2000 340..Seacock Replacement

sailcapt340

sailcapt340

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Sep 26, 2008
557
Hunter 340 0 Wickford, RI
I need to replace the Seacock in the head from the sink drain. It has become stiff and hard to open and close easily.
I've had some luck using cooking oil in the hose and allowing it to seep down into the seacock, that makes it easier to open. But it still needs to be replaced.
Is anyone using the Bronze Seacocks with the grease fitting attached, that lets you use a grease gun to lubricate them?
Thank you for the input.
 

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Ron20324

Ron20324

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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
The cooking oil may well be your problem. Mineral oil is what I've been using for years. Ohers will have other ideas, I'm sure.
 
sailcapt340

sailcapt340

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Sep 26, 2008
557
Hunter 340 0 Wickford, RI
Ron,
Fortunately, I only used the oil one time and it eased the motion considerably. And it was the only safe oil I had available.
I'll switch over to mineral this week, if needed, to get me through the rest of the season.
 
John T1594

John T1594

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Jun 4, 2004
834
Hunter 340 Forked River, NJ
I used to use white lithum grease in an aerosol spray can and give a blast up into each seacock from below when the boat was on the hard for the winter. I exercised the valves a few times and then repeated with the valve in the closed position if needed to fully coat the ball in the valve.
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,153
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
@sailcapt340 I see your profile indicates RI. Am I to understand you pull your boat for winter? Perhaps this winter you should remove the hoses when the boat is out of the water and see if you can refurbish the sea cocks (why not both of them). Lube them, exercise them clean them. See if this resolves the issue. They look to be built of significant material that has a long life. They look clean and well maintained on the outside. Perhaps they have acquired a bit of foreign matter inside the unit and a cleaning, lube service could restore them to full function with out the cost of replacement.

If not then you could easily replace them while you are on the hard.
 
Justin_NSA

Justin_NSA

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Jul 7, 2004
8,405
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
From the picture it looks like you have a ball valve and not a true flanged seacock. The problem with them is failures can be catastrophic. A 2007 article on Practical Sailor said Hunter was recalling boats with potentially defective ball valves. I would replace it if it is below the waterline.

"Replace any gate valves, and upgrade to proper flanged seacocks when time comes to replace existing valves below the waterline."
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,153
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Justin. It appears that the valves are proper seacocks. They are installed with backing plates that appear to be 1/4 inch fiber glass attached to the hull. The backing plate appears designed to spread the load across the hull. The backing place appears to be adhered to the hull with an adhesive caulk. These should be sufficient. Was the recall something to do with this type of construction?
 
Justin_NSA

Justin_NSA

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Jul 7, 2004
8,405
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
I don't know John. It just read "recalling dozens of boats with potentially defective ball valves.". It pointed to huntermarine.com to read the notification but that site is no more and i didn't see anything on the new Marlow site.

PS - "this magazine have ranted about cheap ball valves that many builders continue to use instead of high-quality, marine-grade seacocks with mounting flanges."
The ball valve in question screws into a flange but it is not an integral part of it.
 
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jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,153
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
You will not get a complaint about the Groco flanged valve from me. It love them and use them especially on the thinner hulled modern boats. MaineSails demonstration of a ball valve failure was enough.
 
sailcapt340

sailcapt340

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Sep 26, 2008
557
Hunter 340 0 Wickford, RI
jssailem,
I do pull the boat each winter. Of course, they were all fine while sitting in the yard, worked with ease, so I moved on to other things. I did grease them all using a lithium grease.
I'm really leaning towards I may have use "to much" grease on this one, and as soon as the boat was in the cold water this May, it seized up.
All the other seacocks look and feel as they always have.

Justin,
I remember that recall and checked if my boat was involved. Fortunately it wasn't. They are solidly backed and attached to the hull.

