A dezincified seacock?

[KompetentKrew]

I'm on the hard this weekend, replacing two seacocks.

One was for the manual bulge pump - it was stuck open and highlighted in the survey.

I was also glad to lift the boat because the heads holding tank was blocked, and there is no bypass. Not knowing the cause (seemingly calcification which had become dislodged and bound together with shit at the top of the pipe that drains the tank) I bought a second TruDesign seacock, and am replacing both.

Having removed the heads seacock, I threw it over the side of the boat for disposal - the fall must be 3m or 4m, and the seacock broke in two.

Is this the colour of dezincification, please?

 

[VicS]

Yes that is what dezincification looks like. I guess that ball valve was not dezincification resistant brass. They are just about the best pictures of it that I have seen ...... you were lucky... very lucky

More info and pictures on Vyv Cox's website http://coxeng.co.uk/

I would not be surprised if Vyv asks for permission to use your pictures if he sees them

 

[KompetentKrew]

It survived some hammering, so it doesn't seem to have made it that fragile.

The other one survived a drop from the same height, but I guess I should be concerned about all those that remain.

I would have expected the PO to have specified the best quality seacocks during construction, but they are now 25 years old.

 

[vyv_cox]

As Vic says, an excellent example that I would like to add to the website with your permission.

As the zinc is lost from brass the remaining metal is a copper-rich phase not too far from pure copper. Thus the initial pink colour is that of increasing copper content. In your case it looks very close to copper itself, so a quite advanced example.

 

[KompetentKrew]

PM me your email address, Vyv, and I'll send you all the original files.

 

[Channel Sailor]

Could it be that is a failed ordinary brass Male to male connector between a plated brass seacock and a plated brass or dzr elbow fitting.

 

[vyv_cox]

Could it be that is a failed ordinary brass Male to male connector between a plated brass seacock and a plated brass or dzr elbow fitting.

If they were DZR they would have the CR mark cast in. I have not seen any plated DZR fittings, only the natural colour of the alloy. Although DZR valves have been available for many years for the plumbing trade most other parts such as elbows, skin fittings, hose tails, have only been around for a few years.

 

[superheat6k]

I had a similar experience on my Turbo 36 - the gate valve on the outlet from the aft head froze shut just after I bought her. As the valve did not look to be in very good condition I decided to leave it well alone until the boat was lifted for the winter. This happened when I was removing the valve, and not too much force either ...

 

[KompetentKrew]

Could it be that is a failed ordinary brass Male to male connector between a plated brass seacock and a plated brass or dzr elbow fitting.

I didn't look closely before because I considered it trash, but it does seem that the crack is in neither the skin-fitting or seacock themselves, but perhaps between the seacock and the 90° bend.