My mid '80s 38', Cheshire Lady has a fresh water system with Plasson "16mm OD conpression fittings" which are leaking all around where the old hot water maker was disconnected and removed last winter. The yard did short the cold lead to the hot return with a flex hose and hose clamps - lovely - but that is the only part that isn't weeping fresh water slowly into my bilge!
Inspection shows what I assume are the OEM O-rings are hard as nails. No amount of tightening completely shuts off the weeping. I did get replacement O-rings from McMaster-Carr in silicone and Viton that seem to be of a workable durometer. Those go in the old fittings this weekend. But I don't want to live with the old manifold trees that remain. And the stern hand held spray drop- which looks like 12mm -is also leaking into the aft tiller bilge.
I may be right is assuming that the original compression parts are not available since the current Plasson catalog shows only a new 16mm slide on fitting design. I checked with Sea Tech, which is available through 'worst marine' and others in the US and their metric fittings are 15mm OD, so those will not be compatible with the tubing in my boat? What is worse, the Plasson distributor guys in UK, Australia and now NZ have all as much as told me to take a hike, no reply to email, except the UK guy told me to travel to Europe to get the parts! Great, I do love travel. So I can't even get the new Plasson fittings to rebuild the system. Does anyone have any idea where I can get 16mm compatible compression fittings, plugs, Tees, splices, etc. for my boat?
redbeard (sinking in fresh bilge water!)
Inspection shows what I assume are the OEM O-rings are hard as nails. No amount of tightening completely shuts off the weeping. I did get replacement O-rings from McMaster-Carr in silicone and Viton that seem to be of a workable durometer. Those go in the old fittings this weekend. But I don't want to live with the old manifold trees that remain. And the stern hand held spray drop- which looks like 12mm -is also leaking into the aft tiller bilge.
I may be right is assuming that the original compression parts are not available since the current Plasson catalog shows only a new 16mm slide on fitting design. I checked with Sea Tech, which is available through 'worst marine' and others in the US and their metric fittings are 15mm OD, so those will not be compatible with the tubing in my boat? What is worse, the Plasson distributor guys in UK, Australia and now NZ have all as much as told me to take a hike, no reply to email, except the UK guy told me to travel to Europe to get the parts! Great, I do love travel. So I can't even get the new Plasson fittings to rebuild the system. Does anyone have any idea where I can get 16mm compatible compression fittings, plugs, Tees, splices, etc. for my boat?
redbeard (sinking in fresh bilge water!)