Leaking seacock - should I worry?

[Otter]

I went to turn off the loo inlet seacock today and it was obviously leaking - a steady drip every few seconds. It's a Blakes seacock and I tightened up the two side bolts that sort of hold it together. That appeared to stop the drip, I dried it with a bit of tissue and no new drips. Have I cured it or is this indicative of a real problem?

We changed over to summer haul out this year and so we're not due out for another 9 months so I need to find out if we need a haul and check.

Thanks.

 

[Heckler]

I went to turn off the loo inlet seacock today and it was obviously leaking - a steady drip every few seconds. It's a Blakes seacock and I tightened up the two side bolts that sort of hold it together. That appeared to stop the drip, I dried it with a bit of tissue and no new drips. Have I cured it or is this indicative of a real problem?

We changed over to summer haul out this year and so we're not due out for another 9 months so I need to find out if we need a haul and check.

Thanks.

They are a tapered valve, by tightening the two nuts you have pushed the tapers together and fixed the leak. That is normal
S

 

[sailorman]

I went to turn off the loo inlet seacock today and it was obviously leaking - a steady drip every few seconds. It's a Blakes seacock and I tightened up the two side bolts that sort of hold it together. That appeared to stop the drip, I dried it with a bit of tissue and no new drips. Have I cured it or is this indicative of a real problem?

We changed over to summer haul out this year and so we're not due out for another 9 months so I need to find out if we need a haul and check.

Thanks.

Job done Kipper

 

[Rum Run]

What Skipper-Stu said is right,and when you get the opportunity remove the rotating bit and add some grease to the mating surfaces. This allows it to turn nicely without leaking or sticking. Good kit they are and should last a very long time.

 

[Mistroma]

What Skipper-Stu said is right,and when you get the opportunity remove the rotating bit and add some grease to the mating surfaces. This allows it to turn nicely without leaking or sticking. Good kit they are and should last a very long time.

I used to remove the one on our previous boat every winter for a clean and grease. I think that every 3-4 years I degreased the parts and assembled with a little fine grinding paste. Just a matter or moving it around and to-fro for a couple of minutes before taking it apart to clean with solvent and re-grease. Seemed to work and still perfect after 30 years in use. I don't imagine that yours will be ready for the bin for many years unless it has turned pink with loss of zinc (unlikely unless you spend a lot of time on a poor shorepower connection).

 

[Concerto]

Detailed instructions on servicing Blakes Seacocks are here:
http://www.equipment.ath.cx/instrument_pdf/Blakes/seacocks.pdf

 

[bigman1]

Blakes are bronze no zinc in bronze.

 

[VicS]

Blakes are bronze no zinc in bronze.

Blakes were once bronze. They are now dezincification resistant brass

 

[vyv_cox]

Ensure that you can still turn the seacock after tightening the yoke bolts. These plug valves can seize very readily and need to be exercised occasionally in any case. Once they have seized it can take some heavy blows on a drift from outside the boat to free them.

 

[Otter]

Thanks everyone, reassured now, it was worrying leaving the boat yesterday.

Vyv is so right - we were new to this type of valve when we first bought the Kipper and thought we should tighten it as hard as we could - socket set and everything. It took the guy at the yard half an hour with a drift to free it

 

[Kwik Decision]

If it is a reasonably modern Blakes, it will have a grease nipple on it. You can use this to add some more grease while the boat is in the water. Older versions of Blakes seacocks didn't have this refinement..........

 

[ghostlymoron]

Would it be possible to fit a grease nipple to an older one?

 

[sailorman]

Thanks everyone, reassured now, it was worrying leaving the boat yesterday.

Vyv is so right - we were new to this type of valve when we first bought the Kipper and thought we should tighten it as hard as we could - socket set and everything. It took the guy at the yard half an hour with a drift to free it

The blakes grease is available in the swindlery, i took out a mortgage & purchased a pot for my MaxProp

 

[Kwik Decision]

Yes, but the boat would need to be out of the water, with the plug removed, and you would need space to drill and tap the body (which with the location of 3 of the seacocks on my boat, you don't have).

 

[ghostlymoron]

I was thinking this would be done when out of the water with them removed. Bonus if you could do in situ.

Yes, but the boat would need to be out of the water, with the plug removed, and you would need space to drill and tap the body (which with the location of 3 of the seacocks on my boat, you don't have).

 

[vyv_cox]

Would it be possible to fit a grease nipple to an older one?

I thought so and bought some nipples. When I eyed it up I found the body too thin to take more than about one thread turn so I didn't risk it. The newer ones have a thicker part cast in for the nipple.