Boroscope Inspection of Seacocks.

[Ian_Rob]

I was wondering whether anybody on the forum has experience of using a boroscope/endoscope to inspect their seacocks and whether they are useful for this?

I doubt that the side lens of the dual lens ones that are available would be able to properly focus on the walls of 12mm/19mm dia seacocks but in these instances perhaps the front lens view would suffice?

The ones with 8mm dia probes and dual lenses are reasonably cheap, the 6.5mm dia ones with dual lens, less so. Presumably ones where the probe can be articulated in-situ are preferable?

 

[Refueler]

I have a number of Endo's .. and TBH - over-rated.

Unless you spend a lot of money - the DIY ones are a joke ... they advertise with lovely pictures supposedly taken with them .... in fact the detail is hard to see ... but they are useful just to see if blocked or free ... anything more than that - you are not going to see.

 

[Seven Spades]

I have one and it is a jolly expensive model and it is rubbish. The best thing to use is a GoPro on a stick.

 

[Minerva]

On the other hand - I have a 2m which links to my phone. It’s brilliant.

When you are looking, pay attention the depth of field. Some endoscopes would only have <50mm depth of field which would be rubbish whereas I bought one with as large a depth of field as possible. I managed to use it to help untangle a rope round the prop the other year.

it’s brilliant, and would recommend.

 

[Seastoke]

On the other hand - I have a 2m which links to my phone. It’s brilliant.

When you are looking, pay attention the depth of field. Some endoscopes would only have <50mm depth of field which would be rubbish whereas I bought one with as large a depth of field as possible. I managed to use it to help untangle a rope round the prop the other year.

it’s brilliant, and would recommend.

Link

 

[William_H]

I bought one hoping to sort out possible twists in halyards inside my mast. Totally disappointing results. I could not make much sense of the picture I got. Too fine a detail and not enough whole picture. I think it would taker an operator much skill and experience to understand what you are looking at in a sea cock or a person's guts. ol'will

 

[Minerva]

Link

Sorry I bought it a while ago and it’s on the boat so I can’t look at the brand. The app on my phone is “wifi look” if that helps

 

[syvictoria]

We have a cheap USB one which we've used to inspect the hull anode whilst afloat. Whilst it's never going to win any prizes for clarity, it does definitely work.

 

[dansaskip]

You can't beat a good old-fashioned eyeball and a finger would feel any ridges or roughness, Why bother with an expensive gadget?

 

[Refueler]

For underwater inspections ... I have a Fishing Camera .... I bandy to a pole and then the cable is to a WiFi box ... I can then view on a tablet or phone ..

Here's clearing weed and a rope from my prop ... guy offered to dive and do the job ... he needed to be sunward side to avoid suns glare in the water ... which unfortunately the camera gets during the video ... but at least it shows it works ..

The camera system was about $90 ...

 

[Minerva]

You can't beat a good old-fashioned eyeball and a finger would feel any ridges or roughness, Why bother with an expensive gadget?

I had a persistent, but small oil leak on my engine. Spent a full season and winter poking and prodding and trying to find it. In the end the endoscope found it in short order coming from a weeping fuel lift pump seal there is no way I could manipulated my body into position to find. It’s a useful addition to the tool library

 

[LittleSister]

What is it you are trying to see inside a seacock? What's the problem?

 

[Refueler]

I had a persistent, but small oil leak on my engine. Spent a full season and winter poking and prodding and trying to find it. In the end the endoscope found it in short order coming from a weeping fuel lift pump seal there is no way I could manipulated my body into position to find. It’s a useful addition to the tool library

Its good when it has a wide area to show .. but in a narrow enclosed tube - useless ...

 

[Ian_Rob]

What is it you are trying to see inside a seacock? What's the problem?

Well, I was thinking that perhaps it would be a way of better assessing their condition. They don’t look, sound or feel that bad but I would like to have had a look at their internal walls if possible. My plan was to clean them with a bottle brush and then poke a boroscope up to inspect them. I was pondering getting a Depstech or similar but on strength of the above comments not so sure …..?

 

[Bouba]

For underwater inspections ... I have a Fishing Camera .... I bandy to a pole and then the cable is to a WiFi box ... I can then view on a tablet or phone ..

Here's clearing weed and a rope from my prop ... guy offered to dive and do the job ... he needed to be sunward side to avoid suns glare in the water ... which unfortunately the camera gets during the video ... but at least it shows it works ..

The camera system was about $90 ...

I’m disappointed that you didn’t put a nice musical soundtrack to your video

 

[Davy_S]

I have one and it is a jolly expensive model and it is rubbish. The best thing to use is a GoPro on a stick.

its a bit difficult to push down your throat to check your intestines though!

 

[lustyd]

I have the one linked here. It’s very useful occasionally. I inspected my exhaust elbow with it, much easier than dismantling everything.
It has a hook end accessory which I recently used to pull a cable in a friends boat where a 90 degree bend in conduit prevented progress. We popped a loop on some cable, used the camera and hook to grab it and sorted. Still took a couple of hours but without it the job was impossible without removing half of the radar arch.
This isn’t the best available but for the money it’s been very good.

COFANKIA Inspection Camera,4.3'' Screen 1920P HD Digital Borescope, Industrial Endoscope IP67 Waterproof with 7.9mm, Sewer Camera with 6 LED Lights,16.5FT Semi-Rigid Cable: Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

 

[Tranona]

Well, I was thinking that perhaps it would be a way of better assessing their condition. They don’t look, sound or feel that bad but I would like to have had a look at their internal walls if possible. My plan was to clean them with a bottle brush and then poke a boroscope up to inspect them. I was pondering getting a Depstech or similar but on strength of the above comments not so sure …..?

You won't be able tell anything about their condition. If they are metal the point of failure is almost always in the threads of the fittings not the valve and then only visible by dismantling them or breaking by hitting with a hammer. All you will see inside is dirty slime. The interior walls of both fittings and valves are usually sound - the dezincification of brass valves starts in the threads. If they are not brass but DZR or bronze the only issue is usually sticking balls or possibly with some corrosion of the spindle

 

[LittleSister]

Well, I was thinking that perhaps it would be a way of better assessing their condition. They don’t look, sound or feel that bad but I would like to have had a look at their internal walls if possible. My plan was to clean them with a bottle brush and then poke a boroscope up to inspect them. I was pondering getting a Depstech or similar but on strength of the above comments not so sure …..?

In addition to Tranona's comments in post #18 above, I would have thought simply replacing them regardless would be less work and also cheaper than buying a decent horoscope.

 

[westernman]

When I read the post title, I thought it was about some very painful procedure for syphilis.......