Seacocks - open or closed?

[jonathankent]

Is it best to leave seacocks open or closed when leaving the boat? I've heard of 'things' growing in them and over time preventing them from opening/closing.

What does everybody else do?

 

[Hermit]

Its a time thing for me - more than a couple of weeks away and I close them. No reason why except probably the same reason I use enough mooring line to secure the QE2! Mind you - if you don't trust them enough to leave them open they probably need looking at.

 

[Aja]

If you think its right to leave them open - remove them. They are just expensive extras.

Donald

 

[jonathankent]

I don't quite get your drift. Perhaps you could elaborate a little....

 

[Pye_End]

Close them. Means you regularly use them so will still be servicable in an emergancy. Also help you sleep at night when you are off the boat.

 

[jonathankent]

I trust them enough to leave them open - they are brand new and just fitted! I just wandered what the best way of using them was.

 

[aztec]

if it helps..

i'm just restoring my boat after forgetting to close them.

it would have saved me about 6 months worth of work, and 2 new engines.

just an opinion.

 

[pvb]

Best way...

Best way of using seacocks is to open and close them fairly regularly or they seize up. Otherwise, whether you leave them open or shut normally is up to you, and your assessment of the likelihood of sudden failure. Many people will say you must close them when you leave the boat unattended, but ignore the fact that cockpit drain seacocks need leaving open. If you're going to leave some open, you might as well leave them all open (which is what I do).

 

[JasB]

I always close them as that is what I was taught to do, wether it is necessary or not, I don't know, but it can't be bad practice to close them...can it?

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
I trust them enough to leave them open - they are brand new and just fitted!

[/ QUOTE ]
Personally, that's when I would trust them least. Have you checked and double checked how well the plastic hoses are attached to the seacocks, and also at the other end where the hoses are fitted to whatever they're fitted to?

.

 

[l'escargot]

[ QUOTE ]
.....I've heard of 'things' growing in them and over time preventing them from opening/closing....

[/ QUOTE ]
Close them, it would be better if something prevented them from being opened rather than prevented them from being closed when you needed to.

What reason could there be for leaving them open when they weren't in use, especially if leaving the boat unattended?

 

[pvb]

Cockpit drains?

[ QUOTE ]
What reason could there be for leaving them open when they weren't in use, especially if leaving the boat unattended?

[/ QUOTE ] Cockpit drains?

 

[fisherman]

[ QUOTE ]
I trust them enough to leave them open

[/ QUOTE ]


It's not the seacocks you have to trust, it's the jubilee clips and pipes around the engine that may fail and sink you in your absence.

 

[l'escargot]

Re: Cockpit drains?

[ QUOTE ]
....Cockpit drains?

[/ QUOTE ]
Alright, I'll give you that one - What reason could there be for leaving them open (apart from cockpit drains and the sink if you have your dehumidifer draining into it /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif) when they weren't in use, especially if leaving the boat unattended?

 

[pvb]

But that\'s the very point...

But that's the very point - if you're happy to leave some open, you might as well leave them all open! Save yourself some contortions delving into dark corners. If you've checked that they're properly installed and have adequate clips, what's the risk? There's almost zero water pressure on them, after all.

 

[l'escargot]

Re: But that\'s the very point...

Usually cockpit drains and sink drains are above the waterline. Why would you want to leave say the toilet stopcocks or the engine water intake open, below the waterline, when you were leaving the boat unattended and so reducing the risk even further? I would think there are more cases of boats sinking through leaving them open than through catastrophic failure of a closed one.

 

[RogerBrady]

Re: Cockpit drains?

Seacocks on Heads, Sinks and any hull openings should be left in the closed position when the boat is not inuse if only to exercise the valves. I have seen too many Clips and Hoses fail on aircraft fittings, and they are of the best quality. As for cockpit drains they should be left open if there is a chance that water can flow into the cabin from the cockpit if it was to fill with water. Nobody whants Osmosis above the water line let alone below it, IMHO.
Roger.

 

[Dipper]

Check your insurance policy. Mine states I must close all my seacocks except for the cockpit drains when leaving the boat. Closing seacocks including the engine seacock is part of my ritual when leaving the boat. Also part of my ritual is to open the engine seacock as soon as I board again.

 

[Brian_Moffat]

You know it's lovely to get a nice easy one occasonaly - the answer is yes!

OK people - the question is --- why is the answer YES?- refer PBO

 

[pvb]

OK...

OK, now we're starting to narrow the argument. For what it's worth, my cockpit drains, deck drains and sink drain are below the waterline. You reckon that boats primarily sink from leaving seacocks open - so what fails? If the seacock is properly fitted, and if the hose is properly clipped, why on earth should anything leak? And if the risk is so high, what dangers are people exposing themselves to when they're sailing normally?