GROCO Raw Water Strainers & Baskets

Your engine draws raw water for cooling, and anything it sucks in, weeds, shells, sand, can clog the system and overheat the motor. A GROCO raw water strainer catches that debris before it reaches the pump and heat exchanger. This collection covers strainers, replacement baskets, and seacock-strainer combos. Choosing right comes down to sizing the strainer to your plumbing, picking the basket and bowl, and mounting it where you can service it.

Size the strainer to your hose and flow

Strainers are sized by pipe and hose diameter, commonly one inch up through larger sizes for bigger engines and gensets. Match the strainer to the raw water line so it does not choke the flow your engine needs. Undersizing the strainer starves the cooling system, while the right size passes full flow and still catches debris.

Basket material and the clear bowl

GROCO baskets come in stainless steel and plastic. Stainless holds up to abuse and fine debris, while plastic is economical. A clear bowl lets you see the debris load at a glance, so you know when it needs cleaning without pulling it apart. On a boat that runs in weedy or sandy water, the clear bowl earns its keep.

Seacock and strainer combos

GROCO offers combo units that pair a ball valve or seacock with the strainer in one assembly, which cleans up the install and gives you a shutoff right at the strainer. That makes servicing the basket easy, since you close the valve, clean the basket, and reopen without draining the system.

Mount it accessible above the waterline

A strainer only gets cleaned if you can reach it, so mount it where you can open the bowl and pull the basket. Mount the bowl above the waterline where possible, and use a strainer with a seacock so you can isolate it for cleaning. Inspect and clean the basket on a schedule, especially after running in debris-laden water.

Keep a spare basket

A crushed or clogged basket takes the cooling system down. Keep a spare GROCO basket sized to your strainer so a damaged one is a quick swap rather than a haul-out.

Not sure which strainer fits your engine? Tell our techs your raw water hose size and engine, and we will match the strainer, basket, and seacock combo so your cooling stays clear.