As of today 7/24/19, just an hour ago, it was opening smoothly but a little stiffer than usual. But easy to use.
When I pull the boat this year I will remove them both and get a good look inside.
My only concern is not loosening the thru hull in the process.
Any tips for the removal process are appreciated.
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,153
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Careful.. be very careful..:liar::laugh:
Perhaps someone holding the through hull in place with a wrench that fits inside of the mushroom will stop it from turning while you are working inside to back the valve off the through threads. Not if you cannot hold it in place then you will need to reinstall the through hull. You may be forced to do this. I would also give the inside threads a good dousing of PB Blaster to hopefully ease your effort.
I look forward to hearing your success.

With the boat out of the water perhaps you can try to lube the valves through the valve by removing the hoses. For sure I would try that. I am sorry I am not sure what would the the best lube for you in your waters. I would check with a local marina yard to see what they use.
 
sailcapt340

sailcapt340

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Sep 26, 2008
557
Hunter 340 0 Wickford, RI
That's exactly my concern, loosening the whole assembly.
I'll start asking others and the marina what they use.
In the mean time I'll keep exercising the valve.
Thank you for the help and I'll be sure to let you know what the outcome is later in the season.
 
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jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,153
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
While looking around Youtube, I discovered this Brit with video - how he is removing his sea-cocks.
Thought this might give you some ideas with your project.
If you watch at the beginning when he gives you a close up of the three outer flanges, you will see two nubs on the inside of the flange. You use a flange wrench to grab the flange nibs and twist off the flange. This allows you to unscrew the threw hull from the inside. Because some use an adhesive caulk like 5200 you may have to deal with that. 2 options that I am aware of. Heat to soften the 5200 and or 3M makes a chemical to release 5200. Your option. Here the Brit uses brute force.
 
M

Mike Oldak

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Jan 22, 2008
309
Hunter 34 Herrington South, MD
I tried to open the inlet to the head. The handle broke off. During my haul out I had both the 30+ year old head valves replaced for a little over $1000. I later realized that since I sail on the Chesapeake Bay. I would never use the drain from the waste holding tank. I should have sealed the outlet and saved some money. I also removed all the 30+ year old smelly hoses and pump since I would never need them again.
 

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M

Mike Oldak

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Jan 22, 2008
309
Hunter 34 Herrington South, MD
sailcapt340 said:
I need to replace the Seacock in the head from the sink drain. It has become stiff and hard to open and close easily.
Click to expand
Is that seacock in the head from the sink or the head? Our seacocks for the head outlet are required to be wired shut or somehow disabled while on the Bay
 
Terry Cox

Terry Cox

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Dec 25, 2000
5,753
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Mike Oldak said:
Is that seacock in the head from the sink or the head? Our seacocks for the head outlet are required to be wired shut or somehow disabled while on the Bay
Click to expand
Perhaps a bit different on the left coast. A recent CG inspection pointed out their only concern was that the holding tank overboard discharge valve was closed. It was. No need here to remove the handle or wire the valve closed, according to the CG inspection officer.
 
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jviss

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
6,748
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
The CG officer is wrong. See 33 CFR 159.7(b)-(c) (Code of Federal Regulations) here:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/33/159.7

The relevant text is:

(b) When operating a vessel on a body of water where the discharge of treated or untreated sewage is prohibited by the Environmental Protection Agency under 40 CFR 140.3 or 140.4, the operator must secure each Type I or Type II device in a manner which prevents discharge of treated or untreated sewage. Acceptable methods of securing the device include -

(1) Closing the seacock and removing the handle;

(2) Padlocking the seacock in the closed position;

(3) Using a non-releasable wire-tie to hold the seacock in the closed position; or

(4) Locking the door to the space enclosing the toilets with a padlock or door handle key lock.
 
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M

Mike Oldak

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Jan 22, 2008
309
Hunter 34 Herrington South, MD
My bottom line was that if you can't use it don't bother spending hundreds of dollars to replace it :)
 
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