seacocks for beginners

[saltyrob]

Hi folks,

Seasons started with one or two niggles.The lever on the toilet water inlet seacock can be turned without opening or closing the seacock. luckily its in the closed position as boat afloat. Would like advice as to most likely cause of problem and can it be repaired safely afloat.Seacock probable 86 vintage

Robert

 

[VicS]

Probably the square on which the handle fits has the corners rounded off.
Remove handle and clamp on a small pair of mole grips.
Renew seacock next winter.
Bollock yard that does your winter maintenance!

Edit

It could be just the handle if its just a cheapo pressed steel one that has rusted. If so fit new handle

 

[Moonshiners]

if not above - depends if your sea cock is inline (like ours) dry out and replace, the whole unit, if that parts gone - you don't know how long before the rust eats through the rest of the valve!

If it looks new and has just sheared as above... depends on overall condition... if it's rusted and nackered, replace it!

(lefty - Lucy, Righty - Tighty) - works for me!

 

[MarkGrubb]

On my boat the sea cocks screw onto the thru-hull fitting (except in the heads which have taylors seacocks) so replace ment would simply mean drying out, unscrewing (with the help of a big wrench) the seacock and replacing with new. I put plumbers tape on the thread of the thruhull.

Make sure you fit the new seacock the right way round: if it has a welded section it needs to be on the boat side of the seacock, so if the weld fails you can still close the seacock to prevent water flooding in. Mine are ball type ones, and one of the threads is welded to the ball valve. Hope that makes sense.

 

[saltyrob]

Many thanks

Rob

 

[KREW2]

Last summer my engine intake ball valve ceased to work, as there was only 5 weeks left until the winter lay up I switched the hose over to the heads inlet which worked fine. On inspection of the valve after removal, the lever was turning the shaft, but not moving the ball.