I have two of these bronze strum boxes in my boat, one in the bilge and another in the shower sump. I replaced the sump strainer with plastic cut from a bleach bottle, multiply drilled, and the other with a piece of polycarbonate (Lexan) drilled. They both look fine and are functioning well after 4 seasons. Cut or sand the plastic so that it fits tightly between the retaining tabs/feet, but can be removed if needed for cleaning. The original metal strainers all eventually crumble, but the boxes last for decades.