stuffing box greaser

[gary3029]

Hi have a stuffing box that has a greaser attached. Need to fill up greaser. Can I use any type of grease? Could I use the white grease that is made for the marine industry? Also boat coming out for overhaul in march for a month. Weepage from stuffing box minimal so should I leave alone or change the stuffing as the boat is out of the water. Must say this is one job I an't looking forward too as I have never done or seen it done!!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Gordonmc]

Changing the packing isn't a big or difficult job, but if there is no significant weepage I would leave it.
Before you start, try and get spanners big enough to undo the lock-nut and compression nut. I had to make my own out of sheet steel... about 3.5 inch AF.
You might strike lucky at the local chandler and get the right size of packing but its sods law when you hook the old stuff out it will be a different size. The safest method is to get the compression nut off, measure the aperature, subtract the shaft diameter and refer to the chandler to get the right size.
Most any grease will do. Keenol is probably best, but I don't see it about much now. I use Aquaslip, but the old timer I bought the boat from left a can of axle grease.

 

[l'escargot]

You need waterproof grease, can't think of the name offhand but a decent chandlers will have some if nobody else comes up with it.

If the stuffing box isn't giving you any problem, I would leave it alone. They don't give up overnight, when mine ran out of adjustment (I had the boat 7 years then and don't know when the previous owner had repacked it - if ever) I just used the greaser a bit more and did the job when I next lifted out at the end of the season.

 

[paulrossall]

Duckhams ceased making Keenol about 2004 as they did not have sufficient sales volume to make money out of it. Any chandler or trailer supplier, or maybee even a large motor factor, will stock a water-resistant grease.

 

[Malish]

another dodge to measure packing size is to slide the non-machined end of a drill bit into the void left by the packing - keep changing the size of drill bit until you find one that just fits the gap

 

[old_salt]

Have a look here www.vickers-oil.com just about the best you can get used by the RN & MN. I use Neox DT. a 4 kg tub delivered £37.69 and worth every Penny. Click Marine then Site Index then Neox DT. It can be used anywhere on board and is better than all your spray cans..

 

[awyatybw]

With regard to the packing, I would agree with the "if it ain't broke then don't fix it" brigade. With regular use of the greaser it will last many, many years in general. We give about half a turn on the greaser (just enough to take up the slack, as it were) every hour of engine use.

When the previous boat was sold the surveyor insisted that the packing be renewed (c. 12 yrs old). Upon opening it up it was reported to be as good as new.

Alan.

 

[Poignard]

Do you buy it from Vickers direct?

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Asked a chandlery for "stern gland grease" and bought a yellow tub of stuff made by Morris Lubricants? Its on the boat and I don't really recall the name I've used it to stuff a leaky Halyard seal with grease via a grease cap and, so far, since last July, it has worked fine.

 

[andyball]

a waterproof/trailer brng grease sold in the now oob Pumpkin, carried dire warnings about mixing with other waterproof greases - but didn't say why. Seemed a bit rich given where can you buy bearings with no grease in them at all?

 

[old_salt]

Yes direct from Vickers.

 

[Stemar]

I got a tin of grease that's compatible with the Duckhams one from Hardway Marine in Gosport. It's on the boat, 100 miles away, so I can't tell you what it's called, sorry.

The new people there are very helpful and I'm sure they wouldn't mind a call to get the name. They'd probably post you a tin if you asked nicely...

 

[wiggy]

Just bought K99 says for stern tubes tin cost £4.50 from chandler