Drip every ? seconds

[ripvan1]

There was a thread some time ago calculating how much would be collected if there was a drip every ? seconds - anyone remember it and care to provide a link or how much fluid an average drip contains

 

[VicS]

There was a thread some time ago calculating how much would be collected if there was a drip every ? seconds - anyone remember it and care to provide a link or how much fluid an average drip contains

Measured it for you. 100 drips from a dripping tap was spot on 10 ml, so 0.1ml per drip.

 

[ripvan1]

Thanks Vics, I can sleep tonite now - I've got a drip every 6 seconds through stern tube on drying mooring probably wet 6 out of 12 hours - thanks again.

 

[Seajet]

ripvan1,

I hate to spoil your sleep but surely a drip can only get worse; or is this just overnight before sorting it ?

 

[nathanglasgow]

On the IV prescription charts I use at work the stated amounts are 20 drops per ml.

 

[ripvan1]

ripvan1,

I hate to spoil your sleep but surely a drip can only get worse; or is this just overnight before sorting it ?

Seajet, thanks for your concern, put new stern tube and shaft in today between tides to see how she likes it - some more adjustment and tightening tomorrow should hopefully sort it.

 

[Tranona]

Seajet, thanks for your concern, put new stern tube and shaft in today between tides to see how she likes it - some more adjustment and tightening tomorrow should hopefully sort it.

Using VicS rate is 3.6l per tide, 7.2 per day, near 50l a week. Get it fixed soon! Better still invest in a stern tube seal that does not leak.

 

[Richard10002]

Seajet, thanks for your concern, put new stern tube and shaft in today between tides to see how she likes it - some more adjustment and tightening tomorrow should hopefully sort it.

I dont know if things have changed, but mine didn't drip when the prop shaft wasn't spinning. It dripped about 4 times a minute when running.

 

[ripvan1]

Using VicS rate is 3.6l per tide, 7.2 per day, near 50l a week. Get it fixed soon! Better still invest in a stern tube seal that does not leak.

Tranona, have you got a decimal point out? Imake it 360ml per tide which in old money is just over half a pint, Yes it will be sorted before bothesome bertha arrives.

 

[VicS]

On the IV prescription charts I use at work the stated amounts are 20 drops per ml.

In the lab one normally reckons that 1drip from for example the jet of a burette tap is 0.05ml. and I expect the same with your IV drip equipment where the drips fall from a narrow tube.

I expected to discover however that I'd find it nearer to 0.1 from something like a domestic tap. As it happens that was spot on what I got and I'd expect it to be very similar from the OP's dripping gland.

 

[Storyline]

Thanks Vics, I can sleep tonite now - I've got a drip every 6 seconds through stern tube on drying mooring probably wet 6 out of 12 hours - thanks again.

Please do not rely on this but we had a drip every 10 seconds or so from our stern gland before I had it restuffed. Suprisingly little collected in the bilges over a two week period. Suspect that maybe the drip slowed down as I used to check an hour or two after the engine was run. Seem to recall that they are supposed to drip a bit .....

 

[Deleted member 36384]

.... Seem to recall that they are supposed to drip a bit .....

They are with older type packings which I think required water for better lubrication, modern packings that have a lower coefficient of friction are supposed to be dripless, as mine is.

 

[Storyline]

They are with older type packings which I think required water for better lubrication, modern packings that have a lower coefficient of friction are supposed to be dripless, as mine is.

That sounds reassuring as my new stuffing does not drip at all. Had it replaced by our (excellent) boat yard and now it accepts exactly half of turn of the greaser after each trip as I think it is supposed to. I am now glad I did not try to do it myself as when I did it last time it would take as much grease as you cared to give it - the greaser just went round and round so I assume the grease escaped and went somewhere !

 

[vyv_cox]

That sounds reassuring as my new stuffing does not drip at all. Had it replaced by our (excellent) boat yard and now it accepts exactly half of turn of the greaser after each trip as I think it is supposed to. I am now glad I did not try to do it myself as when I did it last time it would take as much grease as you cared to give it - the greaser just went round and round so I assume the grease escaped and went somewhere !

I always thought that packed glands had a lantern ring that put the grease between rings of packing material, as this is how it was done with big pumps. However, that is not so and in most examples I have looked at the grease just goes into the water aft of the packing, where it floats and might enter between the shaft and packing if you are lucky. Sounds like yours might be a better design if the grease stops.

I found it reasonably easy to get the nuts on mine just tight enough that there were no drips either running or stationary but the housing did not get warm.

 

[nigelmercier]

In the lab one normally reckons that 1drip from for example the jet of a burette tap is 0.05ml. and I expect the same with your IV drip equipment where the drips fall from a narrow tube...

You learn something new every day. I thought a water drop was always the same size, independent of the dropper.

Not so: "The force due to surface tension is proportional to the length of the boundary between the liquid and the tube..."

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_(liquid)#Pendant_drop_test

 

[ripvan1]

They are with older type packings which I think required water for better lubrication, modern packings that have a lower coefficient of friction are supposed to be dripless, as mine is.

Negligible amount of water in bilge this morning not even a tea mug full. Maybe as it's a Macwester 26 of 60s/70s vintage it has one as mentioned by B.O.B. above - thanks all.

 

[JumbleDuck]

They are with older type packings which I think required water for better lubrication, modern packings that have a lower coefficient of friction are supposed to be dripless, as mine is.

Mine was dripping like fury after launch and I had to pay the yard to adjust it. They got the shaft rotating freely, but driplessly. Doesn't seem to be a problem.