Pass shaft seal Squeaking

temptress

temptress

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15 Aug 2002
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1,886
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Gone Sailing -in Greece for a while
gbr195t.com
Have a newly fitted PSS seal. After motoring for say 10 or 12 hours the seal starts to squeak. It seems to be getting very hot! If I purge the seal then initial water is very hot and even seems to steam then it cools quickly and the Squeaking stops from 5 or 6 more hours.

The seal was professional installed a and is I believe vented correctly. I was thinking maybe the seal is too tight but when I checked this seems fine.

Any ideas anyone?
 
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Something is very wrong. I had a PSS for about eight years on my last boat and it never ran noticeably warmer than ambient temperature.

I suggest you read the PSS installation instructions:
TROUBLESHOOTING
High-pitched squeal:
If you hear a high-pitched squeal from the PSS shaft seal during operation, the seal may not be getting water. Review and correct plumbing to the seal.
CAUTION: If the seal has run dry use caution! The faces (stainless steel rotor and carbon) may be very hot.

You might also search for 'squeal' in the following link, then read the associated text:
http://www.mysailing.com.au/news/the-care-and-feeding-of-dripless-shaft-seals

Why on earth did you get someone else to fit such a simple bit of kit, especially going where you are?
 
Try removing the vent hose at the seal making sure that water flushes through. Just might be a machining fault inside the carbon. Also blow through the vent hose to ensure it is not blocked. My experience is the same as mac's, it never feels at all warm.
 
This happened to me three or four times in the four years I owned the boat. Unfortunately I never worked out what the cause was but the cure was to blow down the vent tube. This would clear whatever the blockage was and it would be OK for a year or so.
As your problem is more regular I would go back to the installers as they haven't provided you with a system that functions properly.

Martin
 
martinriches said:
This happened to me three or four times in the four years I owned the boat. Unfortunately I never worked out what the cause was but the cure was to blow down the vent tube. This would clear whatever the blockage was and it would be OK for a year or so.
As your problem is more regular I would go back to the installers as they haven't provided you with a system that functions properly.
Click to expand...

I doubt temptress can do the second part: Location Gone Sailing - South Pacific- heading toward SINGAPORE

The first is certainly more doable :encouragement:
I'd also temporarily disconnect the top of the vent hose from wherever it's clipped, then lower it carefully below the waterline: seawater should pour out freely. If it doesn't, the hose or the seal is obstructed in some way.
 
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vyv_cox said:
Try removing the vent hose at the seal making sure that water flushes through. Just might be a machining fault inside the carbon. Also blow through the vent hose to ensure it is not blocked. My experience is the same as mac's, it never feels at all warm.
Click to expand...

Will check the vent hose again. Maybe a blockage as was OK for 3 months then developed this issue. I have spare hose on board or 500 miles to the nearest Chandlers in Fiji.
 
vyv_cox said:
Try removing the vent hose at the seal making sure that water flushes through. Just might be a machining fault inside the carbon. Also blow through the vent hose to ensure it is not blocked. My experience is the same as mac's, it never feels at all warm.
Click to expand...
<br>
<br>Will check the vent hose again. Maybe a blockage as was OK for 3 months then developed this issue. I have spare hose on board or 500 miles to the nearest Chandlers in Fiji. 
 
temptress said:
Will check the vent hose again. Maybe a blockage as was OK for 3 months then developed this issue. I have spare hose on board or 500 miles to the nearest Chandlers in Fiji.
Click to expand...

Also check if water cones in through the faces of the seal if you move the carbon face away from the stainless rotor.

Like vyv_cox and macd I have has a PSS seal for some time with no heading up of squeaking just the faces stick together when left unused for a while until the first run then all is OK.
 
macd said:
It is, according to PSS, but for vessels capable of >12kn.
Click to expand...

Thats true but I think they stopped supplied the ones without the vent some time ago as when I ordered mine I specified my boat was less than 12 kn but they still supplied the vented one.
 
Rogershaw said:
Thats true but I think they stopped supplied the ones without the vent some time ago as when I ordered mine I specified my boat was less than 12 kn but they still supplied the vented one.
Click to expand...

Certainly all the PSS seals supplied in the UK for a decade or more have had a hose barb: whether that becomes a vent or something else is entirely up to the installer. The poster(s) I was responding to seemed to be describing a water-feed arrangement, rather than a straightforward vent. A vent simply precludes the need for burping; a water-feed provides positive water pressure. The PSS hardware in both cases is, of course, the same.
 
macd said:
Certainly all the PSS seals supplied in the UK for a decade or more have had a hose barb: whether that becomes a vent or something else is entirely up to the installer. The poster(s) I was responding to seemed to be describing a water-feed arrangement, rather than a straightforward vent. A vent simply precludes the need for burping; a water-feed provides positive water pressure. The PSS hardware in both cases is, of course, the same.
Click to expand...

I agree mac. I read the OP as having a vent not a pressure feed. If the poster(s) you were responding to had a pressure feed and if it was from the discharge side of the heat exchanger it would feed hot water to the seal and I don't know how that would effect the operation.

I have purchased 2 different PSS seals one 16 years ago and one about 10 years ago both had a hose barb and both fitted with a vent not pressure fed.

I think we agree that the OP problem is a very strange one and the installation needs looking at carefully to determine the cause and to let us all know.
 
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