and the drawings (Figure 7-29) show the
setup. This unit is designed to work with a
waterlift muffler. The wet exhaust enters the
bottom of the water separator through one
hose, and the separated water and cooled gas
each exit through their dedicated hoses.
Note: Avoid U-bends in the dry exhaust
line. They can cause vapor locks, which may
result in carbon monoxide backing up into
the boat.
Other companies, such as Centek and
Soundown, now offer an assortment of
water-separator mufflers.
Avoiding the Silent Killer
A final and critical caution is needed. Carbon
monoxide (CO) sickens or kills a number of
boaters every year. CO is an inescapable by-
product of burning fuel in an internal-
combustion engine. CO poisoning is insidious
and extremely dangerous. You must take
great care to minimize the chance of CO (and
other exhaust-gas by-products) from working
its way back on board. Keep in mind that nor-
mal running conditions may well help
disburse and dissipate CO, while lying
against a dock (or another boat) with the
engine idling or the gen set running may well
Chapter 7: Wet Exhaust Systems
Figure 7-28. Water-separator muffler
Figure 7-29.
Waterlift versus
water-separator
muffler (Courtesy
Halyard Ltd.)