While the boat is on the hard, Would it be advisable to lubricate the seacock barrels from the outside in. As long as the seacock will open and close, apply the grease to the barrel from the outside and work it in by opening and closing the seacock.
I suggest this a yearly prventive maintance measure and not to replace the periodic dissassembly and maintance.
I think something is always better than nothing.
What do ye all think!
Dennis Truett
CD26d
Seacock lub shortcut
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Larry DeMers
Re: Seacock lub shortcut
I don't think much of that idea for two reasons. One, it will end up becoming the defacto maintenance on that seacock, which isn't really maintenance at all, but simply something far less. Two, you will go thru a lot more work cranking that seacock open and closed, trying to work the grease into it, than simply taking two nuts off, pulling the seacock, cleaning and regreasing it properly and reassembling it. We spend about 20 minutes on each one.
________
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 Lake Superior
demers@sgi.com
________
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 Lake Superior
Dennis Truett wrote: While the boat is on the hard, Would it be advisable to lubricate the seacock barrels from the outside in. As long as the seacock will open and close, apply the grease to the barrel from the outside and work it in by opening and closing the seacock.
I suggest this a yearly prventive maintance measure and not to replace the periodic dissassembly and maintance.
I think something is always better than nothing.
What do ye all think!
Dennis Truett
CD26d
demers@sgi.com
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Ken Coit
Re: Seacock lub shortcut
I agree with Larry, if the boat is on the hard, take the opportunity to do them all properly. I have an article that actually recommends interim greasing via a temporary zerk fitting inserted where the "drain" plugs go. I haven't tried this, but it seems feasible to me.
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
Dennis Truett wrote: While the boat is on the hard, Would it be advisable to lubricate the seacock barrels from the outside in. As long as the seacock will open and close, apply the grease to the barrel from the outside and work it in by opening and closing the seacock.
I suggest this a yearly prventive maintance measure and not to replace the periodic dissassembly and maintance.
I think something is always better than nothing.
What do ye all think!
Dennis Truett
CD26d
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com
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Ed Haley
Re: Seacock lub shortcut
Dennis:
I know you may feel that something is better than nothing and that there are other who will agree with you but I have learn over the past 40 years or so that short cutting will get you into long problems. Also, in the back of your mind you know you've skipped an important chore. The satisfaction of doing a job well will never be obtained from shortcut methods. And you won't get to really know your boat.
IMHO, of course.
Ed Haley
s/v Mokita
CD330 #1
Mystic CT
eghaleyNOSPAM@twcny.rr.com
I know you may feel that something is better than nothing and that there are other who will agree with you but I have learn over the past 40 years or so that short cutting will get you into long problems. Also, in the back of your mind you know you've skipped an important chore. The satisfaction of doing a job well will never be obtained from shortcut methods. And you won't get to really know your boat.
IMHO, of course.
Ed Haley
s/v Mokita
CD330 #1
Mystic CT
eghaleyNOSPAM@twcny.rr.com
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Neil Gordon
Re: Seacock lub shortcut
>>I suggest this a yearly prventive maintance measure and not to replace the periodic dissassembly and maintance.<<
If you disassemble and grease the seacocks every year, they keep working and are easy to maintain. Skip a year or two and they will freeze. More time will be spent unfreezing them than you will have spent greasing all of them for as long as you own the boat.
Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY, Boston
Cape Dory 28 #167
neil@nrgordon.com
If you disassemble and grease the seacocks every year, they keep working and are easy to maintain. Skip a year or two and they will freeze. More time will be spent unfreezing them than you will have spent greasing all of them for as long as you own the boat.
Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY, Boston
Cape Dory 28 #167
neil@nrgordon.com
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John R.
Don't do it
It won't work, you must disassemble them......unless you significantly loosen the plug retaining nut and actually partially remove the plug thus creating a void between the plug and body allowing some grease to spread between the two components. Not very practical. You may as well disassemble them and do the job right.
In fact, even by employing the use of zerk fittings it is extremely difficult to get any significant lubrication between the plug and body. Not worth the cost and trouble replacing the freeze plugs with zerks. I've tried this on Wilcox seacocks at a good expense and they were a pain to retro fit. Don't bother, save your money and the grief. Next to impossible to get enough grease between the plug and body using zerks.
The best and only proper way is to disassemble, clean, grease and refit.
These are critical parts in your boat, don't take short cuts, do it the right way!
In fact, even by employing the use of zerk fittings it is extremely difficult to get any significant lubrication between the plug and body. Not worth the cost and trouble replacing the freeze plugs with zerks. I've tried this on Wilcox seacocks at a good expense and they were a pain to retro fit. Don't bother, save your money and the grief. Next to impossible to get enough grease between the plug and body using zerks.
The best and only proper way is to disassemble, clean, grease and refit.
These are critical parts in your boat, don't take short cuts, do it the right way!
Dennis Truett wrote: While the boat is on the hard, Would it be advisable to lubricate the seacock barrels from the outside in. As long as the seacock will open and close, apply the grease to the barrel from the outside and work it in by opening and closing the seacock.
I suggest this a yearly prventive maintance measure and not to replace the periodic dissassembly and maintance.
I think something is always better than nothing.
What do ye all think!
Dennis Truett
CD26d
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John Nuttall
Blake Seacocks have zirks....
