Yes, you can safely start a Sea-Doo out of the water, as long as you properly attach it to a garden hose and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Keep in mind that doing it wrong can damage the engine, exhaust system, or even the carbon seal, which may end in costly repairs. Would you like to learn how to run a Sea-Doo on a water hose? Keep reading!
Can You Start a Sea-Doo Out of Water?
Not only can you start your Sea-Doo out of the water, but the manufacturers directly recommend you do it. Why? This is because when the Sea-Doo runs in the water, its exhaust system is cooled with raw water. This means that sand, mud, shells, and/or debris from the water can easily enter the cooling system. It can even be worse if you ride in saltwater, which can cause corrosion on the internals.
Because of these risks, the manufacturer recommends flushing your Sea-Doo’s exhaust system with fresh water after each ride!
Contrary to popular belief, this procedure is not for cleaning the engine’s cooling system, because Sea-Doo engines utilize a closed-loop cooling system. This means that their engines are cooled with coolant, and not external water.
However, unlike the engines the exhaust system and intercooler (if present) are still cooled with raw water. Thus, they need to be flushed every day if you have ridden the craft.
This way, you can remove salt deposits, debris, or even chemical products that may still be in the system! However, you have to be very careful when doing this, since doing it wrong can force water into the engine!
Therefore, it’s highly recommended that you understand how the process works and follow the steps in the correct order.
Are you wondering how to correctly flush your Sea-Doo? Keep reading!
Besides these general tips, it’s also recommended that you carefully read the manual. Don’t forget that besides the flushing procedure many other maintenance steps are required on a Sea-Doo after each ride!
How Do You Run a Sea-Doo on a Water Hose?
According to the official operator guides, the correct way to run a Sea-Doo on a water hose is as follows:
- Install the flushing connector adapter to the garden hose. (Don’t use high-pressure water!)
- Locate the flushing connector on the rear side of the hull and attach the hose to it.
- Start the engine first, before you open the tap.
- Once the engine is running, immediately open the water tap.
- Flush the Sea-Doo no longer than the recommended time frame at idle speed. (Best practice is for 60 seconds.)
- Close the water tap.
- Run the engine at 5000 RPM for 5 seconds.
- Stop the engine.
- Remove the connector from the port.
Keep in mind that the order of the steps is extremely important. Why?
This is because if you turn on the water before starting the engine, water may leak into the cylinders.
It’s good to know that while the cooling water flows through the exhaust system, the exhaust gases keep it away from the cylinders. If the engine is off, there is a risk that water will accumulate in the exhaust and ultimately leak into the cylinders.
As this can lead to serious damages, you have to make sure that the engine is running before you turn on the water! For the same reason, the manufacturer recommends that you use low-pressure water (like a garden hose) to flush your Sea-Doo.
How do you attach the hose to your Sea-Doo? For your convenience, Sea-Doos come with a flushing connector adapter, which can be installed on a garden hose.
If the place where you flush your Sea-Doo is away from the tap, you may want to install a valve on the hose before the flushing connector. This little trick makes the process more convenient and safe since you can quickly stop the water.
Once the flushing adapter is installed on the hose, you can attach it to the flushing connector, which is located on the rear side of the Sea-Doo, near the jet nozzle.
It’s also highly recommended that you keep the RPM low during the process. Best practice is to let the engine run at idle speed. Revving up the engine while the Sea-Doo is sitting on the trailer can damage the internals and even the carbon ring!
All you need to do is a little “throttle blipping” after you close the tap to remove all water from the exhaust system. (Sea-Doo recommends that you run the engine at 5000 RPM for 5 seconds before you shut off the engine.)
Also, you must ensure that the water is flowing out of the pump during the process. If you can’t see water flowing out from the rear side of the craft while you flush it, stop the water immediately and take the craft to a dealership.
Additionally, don’t forget to remove the connector adapter from the flushing port when you’re done. It’s a common mistake for Sea-Doo owners to forget to remove the connector, which often leads to overheating issues on the next ride!
How Long Can You Run a Sea-Doo on a Hose?
As a rule of thumb, you can run a Sea-Doo for a short period of time on a hose. According to the official manuals, this time frame is as low as 90-120 seconds depending on the model! However, keeping safety in mind you may want to flush your Sea-Doo for a maximum of just 60 seconds.
Are you wondering why can you only run a Sea-Doo out of the water for such a short time? The reason is that if you attach running water to its flushing port, it only cools the exhaust system and the intercooler.
Since Sea-Doo engines utilize a closed-loop cooling system, it transfers the heat to a heat exchanger. As this exchanger is not cooled while the machine is on the trailer, the result is the engine can overheat in a short time.
But if a Sea-Doo runs too long out of the water (or at too high RPM), damage most commonly occurs on the carbon ring. The carbon ring is the sealing on the driveshaft designed to keep water out of the hull. As its name implies, it’s a small ring made of carbon, which is forced against a spinning metal ring. The surfaces of these rings are in perfect contact, creating a watertight seal.
When the Sea-Doo is out of the water, these rings are not cooled and lubricated. Since the driveshaft is spinning even at idle speed, these two rings can overheat and get damaged very quickly.
And if a carbon ring gets damaged, water can leak inside the hull, causing many Sea-Doos to sink.
Conclusion
If you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, you can start your Sea-Doo out of the water without any issues.
What’s more, Sea-Doo recommends flushing the exhaust system after each ride with running water.
How do you run a Sea-Doo out of the water? Here’s the process in a nutshell:
- Attach the garden hose to the flushing port.
- Start the engine.
- Open the tap immediately.
- Run the engine at idle speed for the recommended time frame (best practice: 60 sec.).
- Stop the water.
- Run the engine at 5000 RPM for 5 seconds.
- Stop the engine.
- Remove the flushing connector.
Be careful not to mix up the order of the steps, as doing it wrong can force water into the engine!
Also, never start the engine without supplying water, or let it run longer than the recommended time on the hose.
This time frame may vary by model, but it’s typically 90-120 seconds. (For the exact number please refer to the manual.) But keeping safety in mind you can’t go wrong if you flush your Sea-Doo no longer than 60 seconds at idle speed.
Flushing for too long can damage the engine, exhaust system, and especially the carbon seal. So, it’s simply not worth the risk.
As a final word, don’t forget to read your craft’s manual before you do any maintenance on it!
References:
https://www.jetdrift.com/can-you-run-a-jet-ski-out-of-water/
