Seacocks (another question)

[Douglas McMullin]

I have seen a fair amount of discussion about replacing seacocks.
I have a 78' CD 25 with the original fittings.

How often do most people pull them apart and inspect them? Is there any history of problems with the original CD fittings?

Any info about this or things to look out for in terms of these seacocks would be welcomed...

Thanks,

Doug



dmcm@pctech.net

[Matt Cawthorne]

I have seen a fair amount of discussion about replacing seacocks.
I have a 78' CD 25 with the original fittings.

How often do most people pull them apart and inspect them? Is there any history of problems with the original CD fittings?

Any info about this or things to look out for in terms of these seacocks would be welcomed...

Thanks,

Doug

Doug,
If you have the Spartan seacocks then their catalogue uses the term "annual maintenance".

When I purchased our CD36 the two cockpit drain seacocks were frozen in the open position. I have since been careful to follow Spartan recommendations. I would be uncomfortable with the idea that they might not close when needed. Spartan sells a grease that is just for the job. It looks like lithium wheel bearing grease, but for the few extra bucks I decided not to chance it.

The folks at Spartan described the procedure to me some years back. You will want a thin 15/16 wrench for the inner nut. Start by removing the locknut, then the inner nut. A washer with a tang for a stop comes off next. The drum slides out for inspection and greasing. Check to make sure that there is a nice continuous band on both ends of the drum with no scratches or grooves across them where no water can get through. If you suspect a weeping seacock then you can lap the drum back into conformance as follows. Spartan sells the grinding compound. Clean the drum and seacock body of any grease. Remove the handle by backing out the little set-screw. Apply an even amount of grinding compound over the drum and insert it into the body. Rotate the drum 1/4 of a turn back and fourth about 10 times. Rotate the drum 90 degrees and do the 1/4 turn thing again. Repeat until you have covered the full 360 degrees. Having the handle loose allows for full rotation. Pull the drum, clean and inspect. Look for the continuous band. If you are not happy do it again. When you are happy clean the drum and housing. Clean it again. Now clean it with a solvent. Clean it again.... you get the picture, no grinding compound should be left in the unit.

Re-assembly is a matter of greasing the drum and body and reversing the disassembly procedure. BE CAREFUL. The washer with the stop tang only has one correct position. You will notice that the hole is not round. If you don't get it in the correct position then the nuts will not pull the drum into the body correctly and the unit will leak! The folks at Spartan recommended to me not to overtighten the inner nut. If you do, open it up and add grease and start over. The only seacock that should be a little stiff is the engine raw water intake (that is so it doesn't vibrate shut). When the inner nut is corect add the locknut. I have found that very minor adjustments to the stiffness of the seacock can be made with the locknut snug.

Check all of the seacocks before the travel-lift operator takes his machine away. After a few years you will be able to do the job in the dark, with both wrences in one hand....because if your boat is like mine that is how it has to be done in one case.

The folks at Spartan were good about answering questions. For about $25 they sell a "kit" containing grease, grinding compound, the wrench and instructions. Their kit number is (or was 2 years ago) K591, the grease alone is CH263 and the lapping compound is CH278, and their wrench is W888.

Have Fun,
Matt



mcawthor@bellatlantic.net

[Jerry Hammernik]

Doug, I have the original equipment on my 78 CD25. Seacocks are probably better but Cape Dory used a bronze gate valve that was a quality unit. The only down side is that they close slower than a seacock. The question I haven't seen discussed much is rebedding the thru hull. I remove mine and rebed every 7 years. I've never seen a problem at the 7 year mark but why take a chance. I do agree that maintenance on the moving parts should be done annually. If they fail, you sink! That'll ruin a perfectly good day.

I'm looking into replacing the hoses that go from the cockpit drains to the gate valves. They look like heavy duty truck radiator hose. They still look great, but it's the skippers job to worry. I see BoatUS has some hose in the catalog that looks like a possibility.

The other question in this message thread had to do with a seacock on a thru hull above the waterline. I put a seacock on mine. Any hole in the hull should be protected in my view. If a hose fails when you are heeled over that discharge could be below water. Not to mention wave action or any other bad luck. Jerry



dauntles@execpc.com

[john churchill]

I have seen a fair amount of discussion about replacing seacocks.
I have a 78' CD 25 with the original fittings.

How often do most people pull them apart and inspect them? Is there any history of problems with the original CD fittings?

Any info about this or things to look out for in terms of these seacocks would be welcomed...

Thanks,

Doug

on SKUA, the seacocks had all been closed for four years and were frozen. a rubber mallet was helpful in disassembly(put a nut on the threads before you smack 'em with a regular hammer). lapping compound is available at most large auto parts stores. i got coarse and fine in a double ended cannister. grind away. clean and apply grease. i usedtrailer wheel bearing grease which is waterproof and stands hi temp and pressure. my biggest problem was with the little bolts that are used to drain the body. mine seem to be a 12/24 thread which is not readily available in bronze. spartan sent some gratis, but they were 10/24. i needed to replace several of them as a few had corroded to the point of being crumbly. i got new bolts from JAMESTOWN DISTRIBUTORS, but they are cloing out their supply of this size, so if you need them, hurry! after removing the old bolts, i chased out the threads with a tap. if i had to do it over again, i might just overdrill and retap to 1/4-20 threads. the most fun is doing all this work then getting to see if it leaks when you launch. i didn't have problems with leaks, but must admit my plan B was not well formulated.



bone2@norfolk.infi.net

[Catherine Monaghan]

Doug,

We take our seacocks apart, inspect them and clean them every year. When they are routinely maintained they stay in "almost like new" condition and are very easy to use -- no grunting to open or close them. They are very simple devices and are easily disassembled and reassembled. Make this inspection and cleaning a part of your annual maintenance and you won't have to worry abou them.

catherine_monaghan@merck.com

I have seen a fair amount of discussion about replacing seacocks.
I have a 78' CD 25 with the original fittings.

How often do most people pull them apart and inspect them? Is there any history of problems with the original CD fittings?

Any info about this or things to look out for in terms of these seacocks would be welcomed...

Thanks,

Doug

catherine_monaghan@merck.com