......but I don't think Blake uses a barrel design like Spartan......John R, have you seen a Blake?.....I have not, but I am very curious about them....
John R.....last year I had a thread going about grease fittings and retro fitting them. I ordered a catalog from Germany that had alot of types of fittings and grease guns. Some of the guns put out 24,000 psi. Don't you think that would get grease in there?
Anyway I gave up on the idea because just getting the grease in there is only half the problem. Lapping is still an occasional need and that kind of brings us back to square one - take them apart... ;-]
John
John R.....last year I had a thread going about grease fittings and retro fitting them. I ordered a catalog from Germany that had alot of types of fittings and grease guns. Some of the guns put out 24,000 psi. Don't you think that would get grease in there?
Anyway I gave up on the idea because just getting the grease in there is only half the problem. Lapping is still an occasional need and that kind of brings us back to square one - take them apart... ;-]
John
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Ken Coit
Zerks
John,
Did you come up with a source for a correctly threaded Zerk? I'd like to try it out on a loose seacock. The article I have suggests only temporarily fitting the Zerk to the seacock, so the expense isn't great at all, but getting there may be a pain.
I doubt that the grease would cooperate and go all the places it was needed, but it might be good enough in conjunction with operating the seacock a few times to keep the unit working well while one anticipated the inevitable haul out. I'd be willing to experiment with a dry Spartan seacock to see what results we can get.
I don't know if the Blake has a tapered barrel or not, although it seems likely from other descriptions I have read, but the barrel is in line with the water flow, not "athwartships," so greasing may be more or less difficult in place. They are certainly advertised as being serviceable in the water whereas Spartans are not (unless you count plugging the through hull).
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com
Did you come up with a source for a correctly threaded Zerk? I'd like to try it out on a loose seacock. The article I have suggests only temporarily fitting the Zerk to the seacock, so the expense isn't great at all, but getting there may be a pain.
I doubt that the grease would cooperate and go all the places it was needed, but it might be good enough in conjunction with operating the seacock a few times to keep the unit working well while one anticipated the inevitable haul out. I'd be willing to experiment with a dry Spartan seacock to see what results we can get.
I don't know if the Blake has a tapered barrel or not, although it seems likely from other descriptions I have read, but the barrel is in line with the water flow, not "athwartships," so greasing may be more or less difficult in place. They are certainly advertised as being serviceable in the water whereas Spartans are not (unless you count plugging the through hull).
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
John Nuttall wrote: ......but I don't think Blake uses a barrel design like Spartan......John R, have you seen a Blake?.....I have not, but I am very curious about them....
John R.....last year I had a thread going about grease fittings and retro fitting them. I ordered a catalog from Germany that had alot of types of fittings and grease guns. Some of the guns put out 24,000 psi. Don't you think that would get grease in there?
Anyway I gave up on the idea because just getting the grease in there is only half the problem. Lapping is still an occasional need and that kind of brings us back to square one - take them apart... ;-]
John
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com
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John R.
Blakes
Hi john,John Nuttall wrote: ......but I don't think Blake uses a barrel design like Spartan......John R, have you seen a Blake?.....I have not, but I am very curious about them....
John R.....last year I had a thread going about grease fittings and retro fitting them. I ordered a catalog from Germany that had alot of types of fittings and grease guns. Some of the guns put out 24,000 psi. Don't you think that would get grease in there?
Anyway I gave up on the idea because just getting the grease in there is only half the problem. Lapping is still an occasional need and that kind of brings us back to square one - take them apart... ;-]
John
Yeah I have seen Blakes before. Basically they are very similar to a Spartan except they are oriented in a vertical axis. I am aware they come equipped with zerks but I think their must be a design difference as far as clearances go to allow grease to make it's way between their plug and body design. Like I said I tried it with wilcox seacocks and it did not work (well, marginally). Spartan seacocks seem to have very tight tolerences between the plug and body so I am very skeptical it would work unless the plug nut is backed off a bit permitting lateral plug movement and thus a greater gap.
Yep, I'm sure there are plenty of grease guns out there with tremendous pressure capacity that could theoretically lube a Spartan but I would worry the pressure would be too great and possibly distort the soft bronze body. Maybe the zerk itself would blow off from the fine threads used for the freeze plug screw. Who knows John, it would be an interesting experiment for someone with a Spartan. If you could keep the grease intact in the seacock at all times there would be no need ever for lapping.
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John Nuttall
Found no Zerks to match so.........
......you would have to drill out and tap OR drill out and drive (hammer) in.....
stainless Steel button zerks take a special gun head that won't blow off under the pressure....
John R makes a good point that the soft bronze could distort under high pressure......I dunno if it would distort under these pressures......
Do a Google search under "grease fittings" or "grease nipples" and you'll get a ton of hits......There is an outfit in western NC that imprors the German fittings I referenced......I tossed the catalog last month, and dumped the link......Sorry.
John
stainless Steel button zerks take a special gun head that won't blow off under the pressure....
John R makes a good point that the soft bronze could distort under high pressure......I dunno if it would distort under these pressures......
Do a Google search under "grease fittings" or "grease nipples" and you'll get a ton of hits......There is an outfit in western NC that imprors the German fittings I referenced......I tossed the catalog last month, and dumped the link......Sorry.
John