Seized ball valve

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C08

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Due to moving house over the winter the boat was left alone or 8 months. The heads outlet was left in the open position and it is stuck open. Are there any tricks to free such a seized valve. It is a bronze valve chrome plated and I think the ball is stainless but not sure about that. I was planning to try boiling water through/down it and then penetrating oil? I wil pick up a new valve on my way to the boat but do not have time to change it as lift in very soon.
 
Your approach sounds good. If you can leave the penetrating oil as long as possible.

Also put some on the spindle/handle area as that could be the issue and not the ball valve itself.
 
It will likely be a ring of deposits on the seaward side of the ball. "Tapping" the handle may well break the ring. The ball runs in a self lubricating socket so nothing to free there although the handle spindle may benefit from some penetrating oil.
 
Changing it shouldn't be more than 15 minutes work - plus, in the real world, an hour's swearing at the hose and hitting it. The only real issue might be if the through hull snaps, but if you manage that, be very thankful, because it was biding its time, waiting for an opportunity to sink your boat.

If a couple of raps with a hammer don't free it, I'd change it anyway, do the maintenance on the old one at home and throw it in the boaty junk box until you need one in a hurry.
 
Stemar said:
Changing it shouldn't be more than 15 minutes work - plus, in the real world, an hour's swearing at the hose and hitting it. The only real issue might be if the through hull snaps, but if you manage that, be very thankful, because it was biding its time, waiting for an opportunity to sink your boat.

If a couple of raps with a hammer don't free it, I'd change it anyway, do the maintenance on the old one at home and throw it in the boaty junk box until you need one in a hurry.
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I agree, if a few light taps don't free it then change it. Don't hit it hard as an old skin fitting may fail. I would replace with TruDesign composite, they can be left for months without seizing.
 
C08 said:
Due to moving house over the winter the boat was left alone or 8 months. The heads outlet was left in the open position and it is stuck open. Are there any tricks to free such a seized valve. It is a bronze valve chrome plated and I think the ball is stainless but not sure about that. I was planning to try boiling water through/down it and then penetrating oil? I wil pick up a new valve on my way to the boat but do not have time to change it as lift in very soon.
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If it is plated it is most unlikely to be bronze. Very probably brass, so not worth messing with, replace it but check the integrity of the skin fitting and hose tail.
 
With the boat due to launch monday my nightmare scenario is that I decide to replace the ball valve but in unscrewing it from the through hull fitting that it rotates the through hull breaking the seal. If it then comes off I will need to refit/replace the through hull which in my experience is a 2 handed job, one outside to stop the through hull rotating and one inside to tighten the valve onto the through hull. On my own in an empty boatyard and a short time before the crane arrives-what fun.
I am inclined to try some kettle limescale remover and replace the whole lot when I have more time and all the required kit + another pair of hands. I cannot see a short limescale remover session substantially attacking the valve construction but that is really a question for the metallurgy experts here?
 
If it is jammed open could you get another ball valve fitting that would screw on top of it?

or just live with it for the season. If the hoses are in good condition and double clipped then the chances of failure are small. I’ve not heard of anyone having a fail.

or get someone to help you change it dried out on a scrubbing post.
 
C08 said:
With the boat due to launch monday my nightmare scenario is that I decide to replace the ball valve but in unscrewing it from the through hull fitting that it rotates the through hull breaking the seal. If it then comes off I will need to refit/replace the through hull which in my experience is a 2 handed job, one outside to stop the through hull rotating and one inside to tighten the valve onto the through hull. On my own in an empty boatyard and a short time before the crane arrives-what fun.
I am inclined to try some kettle limescale remover and replace the whole lot when I have more time and all the required kit + another pair of hands. I cannot see a short limescale remover session substantially attacking the valve construction but that is really a question for the metallurgy experts here?
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Limescale remover will have no effect on either the metal nor the teflon valve, Both are pretty impervious to most chemicals. Kettle cleaner and even stronger brick cleaner is commonly used for removing deposits on propellers. However it is unlikely to free it as the deposits will be on the seawater side rather than the inside. If it is out of the water then spray penetrating oil up the outlet and then try to operate the valve. Once you have broken the ring it will free up. Did this on a sink outlet earlier this year and now works perfectly.
 
Tranona said:
Limescale remover will have no effect on either the metal nor the teflon valve, Both are pretty impervious to most chemicals. Kettle cleaner and even stronger brick cleaner is commonly used for removing deposits on propellers. However it is unlikely to free it as the deposits will be on the seawater side rather than the inside. If it is out of the water then spray penetrating oil up the outlet and then try to operate the valve. Once you have broken the ring it will free up. Did this on a sink outlet earlier this year and now works perfectly.
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Thanks for comments. As it is jammed open I thought I would bung the skin fitting, pour boiling water into the valve and hope the limescale remover does its magic. Having watched how quick limescale is shifted in a kettle I am hopeful of a result.
 
Yes, bunging and filling with kettle cleaner may well do the job. It does not take much of a build up to stop the ball from moving which is why it is good to exercise valves regularly.
 
Unfortunately it is not only scale that seizes ball valves. The chromium plated brass ball often develops corrosion pits that prevent rotation. Pics on my website under metallurgy/brasses and bronzes. Acid will do nothing for this and heavy rotation of the handle may well fracture the dezincified stem.
 
C08 said:
With the boat due to launch monday my nightmare scenario is that I decide to replace the ball valve but in unscrewing it from the through hull fitting that it rotates the through hull breaking the seal. If it then comes off I will need to refit/replace the through hull which in my experience is a 2 handed job, one outside to stop the through hull rotating and one inside to tighten the valve onto the through hull. On my own in an empty boatyard and a short time before the crane arrives-what fun.
I am inclined to try some kettle limescale remover and replace the whole lot when I have more time and all the required kit + another pair of hands. I cannot see a short limescale remover session substantially attacking the valve construction but that is really a question for the metallurgy experts here?
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Personally I wouldn't replace the valve without also replacing the skin fitting, it can be done singlehanded and quite quicky as the boats out of the water and if you've got an angle grinder.

Have a look at this video at about 5mins and 13 mins in which shows how to use the angle grinder to remove the old skin fitting and valve and then from inside the boat using a suitable sized spanner to stop the skin fitting rotating to fit the new skin fitting singlehanded.

 
I had a similar situation with a forespar valve on my boat. When she came out of the water in November I tried everything to free the valve off eventually removing it and fitting a new Trudesign valve. I did manage to free it off back home in the garage but with the force needed I'm not sure I'd ever feel comfortable re-using it so it's in the 'dump it when I think about it more' bin
 
Thanks for comments and suggestions. The valve was totally siezed despite increasingly forceful blows to the handle. I eventually removed the valve and was about to fit the new one today when it occured to me in the middle of the night (as suggested by Vyv Cox) that if I was unlucky I may have cracked the skin fitting at the thread and that would need to be replaced also.
Thanks for the U Tube reference that helpfully show a good way of stopping the skin fitting turning from in the boat making it a one man job rather than a two handed one.
Having already bought a metal ball valve is there any reason not to use a Trudesign Composite skin fitting & hose tail in conjunction with the metal valve?
 
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C08 said:
Having already bought a metal ball valve is there any reason not to use a Trudesign Composite skin fitting & hose tail in conjunction with the metal valve?
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I can't think of a reason not to do that but it would be better if you could return the valve for credit and use Trudesign one, they don't stiffen up or seize.
 
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