Suppose I left water in a closed seacock...

[Dan F]

Well, I knew I'd flub at least one thing in my first winter of owning my CD30. Yesterday I found, with horror, that I had left the engine water intake seacock closed when we hauled last fall. When I opened it up, some water tricked out-- so obviously there had been water in there all winter. It got to about 10 below zero here... (I did run antifreeze through the raw-water system, of course, and reconnected the hose-- just didn't remember to open the seacock again once on the hard.)

Anyway-- what are the chances that harm was done to the seacock? And how would I know, other than to see if the boat sinks when we launch? On casual inspection it looks fine-- should I be looking for something else when I take it apart for greasing?

Thanks to all for help.

[Russell]

If it is badly warped from freezing, you will see it. If there is minor warping that you cant see, dont worry about it, as a normal part of seacock maintence you should occationally use lapping compound on it anyways, which will remate it. Since it was left closed and some water inside, sounds like this year its time to do this (unless something major is visible).

Lapping compound you can buy at an autoparts store (also called valve grinding compound), its basicly liquid sandpaper. Coat the seacock barrel with it, insert it into the seacock body, and turn back and fourth for awhile. Remove it and clean everything off very well, on the seacock barrel and inside the seacock body, then grease and continue as normal.

[Brian2]

That may not have been water, but antifreeze. If you disconnected the raw water hose and then ran non tozic antifreeze through the engine, then reconnected the hose to the seacock, yet did not open the seacock, the liquid that you noticed this spring may have been antifreeze that ran back down the hose into the seacock after you winterized the engine. I follow the same winterization procedure, and when I reconnect my raw water hose after running the antifreeze through the engine, some antifreeze will always trickle down through the open seacock. You said it was just a trickle, so even if it was part water, it should also have been part residual antifreeze from winterizing.

Brian

[Dan F]

Thanks-- yes, I guess I am not certain whether it was seawater or antifreeze. I may not be familiar enough with the innards of a seacock, and perhaps I'm obsessing-- but maybe someone can clarify for me.

I figured that if the boat is in the water, engine hooked up normally, and I close the seacock, the mechanism traps some seawater inside. Then I took off the hose to run the antifreeze, hooked the hose back up, but didn't touch the seacock again all winter. So wasn't it still seawater trapped in there? Wish I had put a paper towel under the through-hull before I opened it the other day, so I could see the color of the liquid that dribbled out!

[Steve Laume]

Dan, I was thinking it is probably a very good sign that fluid of any sort ran out of your seacock. At least that means it didn't blowup so that it was no longer water tight. Are boats are a bit like a faithful dog. They are willing to forgive us when we don't do exactly as we should, Steve.

[Dick Villamil]

35 years ago I forgot to leave the seacock (gate valve) open for the winter on my old Morgan 24. In spring upon launching, I discovered that it had a crack on the side of the valve after she was launched - took on about 30 gallons of water before it was discovered. I heeled the boat over at the dock and replaced the valve. It never happened again!!!

[Dan F]

Yikes. I'm hoping that my big, burly Spartan seacock proves sturdier than your unfortunate gate valve...