What experience do you have with a dripless bearing? Do they last as long as a regular "wet" bearing? They do cost more and I am wondering if it is worth it to install. I beleave the interior of the boat bilge area would be drier and the bilge life would be extended. Also, water saturation from the interior would be less?
Dripless Cutlass Bearing
- Thread starter Tai Chi Sailor
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PSS???
Hey Tai Chi Sailor, Are you referring to a dripless stuffing box??? If so, I installed the PSS shaft seal about a year ago. It is costly, a little more then 3 times a regular stuffing box service with the teflon packing material. I like it and would do it again. I have a dry bilge, I have no more adjusting to do and the payback is after the third stuffing box service. And with a dryer bilge, there is also reduced odors in the boat. I tell everyone that I converted my bilge to a wine cellar.
Hey Tai Chi Sailor, Are you referring to a dripless stuffing box??? If so, I installed the PSS shaft seal about a year ago. It is costly, a little more then 3 times a regular stuffing box service with the teflon packing material. I like it and would do it again. I have a dry bilge, I have no more adjusting to do and the payback is after the third stuffing box service. And with a dryer bilge, there is also reduced odors in the boat. I tell everyone that I converted my bilge to a wine cellar.
Downside
is catastrophic failure, which is why my yard won't touch the dripless. They feel people become complacent, and if the rubber accordian ruptures you're sunk. Literally. Of course, I can't imagine what would cause such a failure, but Murphy's Law applies to boats as well as business. If you use the proper thickness of Teflon waxy flax and you tighten appropriately, you should have no problem with drips. Indeed, my yard says there should be no drips (contrary to the one drip per minute conventional wisdom).
is catastrophic failure, which is why my yard won't touch the dripless. They feel people become complacent, and if the rubber accordian ruptures you're sunk. Literally. Of course, I can't imagine what would cause such a failure, but Murphy's Law applies to boats as well as business. If you use the proper thickness of Teflon waxy flax and you tighten appropriately, you should have no problem with drips. Indeed, my yard says there should be no drips (contrary to the one drip per minute conventional wisdom).
Agree with Bill ......
Dripless packing seals DO occasionally fail. Had one go on a boat halfway to Bermuda. I prefer Gore-tex GFO all PTFE packing in a STANDARD stuffing box .... runs cool, no leaks, no maintenance and if the shaft is smoothe, should last FOREVER.
Dripless packing seals DO occasionally fail. Had one go on a boat halfway to Bermuda. I prefer Gore-tex GFO all PTFE packing in a STANDARD stuffing box .... runs cool, no leaks, no maintenance and if the shaft is smoothe, should last FOREVER.
Dripless
I have a conventional stuffing box on a hose. What I can tell you from personal experience is that although that hose may seem fine it too can rupture creating a huge problem. I'm not convinced that the dripless is any more dangerous, at least not anymore. Peter
I have a conventional stuffing box on a hose. What I can tell you from personal experience is that although that hose may seem fine it too can rupture creating a huge problem. I'm not convinced that the dripless is any more dangerous, at least not anymore. Peter
Not a Cutlass Bearing
A cutlass bearing is the thing in your strut that holds your shaft in place. I think you are referring to the stuffing box. Stuffing box is the thing that holds the shaft in place where it goes through the hull. I have the original stuffing box on my '92 h37.5. It drips about once every 20-30 seconds. Over time, it will start to drip more often, and you can just tighten the plastic/nylon collor a bit until you get the correct drip rate. I looked at the dripless stuffing box a few years ago, the kind with a accrodian collor. I just couldn't really justify the cost of the thing, plus the installation cost. Plus, my current one is working. So.... As for the bilge, my stuffing box drips into the engine bilge, which is separate from the main bilge. Do you have 1 or 2 bilges? Are you having problems with your current one? Or are you just looking for the sake of looking?
A cutlass bearing is the thing in your strut that holds your shaft in place. I think you are referring to the stuffing box. Stuffing box is the thing that holds the shaft in place where it goes through the hull. I have the original stuffing box on my '92 h37.5. It drips about once every 20-30 seconds. Over time, it will start to drip more often, and you can just tighten the plastic/nylon collor a bit until you get the correct drip rate. I looked at the dripless stuffing box a few years ago, the kind with a accrodian collor. I just couldn't really justify the cost of the thing, plus the installation cost. Plus, my current one is working. So.... As for the bilge, my stuffing box drips into the engine bilge, which is separate from the main bilge. Do you have 1 or 2 bilges? Are you having problems with your current one? Or are you just looking for the sake of looking?
