Bronze ball valves as seacocks?

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rich201283

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Hi
I need to replace my blakes seacocks as they are looking a bit pink but work ok. Im worried they may fail.

Can i replace them with bronze ball valves as the blakes seacocks are over £100 each?
 
Im not an expert but IM pretty sure the answer is yes, but beware they are nowhere as good as the blakes. IN 5 years im on my second set, where they seem to jam up for some reason, and there is no way to strip down and repair.

Blakes is the best, but you pays your money etcetc
 
Has anyone known a Blakes seacock fail? AFAIK, mine are 38 years old and still in good nick. OTOH, the term "bronze" can cover a multitude of sins, especially with cheap imports, I wouldn't be surprised if some even had brass internals. I'd want to be sure the Blakes really were damaged before dumping them.
 
Rather than ask for bronze ask for gunmetal. DZR brass is often sold as bronze but is little less prone to dezincification than ordinary brass in some instances. I had heard that new Blakes seacocks are now made of DZR but couldn't be sure. If this is the case not worth the money IMHO.
 
Yes Blakes' seacocks are now made of dezincification resistant brass. In normal circumstances it should be alright. If the existing ones are going pink then I guess they are too and that there might be a local problem.

Ball valves made of a proper tin bronze may be a better bet but I think I would like to identify the reason the old ones are showing signs of dezincification especially if they are Blakes' ones.

Are these valves bonded to anything? Are you in a marina with shorepower connected? Are there any other similar problems, with prop for example? Are anodes disappearing more quickly than expected?

Beware of a brass known as Tonval. Sometimes sold as DZR but is not.
 
Would you not consider using stainless ball valves instead?
Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression they would give long trouble free service, am I wrong?
 
Well, touching wood and all that, but I've got plastic ball valves on both inlet and outlet of the bog, and on the drain of the basin and the galley sink, and I've never had any of them block or stiffen up in the 10 years I've had the boat.
 
I had to replace one of my old cone type (not a Blakes) last year and a top quality bronze ball valve and fittings was almost as much as the Blakes. Guess what I bought.

Highly unlikely there is any dezincification in the body. More likely the bolts. If your Blakes does not have a grease nipple it will be bronze. Suggest take the whole lot out, clean it up, lap the cone in with grinding paste and reassemble with Blakes grease and new bronze fastenings and you have saved yourself £100 and you are OK for years to come.
 
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The only place I wouldn't use a ball valve is on the loo outlet. The 'wide open' Blakes, I suspect, would be far less liable to blockage.

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Most ball valves, whether s/s or else, usually can be got full boar which means a 1 1/2" full flow/bore will be 1 1/2" bore, with no restrictions, although the body will be slightly larger in diameter than a non full flow type.
 
I don't like the sound of ... looks "Pink" .... that is usually a sign of the metal past it's use ...

Seems many people have a bias against plastic valves. Given that good plastic valves are usually constructed of GRN / GFN - that is Glass Reinforced / Filled Nylon or other similar materials - they are strong and not subject to corrosion. Careful selection could remove need to replace metal versions later.
 
Nothing wrong with nylon valves. However, it is unlikely that the Blakes have actually dezincified unless there are serious galvanic problems with the boat as a whole.

The other issue with replacing Blakes is that they are often fitted in places where there is limited vertical clearance so a through hull and ball valve may not fit. You also have to make good the fastening holes. I discovered all this when I relaced my Rowe cone type outlet which was beyond regrinding as the cone had gone oval. A proper bronze valve and fittings was over £100 and the Blakes about £120 and the former was too tall to fit the space. So I filled the old fastening holes and fitted the Blakes.
 
thats strange as my Bakes is taller than a gate / ball valve that I can buy locally. I can get "normal" style valves as side feed, top feed to suit..... negating any valve difference.

OK - I have blakes and so far ground 2x in 10 yrs of ownership. But replacement wouldn't be a problem in terms of size ?
 
I seem to remember being told by a surveyor about 10 years ago that some Blakes seacocks were/are made of aluminium bronze and they appear pink when first dismantled...however ..they return to bronze colour after a couple of hours or so.....all quite normal ..and will virtually never wear out....Am I living in a fools paradise?
 
Its probably a peculiarity of my boat because it is hard chine. The hose tail on the Blakes is just the right angle to take the hose from the holding tank. As the tail on a ball is on the top, even if I used a right angle tail it would point downwards and not provide enough fall. Hope that explains.
 
Each boat has it's peculiarities and I don't doubt your spec.

Where we deal in pipes and stuff all the time - we use all sorts of valves, meters and connectors to sort out getting additives into cargo's. Maybe that gives us an advantage in 'tapping into' suppliers.

I be quite honest I'm not an admirer of the blakes, as mine like many - it's difficult to know when partially open, full open etc. - I'm talking bog outlet now, as its set just inside via a small cut-out in port fwd bunk base. The handle lifts off and loads of people end up with handle in their hand and the line indicating valve position cannot be seen. A normal ball / gate valve is open or shut to stops and there is no confusion.

The inlet to my Baby Blake has two valves ... a marine bronze ball valve at skin, then a standard stainless ball valve above sole for daily use. Both are fine and work much better than the blakes one on outlet. The Marine ball valve is half the overal size of the blakes.
 
My Blakes are 32 years old. The boat is lifted every three years and, yes, there usually is a slight tinge of pink. This is only on the surface (i.e., not deep) and quickly disappears with normal lapping with medium Carborundum paste followed by fine. I have no intention of replacing them unless, one day, I find patches of real corrosion that would prevent a good seating.
 
I'm lucky in that I don't let anyone else use my loo, particularly since i fitted a Lavac. However, I have promised to let my grandchildren have a go as they are fascinated by the thought of seeing their poos shooting into the translucent holding tank! Oh to be young again!
 
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