Stuffing box question.

[American_Mainsail]

Only one thing to consider ............................. what is the temperature of the gland nut when running at operating speed ? Adjust accordingly.

Controlling temperature is the most important component here. You have the right plan. Get an infrared heat gun and start monitoring it. You'll find a sweet spot. After that it's a good idea to check it occasionally.

There are different opinions on this. My opinion is that it's useful to have some drips to keep a small amount of water moving through the system (for oxygen) and to avoid a bubble building up in the gland (which can create a lot of heat). I know that Ralph has mentioned in the past that he has good luck running his bone dry with more modern packing materials.

 

[kappykaplan]

Needs some work, to be sure.

A little elbow grease and she'll polish up nicely!

 

[Terry Cox]

Our stuffing box normally drips every six to ten seconds while rotating and none at rest. The box should be no more than warm to the touch. I replace our packing about every seven years whether needing it or not. I might have to tighten the adjustment a flat or two to slow the drip rate over time.

 

[twodzusfittings]

1976 Freeport Islander for $500.

She's a keeper. I feel it in my bones.

 

[RevenantDan]

She's a keeper. I feel it in my bones.

I'd love to, I really would. Just depends upon how the next week goes.

 

[Blitz]

Our stuffing box normally drips every six to ten seconds while rotating and none at rest. The box should be no more than warm to the touch. I replace our packing about every seven years whether needing it or not. I might have to tighten the adjustment a flat or two to slow the drip rate over time.

I was wondering if anyone has ever used a wireless Bluetooth grill thermometer to measure temperatures such as the stuffing box or other places in the boat (alternator, engine room, etc). you could probably zip or wire tie the sensors to the stuffing box and get readings on your phone while you motor.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

I was wondering if anyone has ever used a wireless Bluetooth grill thermometer to measure temperatures

Not a bad idea at all.
You might also want to wrap a piece of soft cloth around the object and over the thermometer sensor so as not to cool it with surrounding air currents.

 

[jssailem]

An interesting idea. It strikes me as a clever high tech idea looking for a problem to solve. I like to remind myself that I own a sail boat. The stuffing box is an aged old idea necessary for a power boat. While sailing (which is most of the time) it is another lump of metal on the boat.

There is no need to gage the degree of the stuffing box on a constant time line. If it drips it is cooling. When running the auxiliary power I’d flash it with the IR temp sensor at the same time I was checking the rest of the engine. Maybe a couple of times in a 24 hour period when under auxiliary (particularly after I changed the stuffing). Most of the time it was a forgotten piece of hardware that just did its job.