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my fresh water intake is frozen shut and i cant open it. it looks like the previous owner dropped a garden hose over the edge of the boat instead of fixing it. any ideas? it also has a plastic adapter that is also stuck in it.MKIV 27
I'll restrain myself from suggesting that you wait until it thaws come spring. I assume that you have bronze seacocks as in my Mk IV.
First, try removing the hose and dumping a large quantity of penetrating oil into the top of the seacock. Leave it for a while, then back off the retaining nut a bit and try moving the lever (by hand - don't force it).
If that doesn't work, put in some more penetrating oil and leave it for a week. Repeat above. You might also try easing the retaining nut out until it is flush with the top of the theaded portion of seacock barrel, then tapping gently with a soft-faced hammer on the end of the thread (I suggest backing the nut out and using a soft-faced hammer because bronze is relatively soft and you don't want to damage the threads).
If _that_ doesn't work, put a heat gun on it. Tape aluminum foil to surrounding areas so you won't accidentally melt through your hull or damage the panelling. Warm the seacock body overall until it's really too hot to touch, then try moving the lever and tapping the threaded part (try not to point the gun at the barrel portion -- it's the body you want to expand, not the barrel). Bronze expands readily when heated, and the expansion will almost certainly break the bond between barrel and body.
Use of a heat gun will probably also loosen the plastic part, which is probably bonded in place with some sort of thread compound. The heat may wreck the plastic in the process, but while you are at it, you might as well replace it. The plastic adapters are just standard plumbing fittings that you can find at any large retailer, but you can buy stronger ones made by Forespar from a glass-filled plastic called Marelon.
If none of this works, you may have to pull the fitting, but I've loosened seacocks that seemed permanently welded using the sequence above, and I'm confident that it will work for you.
David Weatherston
"Towser", Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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thanks for the advice. btw- when i stated it was frozen i did not mean temperature-wise, but thanks again for the detailed response.
> when i stated it was frozen i did not mean temperature-wise
If I had thought you meant iced up, I would have suggested that you just pour hot water on your seacock. It was supposed to be a joke. Oh well, I guess I should hang on to my day job.
It occurs to me that using boiling water is probably a safer way of heating the seacock body than using a heat gun. Water's messy, but a heat gun is hot enough to do real damage if you're not careful. If the water doesn't work, try the heat gun and don't forget the aluminum foil on adjacent areas.
David Weatherston
"Towser", Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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I know there was a previous thread amongst these before - but - I can't find it, so I'll try here.
Has anyone replaced all their thru-hulls with the Marelon /Forespar/Plastic type - I have removed all mine and am looking for opinions. Thanks, Dean.
Dean M Baldwin
Morgan "D"
Mark III - Hull 516
Halifax, N.S.
[Use the search function above to look for the word Marelon in the "message" field. That should give you two long threads on through-hulls (you can also search the term thru-hull). - Admin]
Last edited by (2006-03-12 02:00:23)
Dean M Baldwin
Morgan "D"
Mark III - Hull 516
North Sydney, N.S.
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My Mark III has the original gate valves which will be replaced this spring. But with what? I'm also interested in the Marelon option but am not unwilling to consider bronze fittings. I'm well aware of the arguments (mostly specious in my opinion) about the supposed fragility (principally the handles) of the Forespar units but if they're good enough for major manufacturers they're good enough for me. That said, I'm simply interested in hearing from other owners about what they have done. As usual, thanks in advance.
Ken Pole
1975 Mark III Santiva
Ottawa
Ken Pole, Ottawa
1975 Mark III Santiva
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Maybe all penetrating oils are generic---I rarely read labels. There is some stuff called "PB Blaster"---usually available at HOME DEPOT. The best I've found--given that any gizmo requireing penetrating oil usually begs for more heat and a bigger hammer.
Dave in sunny Ft MyersDave Tinder
DAWN BREAKER Mk3
Ft Myers
I replaced my gate valves off the cockpit drains with 1.25" marelon and the water intake for the engine with a 0.5" marelon ball valve. Life is much simplier with the marelon valves and they are lighter.
These marelon valves are expensive, but they are available on ebay at substantial discount.
This year I pulled the waste discharge seacock to the lake, head water intake and the sink drain. I combined the head water intake and the sink drain with one thruhull and marelon seacock with a T joint and a anti siphon valve. In this way I have reduced three holes in the boat down to one and taken 15lbs of brass seacock/thruhull of the boat.
Thanks for that feedback, Bruce. When you replaced the gate valves with the 1.5-inch Marelon units, did you have to replace the through-hulls too? Thanks.
Ken Pole
1975 Mark III Santiva
Ottawa
Ken Pole, Ottawa
1975 Mark III Santiva
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Yes, I have to replace the thruhulls; that was the trickiest part because the brass thruhulls had a larger diameter and shallower depth than the new marelon ones.
I had to use a hole saw and cut a slightly deeper hole and then using an epoxy filler fill in the space created by the narrower diameter marelon. It was very much a work of art involving epoxy, a hole saw and lots of animation.
Note on marelon, it is not be intermixed with metal seacocks or thruhulls. If you go with marelon, all adjoining threaded pieces have to be marelon.
Would it be logical to consider two-inch Marelon through-hulls and ball valves? If you want to go off-forum on this, we can e-mail directly via the Fleet listing.
Ken Pole
1975 Mark III Santiva
Ottawa
Ken Pole, Ottawa
1975 Mark III Santiva
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