Thru Hulls & Seacocks


     An issue that bugged the crap out of me was the seacock or ballvalve for the generator.  It was the one valve that I couldn't budge, it was frozen open.  Not good, you have to be able to close all your valves not just for safety sake but to work on and maintain the equipment the thru hull is attached to.  I couldn't open the sea strainer to clean it out since I couldn't shut off the flow of sea water.  When I put pressure on the handle...it stripped the brass end.

    It appears the generator was installed later and was not original equipment.  Overall the installation was professional except for the seacock. While the scoop was marine grade, the valve was not. You just cannot & should not put regular plumbing parts in very important places like this! A marine grade valve has a stainless steel handle (this one had regular steel & was rusted), the stem is beefier (this one was small) & there is no bonding screw.  Hardware store valves are not constructed to hold up in the marine environment and that is a recipe for disaster. DON'T DO IT!

    While the boat was out of the water I removed and replaced the valve with a proper marine grade valve.  I was Also able to connect the new valve & sea strainer to my bonding system to limit corrosion.

    Everything cleaned up nice and now I can clean and service the sea strainer.  Remember, It is a good idea to "excersize" your sea cocks an a regular basis to keep them operating so they can do their job when you need them to.






 

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