IBEX 365 News
PHIBER’s Freshwater Flush Keeps the Engine Systems Running
2024 IBEX Innovation Award Interview with PHIBER Systems
The overheating of an inboard engine due to scale and corrosion is an all-too-common tale in the boating world. Hard scale buildup inevitably robs the engine of its ability to remove heat, causing higher operating temperatures and increasing the risk of engine damage.
“The cost of repairing a heat exchanger is astronomical,” says Heather Lane, the head of business development and communications at PHIBER Systems. “We know— it was that very service on a pair of inboard diesels that sparked this invention!”
PHIBER Systems flushes the engine with freshwater at the optimal time, pickling the heat exchangers and engine blocks with freshwater. This preventative maintenance helps stop harmful scale buildup and mitigates biofouling and corrosion, extending the service life of critical systems and keeping boats on the water longer. PHIBER’s goal is to get rid of the garden hose, and simplify preventative flushing maintenance for all raw water networks.
What problem was PHIBER Systems designed to resolve?
PHIBER’s genesis is a common story of inboard engines overheating due to scale and corrosion. When a marine engine is shut down, the raw water cooling stops, trapping seawater inside heat exchangers and engine blocks. Because the residual engine heat has nowhere to go but into the seawater, it raises the temperature to the point that the minerals, biologics, and other contaminants in the seawater precipitate out, and adhere to surfaces. With repeated use, this hard scale buildup inevitably robs the engine of its ability to remove heat, causing higher operating temperatures and risking damage to the engine. Additionally, seawater promotes corrosion and other types of biofouling as it sits. The cost for a heat exchanger repair is astronomical. We know, it was that very repair on a pair of inboard diesels that sparked the PHIBER systems invention!
PHIBER Systems address these issues by flushing the engine with freshwater at the optimal time, right before shutdown, pickling the heat exchangers and engine blocks with freshwater instead of seawater. This preventative maintenance removes the opportunity for harmful scale buildup in the heat exchangers and mitigates biofouling and corrosion. This extends the service life of critical systems and keeps vessels on the water longer.
Who is the target market?
If a marine system uses raw water for cooling, it’s on our radar. With that said, we’re having a lot of fun and success with a wide range of boaters, from center console owners to the sportfishing guys and gals. Ultimately, we are targeting the entire yachting and cruising communities, commercial vessels, and even institutional customers such as the merchant marine and the Coast Guard. Our immediate focus is to develop a skilled dealer/installer network.
Who is currently using PHIBER Systems? What feedback have you received?
Over the last four years of development, we have outfitted a wide range of marine applications and vessels using PHIBER Systems, from catamarans to sportfishing boats, on both inboard and outboard engines. Many of these early adopters were equipped with the prototype or developmental versions of the system during our testing and data-collection phase of product development. We started actively selling the current systems in June 2024. Regardless if it was an early system or a brand-new one, the feedback has been amazing.
Covert Mission is an award-winning 58-foot Viking with twin MAN engines. She received her PHIBER Systems in July 2024, and traveled to Stuart, Florida, after fishing several tournaments in Cape May, New Jersey, including the White Marlin Open and Mid Atlantic. We couldn’t ask for a better operator and owner than Jim McCarthy, who not only is an excellent fisherman but also a professional engineer. His system was installed in July, and within 24 hours of the installation being completed, he ran Covert Mission 100 miles to the Canyons for summer Marlin fishing. At the end of every trip, his engines were flushed before the first person got off the boat. He is really satisfied and is referring the system to his friends.
Our first installation was aboard Senergy, a 480 Voyage catamaran (which also happens to be PHIBER Systems inventor’s home), back in 2021. That boat currently has over 2,000 hours on its twin Yanmar engines.
What kind of boats are PHIBER Systems being used on? How has it changed the boat-building process?
PHIBER Systems are installed on multiple brands and types of vessels, including Regulator, Voyage, Hatteras, Viking, and Orion. Systems flushed include MTU, MAN, Yanmar, Caterpillar, Cummins, Yamaha, and Mercury.
There were about a dozen initial boats ranging from a 21-foot Triumph with a single Honda 200 outboard engine to the most recent boat, a 2021 58-foot Viking with twin MTUs. This Viking, Ambush, belongs to our first dealer in Panama, and it’s a big leap forward for us because the twin diesels warranty was re-certified with the PHIBER System! We know this will support our market expansion as we work towards industry adoption.
