bryeomans
New Member
We have had some Marelon seacocks for well over 15 years, but could not see point of replacing the remaining Blakes heads fittings while they remained serviceable. Eventually, however, all the other gate valves on cockpit drains, bilge pumps and heads sink needed doing for the umpteenth time as steel handles rotted or valves seized for lack of use so decided to go all plastic with TruDesign fittings. Having read the test and certification details on the web, I think you can be confident that properly installed plastic is very robust. A side effect is that it is greatly reducing the amount of metal dangling in the water so we do seem to consume anodes more slowly than before.
For maintenance , I much prefer the insertion of a small amount of silicon on the end of a stick on to the closed ball valve while the boat is ashore, followed by a few waggles of the handle, rather than the much messier task of disassembling and greasing metal gate valves and seacocks - guess what takes more time and causes more grief when it goes wrong? I never seemed to be able to have a Blakes seacock open easily unless it also leaked when closed!
My only concern is that the plastic valves can be a little stiff to operate ( hence reports of broken handles) but TruDesign say themselves that regular operation of the valve is recommended to prevent seizing from fouling.
Flush fitting is really only practical for new builds, since moulding countersink in the hull is a major task, especially if the hull is wafer thin ( as so many are these days).
For maintenance , I much prefer the insertion of a small amount of silicon on the end of a stick on to the closed ball valve while the boat is ashore, followed by a few waggles of the handle, rather than the much messier task of disassembling and greasing metal gate valves and seacocks - guess what takes more time and causes more grief when it goes wrong? I never seemed to be able to have a Blakes seacock open easily unless it also leaked when closed!
My only concern is that the plastic valves can be a little stiff to operate ( hence reports of broken handles) but TruDesign say themselves that regular operation of the valve is recommended to prevent seizing from fouling.
Flush fitting is really only practical for new builds, since moulding countersink in the hull is a major task, especially if the hull is wafer thin ( as so many are these days).