Dripless shaft seals

[rotrax]

I know a guy who has a Centaur. Four years ago his Volvo seal was 14 years old and still not leaking a drop.

Ours is five seasons old, and I expect it to go a few more yet.

The Volvo seal is just about foolproof in clean water. The Radice has the advantage of being self bleeding.

On a previous boat with a 1 inch shaft but a metric tube I turned an aluminium sleeve the correct size and epoxied it to the tube. Seven years on still going strong.

It is simple to make modifications like that to get the benifit of a Volvo type seal.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Not ideal if you're a bilge keeler on a drying mooring .

My Volvo seal has now done 700 hours without leaking a drop. Just a squirt of blue grease and a burp at the start of the season. It's so simple I can't understand why anyone would consider anything else.

 

[bert49uk]

My Volvo seal has now done 700 hours without leaking a drop. Just a squirt of blue grease and a burp at the start of the season. It's so simple I can't understand why anyone would consider anything else.

I am on a dring mooring and just got fed up with 'burping' each time with all the uphevel involved so fitted a PSS after 3 seasons am very pleased

 

[PetiteFleur]

I have a volvo seal, fitted nearly 9 years ago with over 600 hrs on the clock. Fitted with new engine , shaft & prop. Usually burped each year but have sometimes forgotten....... Still not leaking. I did have to get a new bronze bit made for the end of the stern tube but not expensive - from a firm up in Norfolk. Also from memory it was a metric 25mm seal running on a 1" diameter shaft as at the time Volvo did not do an Imperial size(or I could not find one). No problems at all, I'm very happy with it and I am going to fit one to a friends boat this winter - if possible. And they are much cheaper than alternatives.

 

[30boat]

I've fitted my Volvo seal in 2005.Still no leaks .A friend of mine that I helped fitting his (on the water) at about the same time was having a small drip .It turned out he'd never greased it so I taught him the drinking straw trick and now it's ok.He may have to replace it in a year or two but that's only because he totally ignored it all these years.

 

[vyv_cox]

My PSS has done 1500 hours since 2006 with almost no attention needed. One winter I omitted to flush the seal faces with fresh water before leaving the boat, with the result that the stainless face became pitted. I reversed it and it has been fine ever since. Otherwise everything is original.

 

[Birdseye]

I am replacing my stuffing box arrangent with a drip less shaft seal of some sort.
Tidesmarine, pss to name a couple of candidates.
Anyone have either and what are their views of them, or an alternative system.
Thanks

have used Volvo ones and they work fine. Am now trying the Italian equivalent from Silette and that looks to be working fine too. Previously had a deep sea seal and that was carp - they gave me a free replace and I gave it away rather than use it.

 

[EugeneR]

any one have the tides marine seal?

We went for Tides after asking on here about a year ago, no issues so far but I know it's a bit short.

 

[robertj]

My PSS has done 1500 hours since 2006 with almost no attention needed. One winter I omitted to flush the seal faces with fresh water before leaving the boat, with the result that the stainless face became pitted. I reversed it and it has been fine ever since. Otherwise everything is original.

vyv
is the seal vented via the pipe or is it water fed like the tides marine?

 

[Suttle]

Fitted a Radice seal this year as I couldn't get a Volvo that fitted. Glad I did no burping after drying out. No problems at all sofar.

 

[G12]

vyv
is the seal vented via the pipe or is it water fed like the tides marine?

The PSS can be vented OR supplied with water. They say if your vessel does over 10kts then it must have water supplied or under 10kts it's ok to have it vented. I had one on my last boat, fitted it myself and had it vented. It was excellent, no leaks, no adjustment, no messing about bleeding. I intend to fit one to my current boat this winter.

 

[vyv_cox]

vyv
is the seal vented via the pipe or is it water fed like the tides marine?

Vented. A length of about 12 mm hose runs up the bulkhead inside the engine compartment. It's the clear, reinforced piece visible in this pic. The instructions suggest that only fast vessels need to have a pumped supply.

 

[chewi]

My Volvo seal has now done 700 hours without leaking a drop. Just a squirt of blue grease and a burp at the start of the season. It's so simple I can't understand why anyone would consider anything else.

doesn't fit my combination of shaft and sterntube sizes. Needs a perfect finish on the shaft to seal to. needs burping, so that could be a pain on a drying mooring

 

[robertj]

I think I am going for the pss shaft seal.
Best price from?

 

[robertj]

Vented. A length of about 12 mm hose runs up the bulkhead inside the engine compartment. It's the clear, reinforced piece visible in this pic. The instructions suggest that only fast vessels need to have a pumped supply.

vyv

my shaft tube comes in at 1.84'', will the 1 3/4'' stretch or should I go up to 2''?

 

[vyv_cox]

vyv

my shaft tube comes in at 1.84'', will the 1 3/4'' stretch or should I go up to 2''?

Mine has a sleeve on the stern tube with the hose over it, sleeve provided. I assume the hose is 2" but all the info is on board in Greece. I don't see the sleeve on any current parts lists so it may no longer be an option. I don't remember the hose being able to stretch very much so I think I would go for the 2". Mine came from Aquafax, might be worth a call to find if the sleeve is still available.

 

[robertj]

Mine has a sleeve on the stern tube with the hose over it, sleeve provided. I assume the hose is 2" but all the info is on board in Greece. I don't see the sleeve on any current parts lists so it may no longer be an option. I don't remember the hose being able to stretch very much so I think I would go for the 2". Mine came from Aquafax, might be worth a call to find if the sleeve is still available.

ok thanks vyv

 

[robertj]

Mine has a sleeve on the stern tube with the hose over it, sleeve provided. I assume the hose is 2" but all the info is on board in Greece. I don't see the sleeve on any current parts lists so it may no longer be an option. I don't remember the hose being able to stretch very much so I think I would go for the 2". Mine came from Aquafax, might be worth a call to find if the sleeve is still available.

I've seen a sleeve on Aquafax site. They call it a weld in.
How did your sleeve attach to the stern tube?

 

[oldbilbo]

Mine came from Aquafax, might be worth a call to find if the sleeve is still available.

Brian Page is yer man.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Vyv, that's an engine room to die for. You can reach every component with ease. (Except perhaps the arse backwards Yanmar water pump). I'm envious.

Vented. A length of about 12 mm hose runs up the bulkhead inside the engine compartment. It's the clear, reinforced piece visible in this pic. The instructions suggest that only fast vessels need to have a pumped supply.