, backing up exhaust water and hydro-locking the engine. The PHIBER system provides layers of safety to prevent these issues and preserve the integrity of both the raw and freshwater networks.

The PHIBER System has a very flexible installation footprint. Components can be placed at various locations so that the original configuration of the raw water network is not altered.

On new boat builds, the system can be accounted for and designed into the overall build. On boats being retrofit with a PHIBER system, qualified installers will be able to make the system appear as part of the native systems already designed into the boat.