Which builders/installers are using PHIBER Systems?
We are currently working with several OEM builders and installers to offer our system as a line-item option on their boat build sheets and list of services. I’d love to disclose the manufacturers but until the ink is dry, NDA it is! Everyone loves the simplicity and minimal footprint, as well as the many safety checks ensuring the other operating systems are unaffected.
We love one of our client’s reactions, who said, “You figured it out for inboards?”
Another favorite comment came from someone in the outboard community who said,“(The flush) only takes 30 seconds?!”
Why do you think no one has designed a product like PHIBER Systems before?
This is a great question. Raw water networks aboard boats haven’t had a significant improvement since the sea-strainer was developed back in the 1940s. It has taken a fair amount of time, thought, money, and willingness to fail, along this PHIBER Journey. But, the marine industry is waking up to the disruption for good. We are optimistic that the standard accepted practices and culture will move in a positive direction with PHIBER methods and that everyone can find some benefit in our solution.
What obstacles arose during the R&D process?
Oh gosh, you name it. Have you ever seen a solenoid valve melt? Have you ever created intuitive firmware with software engineers who have never laid foot on a boat? Or played Tetris with raw water networks that are 50 years old? The biggest challenges were ensuring potable water is always protected and that engines would always have access to water flow, whether our system was working or not. The manifold design is so clever, and operates using only physics. Dare we say it’s perfect?
What impact do you see PHIBER having on the industry?
PHIBER’s goal is this: Get rid of the garden hose and simplify preventative flushing maintenance for all raw water networks. It takes the very laborious, risky, and often ignored practice of freshwater flushing and turns it into a “decision point,” through the use of push-button functionality. We ultimately intend to set a new standard of design for all boats, streamlining routine preventative maintenance processes. It’s also amazing to be recognized as a push-button way for boaters to be eco-friendly, with far less water used and material wasted. PHIBER will have a significant positive impact on the marine industry!
What plans do you have for the future of this design?
There’s a lot to cover with this question. As you can imagine, we have a few things in the works. To start with, we will be rolling out our Intelligent Sequencer in 2025, to serve the outboard industry. Unlike every other system on the market, our PHIBER System will flush up to six networks— lightning fast, with minimal water requirements, and at the push of a button! Other innovations include NMEA2000 compatibility for interfacing with multi-function displays, Bluetooth-enabled capabilities, manifold 2.0, and a few gadgets that the marine industry desperately needs. The advent of PHIBER has unlocked an entirely new path for both problem-solving and product development, and we have a great location to work, with access to the water and marinas.
What plans are in place for the future of PHIBER Systems as a company? You’ve come up with some creative products. What’s next?
We do have a sizable sales goal for 2025, based on our initial launch requests, which will test our manufacturing capabilities. We’d love to reach a meaningful adoption rate within the next five years, to affect industry change. PHIBER Systems has been approached by various industries to use the application in so many ways, it’s wild! As far as the marine industry, we would love to have a fun retail brand. Can you imagine a line of pickles, napkins or spirits? Opportunities abound!
Does creative marketing play a role in your success?
Let’s face it, flushing raw water cooling systems isn’t sexy or funny. Actually, it’s a source of pain for most boat owners and builders. And it’s boring. Can you imagine if we named the company “Raw Water Flushing System Company?” The name PHIBER was born from the “human experience.” Having fiber in our diet keeps things regular and moving in our plumbing networks. The same applies for our boats— PHIBER keeps things “regular” in the engine rooms. In case anyone is wondering, it actually stands for Pressurized Hydro Injection for Brine Evacuation Remediation.
One could surmise we have more fun than we should for a startup company taking on the industry, after spending more than half a million dollars and developing a product that cuts into and changes the biggest operating system with the biggest price tag on most boats. But, funny is funny, and that’s likely why we all gravitate toward this amazing marine industry where it’s ok to have a great time!
Theresa Nicholson is an award-winning journalist who’s covered the marine industry for 25 years. She is the former senior editor of Cruising World, a judge for Newport for New Products, and a judge for the IBEX 2024 Innovation Awards program. She’s covered past IBEX shows for Soundings Trade Only, Practical Sailor, and Cruising World. Nicholson lived aboard her 31-foot ketch for 11 years and sailed from Miami to Malaysia. Her work currently focuses on weather, marine safety, risk analysis, and high latitude sailing.
