I'm utterly unspeakably fed up with this...

Hayling said:
Vaseline!
The answer to so many things in life
and a sink/bath spanner (they have lugs)
to free off first, but never to do up.
Click to expand...

Agree with the rest ..... but not vaseline for this unless you have no other options. Vaseline can attack the "rubber" seal and it dries out and need regular unscrewing and re-application if it is not going to cause as many problems as it solves.

Silicone grease is preferable to vaseline in all applications except one! :rolleyes:

Richard
 
Hears my main inlet sea cock and strainer arrangement. The strainer lid is perspex with a o ring groove and O-ring sealing and held closed with M8 wingnuts.
WEB0650-0746_zps2fb3139d.jpg
 
LadyInBed said:
Seems to be a bit OTT for a 1GM10 :)
Click to expand...

That supplied all the seawater requirements on my boat including 2 heads, waste tank rinse, deck wash, water maker inlet as well as cooling water for main engine and diesel generator.

It was the way the strainer lids were attached I was trying to indicate.
 
I've had my old black Vetus strainer for sixteen seasons now and never had any trouble, though engineers sometimes think it is clever to tighten it up hard. Normally, I just lightly tighten it as one would a milk bottle. You need to take care that the strainer is properly located into the grooves at the side, though.
 
Maybe the old black ones are OK, I can't understand why an item that it's absolutely critical to be able to undo in an emergency is designed in a way that makes to so ridiculously difficult to undo.
 
I have a similar plastic unit but with a 'raised' slot - again I had difficulty unscrewing but made up a plywood 'spanner' to fit, about 6" long and it's now easy. I've used Vaseline in the past, perhaps I should use silicon grease as recommended earlier.
 
Are you sure that the head of water between the strainer and sea level is not putting a vacuum into the strainer and causing it to be hard to undo? If there is a big difference then you may need a vent
I carry a spare strainer so if the lid jams I can swap strainers. It's a 2 minute job on my boat
Martin
 
The vacuum in mine is under the inner lid. As there is only a tiny lug to grip, this can make it hard to lift, and I have occasionally had to use pliers.
 
Halo said:
Are you sure that the head of water between the strainer and sea level is not putting a vacuum into the strainer and causing it to be hard to undo?
Click to expand...

It's possible but surely the makers could have guessed that might be the case in installations? It's only about three inches above the waterline though.
 
We've got one of the larger Vetus filters with 2" connections. It proved difficult to remove the lid at first until, like others have said, we realised the trick was not to tighten it too much.

If you liberally grease the o-ring when you tighten the lid you can see the grease clearing off the o-ring at the contact point. Once you see this clear section all the way round you know you've got a seal and no need to tighten any further. Helps if the grease has a bit of 'colour' to it.
 
Halo said:
Are you sure that the head of water between the strainer and sea level is not putting a vacuum into the strainer and causing it to be hard to undo? If there is a big difference then you may need a vent
I carry a spare strainer so if the lid jams I can swap strainers. It's a 2 minute job on my boat
Martin
Click to expand...

Although there can't be a vacuum once the engine is off as it will equalise to atmosphere one way or the other.

Richard
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top