Grease fitting for shaft log

[Witzend]

Has anyone ever installed a grease fitting on the coupling for the packing grand seal to help lub and reduce the need to adjust the packing gland nut frequently?
Read this and comment please:
http://www.seamagazine.com/hob/DM_article.asp?id=2814

 

[BobM]

Probably a much bigger issue for a powerboat. I doubt many sailboaters adjust their stuffing box all that often.

 

[Ross]

It makes good sense to me because I know that grease won't wear out machinery. Old water pumps on the farm machines were fitted with grease cups.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#grease-cups/=60lfq6

 

[Maine Sail]

Witz industrial...

Witz,

Industrial pumps run day in day out 24/7 at significantly higher shaft speeds than our sailboats do.

In all my years as a rep in the hydronics industry I thinks I saw maybe a hand full of old pumps, in some paper mills, that had grease cups along with flax. Most every industrial pump I came across or sold used packing. Back then it was mostly flax plant based but Gore was just entering the market. With Gore GFO I see no need to add grease, nor never have. You also should remember that grease is a petrochemical and I don't know what the ramifications of injecting grease into the shaft log would be EPA wise..

Here’s the traditional procedure: Before you leave the dock on each cruise, loosen the nut on the gland to allow one drop of water to appear every 30 seconds when the shaft is not turning. This will produce adequate lubrication of the shaft log when you are under way.

Must be a very, very, very old tradition. In my 40+ years I have never know one individual who used that procedure before leaving the dock? Most adjust it maybe once per season at best even on large power boats with fast turning shafts. I don't even know of a stuffing box maker that suggests that "procedure"..

Be careful what you read. I sometimes wonder if authors just make this stuff up. Doing as the Sea Magazine author suggests, and re-tightening the box after each trip, so it does not leak at the dock, is unwise and will certainly result in a short life of flax based packing as he alluded to. Packing does not have much if any memory and once compressed it will not re-bound.

All you need is GFO, and once broken in, you'll likely not need to adjust it for a few years..

If anyone does this "procedure" please chime in and let us know.

 

[Witzend]

Maine, I'm not so concerned with the small amount of grease getting out as I am with not really being able to inject it into the packing. The fitting would have to be well back from where the packing contacts the shaft due to the adjusting nut. I'm not sure it would migrate there effectively.
Changing the subject.
When you installed the PSS on your 310 what size did you use? I see that they offer 1.5" and 1.75", but no 1.625" which is what my stern tube O.D. is? I suspect that it is the 1.5" and then stretch it. The length of the 0210112 is listed at 6.25". Is that what the total length was when compressed including the stainless collar?
I'm also confused about where the tube should be terminated. I reviewed your procedure and you just terminated it in a bottle. Was that really correct?

 

[Maine Sail]

Maine, I'm not so concerned with the small amount of grease getting out as I am with not really being able to inject it into the packing. The fitting would have to be well back from where the packing contacts the shaft due to the adjusting nut. I'm not sure it would migrate there effectively.
Changing the subject.
When you installed the PSS on your 310 what size did you use? I see that they offer 1.5" and 1.75", but no 1.625" which is what my stern tube O.D. is? I suspect that it is the 1.5" and then stretch it. The length of the 0210112 is listed at 6.25". Is that what the total length was when compressed including the stainless collar?
I'm also confused about where the tube should be terminated. I reviewed your procedure and you just terminated it in a bottle. Was that really correct?

Pretty sure it was a 1.5" PSS but PYI knows and you can call them and they'll confirm it.

The grease will obviously take the path of least resistance and that likely won't be up into the packing but out the shaft log. The Gore stuff needs no lube and they specifically advise against using any sort of lube.

The vent tube can terminate anywhere above the static heeled waterline. I terminated it in a bottle because in reverse it will spit out salt water and I did not want that in my engine compartment. You just don't want any low spots or "traps" in it.

On my current boat I used a Taco air vent for a hydronic heating system..

It is the brass colored vent with the single hose going to it. I open it and clean it yearly and so far it has worked flawlessly..

 

[Witzend]

The Taco air vent, now that a innovative idea!! I may even have an extra one lying around from when I installed a hydronic heating system in my house. So the idea here is to make sure there is no air in the bearing and not to provide a pathway for water to flow?

Do you have any concerns with their design? As I understand it, the preasure provided by the bellows is the only thing keeping a tight seal between the stainless collar and the carbon surface of the bearing and over time that pressure may abate due to the rubber degrading. If this contact area fails then were not talking about dripping as a conventional packing grand but water gushing in! It also seems like the bellows is rather thin and fragile by nature and may be subject the damage by something sharp accidentally comming in contact with it.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Pretty sure it was a 1.5" PSS but PYI knows and you can call them and they'll confirm it.

The grease will obviously take the path of least resistance and that likely won't be up into the packing but out the shaft log. The Gore stuff needs no lube and they specifically advise against using any sort of lube.

The vent tube can terminate anywhere above the static heeled waterline. I terminated it in a bottle because in reverse it will spit out salt water and I did not want that in my engine compartment. You just don't want any low spots or "traps" in it.

On my current boat I used a Taco air vent for a hydronic heating system..

It is the brass colored vent with the single hose going to it. I open it and clean it yearly and so far it has worked flawlessly..

What brand and where did you get that siphon break? just the plastic piece at the top.
(I accidentially deleted all my boat documents, I am tryting to build them up once again) If I recall you told me before.

 

[Maine Sail]

What brand and where did you get that siphon break? just the plastic piece at the top.
(I accidentially deleted all my boat documents, I am tryting to build them up once again) If I recall you told me before.

It's made by Scot Pump Co.. They are about the best siphon breaks I've found. Very reliable and not prone to clogging of failure.

Sorry for the thread drift!

 

[Hermit Scott]

Yes indeed sorry for talking about this.