Seized seacocks

[marika]

I have recently bought a Westerly with two seized Blakes seacocks, both serving the heads. Hitting the cone of the outlet seacock with a drift to release it is not a problem, but the inlet has the external strainer plate fitted, so can't hit that one easily. Any advice? Grind strainer off? Or am I missing something? Seacocks are both seized in the open position, which I'm not thrilled about.

 

[wallacebob]

I found repeated heating of body, spray of release fluid (not WD40) and sharp crack with a hammer shocked them free.

 

[LittleSister]

I'd be tempted to permanently remove the strainer plate, if not too difficult. In my experience such strainers merely limit flow, encourage creatures to congregate inside them, and make it very difficult to completely remove them.

 

[Tranona]

Problem is the strainer is attached by the same bolts as the body of the seacock and best not to disturb then.

 

[LittleSister]

As it will be the inlet it's presumably 3/4", and could perhaps be simply drilled out, leaving the surrounding edge of the plate in place and the fixing bolts undisturbed?

 

[Tranona]

As it will be the inlet it's presumably 3/4", and could perhaps be simply drilled out, leaving the surrounding edge of the plate in place and the fixing bolts undisturbed?

You could do that but surely better to persist with trying to free it from inside. It is a domed grid so not easy to drill, but would respond to an angle grinder if that is the only way to get the plug out.

 

[LittleSister]

You could do that but surely better to persist with trying to free it from inside.

Different, but not, in my view, necessarily 'better'. (It doesn't address the restrictions that these grids cause, for example, or make it any easier should the sea-cock seize again in future.)

I am not promoting one method over another, just offering a suggestion, and happy to leave it to the OP to chose his preferred 'angle of attack'.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Pour a kettle full of boiling water over the seacock first. It has worked for me. Immediately start tapping with a hammer all round. That can break the bond before resorting to more extreme methods.

 

[penfold]

Trepan the strainer with a hole saw and a drill; as others have said a strainer on a lavvy is a waste of time and just acts as a home for crustaceans.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

I would try and resist hard blows with a hammer and try every possible method first.

I had a new boat to me last season. Both Blakes toilet seacocks were frozen open.
I was advised by a local engineer, with no doubt the best of intentions , to just hit them harder with a hammer. They both came out and everything seemed ok after being splashed.

Three months later one of them started leaking. I was taking 2 ltrs of water every 20 minutes and I had a sleepless night pumping and finally got lifted.

Just a suggestion, how about getting the entire seacocks out and re bedding them in ? You can also deal with them on the bench.

Unfortunately, mine were glassed in flush to the hull but it wasn't too bad.

 

[Gary Fox]

You don't need the strainer for straining purposes, so put a 1/2" hole through the middle, and knock out your cone with a socket extension.
I would be wary of destroying the strainer,..as someone said, it is part of the assembly holding the whole cock in the hull.

I have just converted my heads and engine from trad. Blakes cocks to DZR ball valves, and the 65-yr old bronze Blakes were in ropey condition, even a bit crumbly , they don't last forever.

 

[Oily Rag]

I have recently bought a Westerly with two seized Blakes seacocks, both serving the heads. Hitting the cone of the outlet seacock with a drift to release it is not a problem, but the inlet has the external strainer plate fitted, so can't hit that one easily. Any advice? Grind strainer off? Or am I missing something? Seacocks are both seized in the open position, which I'm not thrilled about.

When one of mine got a bit stiff two years ago, I looked carefully and spotted a grease nipple. Worth checking!

 

[LittleSister]

the 65-yr old bronze Blakes were in ropey condition, even a bit crumbly , they don't last forever.

Are you going to ask for your money back?

 

[Gary Fox]

Are you going to ask for your money back?

Can't find the receipt

 

[marika]

Thanks all, some very useful suggestions here. I have a grease nipple on the outlet seacock, and it has been greased, but it still won't won't shift and I can't really get any force on the handles with a wooden mallet as the run of hoses interferes with such access. I think I'll wait until I'm next out of the water, remove all hoses and attempt to unseize using a drift from the outside...which will inevitably mean having to cut an access hole for the inlet seacock (whilst not disturbing the remainder of the fitting....) What could possibly go wrong ?

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Are you going to ask for your money back?

My 42 yr old blakes on cockpit drain were in fine fettle but needed greasing. I expect no one had shut them for 42 years and no one will ever again so I could just have renewed the hoses and left it but insurers wanted it done. Heads would be as different matter. The gate valves on the sink drains were however spongy biscuit metal but they were not blakes and may not even have been marine bronze