Further to Bill's point
A CS 30 here on Lake Ontarion put out a mayday call 2 years back when the boat started flooding. They had hit a log and it had knocked the seal loose on the bellows side and started to let in water. And as is usually the case it wasn't easy to see or get at to fix. Kevin
A CS 30 here on Lake Ontarion put out a mayday call 2 years back when the boat started flooding. They had hit a log and it had knocked the seal loose on the bellows side and started to let in water. And as is usually the case it wasn't easy to see or get at to fix. Kevin
RichH - GFO question
I checked out the GFO website. Am I correct in understanding that the GFO packing doesn't even drip when the shaft is turning? Thanks, Kevin
I checked out the GFO website. Am I correct in understanding that the GFO packing doesn't even drip when the shaft is turning? Thanks, Kevin
I'm in Bills' corner,,,,,again.
All of what he speaks happened to me. Including the fix. I use the stuff that looks and feels like bees wax. Lastdrop? Confusing! Bees wax is much simpler. Hey JC. Gotcha. The stuffing box is just a seal. A seal doesn't hold stuff in-place.
All of what he speaks happened to me. Including the fix. I use the stuff that looks and feels like bees wax. Lastdrop? Confusing! Bees wax is much simpler. Hey JC. Gotcha. The stuffing box is just a seal. A seal doesn't hold stuff in-place.
Yup ..... no leakage.
Yup, no water leaks. PTFE is one of the lowest frictional materials known. The lower the frictional properties, the less heat generated. Traditional flax packing has to be constantly cooled by the small flow (drips) of water; not so with PTFE (if you compress it properly in the packing gland). The GFO is 100% PFTE unlike some of the flax packings that are 'impregnated' with PTFE or some of the 'paste' type PTFE 'mixtures'. If you change from standard packing, I'd recommend that you remove/pull the shaft and visually inspect for corrosion, surface irregularities, galling, etc. ... and if present you may need to have the shaft 'dressed' in a machine shop (or replaced). GFO, like any packing, needs a *smooth* shaft surface.
Yup, no water leaks. PTFE is one of the lowest frictional materials known. The lower the frictional properties, the less heat generated. Traditional flax packing has to be constantly cooled by the small flow (drips) of water; not so with PTFE (if you compress it properly in the packing gland). The GFO is 100% PFTE unlike some of the flax packings that are 'impregnated' with PTFE or some of the 'paste' type PTFE 'mixtures'. If you change from standard packing, I'd recommend that you remove/pull the shaft and visually inspect for corrosion, surface irregularities, galling, etc. ... and if present you may need to have the shaft 'dressed' in a machine shop (or replaced). GFO, like any packing, needs a *smooth* shaft surface.
I have the PSS
I installed this unit new in 1996. Not one drop in the bilge. Runs perfectly, and I would absolutely buy one again.
I installed this unit new in 1996. Not one drop in the bilge. Runs perfectly, and I would absolutely buy one again.
Engine Hours
FWIW, on many inboards, the "engine hour" meter will continue to run (i.e, "count") when the engine is actually off, but dc power is still on to the panel. If your boat is wired in this way, the engine hour meter could be way off in terms of how many actual hours you have on the engine.
FWIW, on many inboards, the "engine hour" meter will continue to run (i.e, "count") when the engine is actually off, but dc power is still on to the panel. If your boat is wired in this way, the engine hour meter could be way off in terms of how many actual hours you have on the engine.
Engine hour meter
No, the engine hour on this boat and all the sailboats I have owned only runs when the ignition is switched on. That's the only way to wire an hour meter. My point was that Volvo says the dripless seal must be replaced after 500 engine hours but if you sail (as I do ) with the engine in neutral, the shaft may have been turning 10,000 hours in many cases before reaching 500 engine hours.
No, the engine hour on this boat and all the sailboats I have owned only runs when the ignition is switched on. That's the only way to wire an hour meter. My point was that Volvo says the dripless seal must be replaced after 500 engine hours but if you sail (as I do ) with the engine in neutral, the shaft may have been turning 10,000 hours in many cases before reaching 500 engine hours.
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