Keep ice out of PVC Gate Valves

gettinthere · Jan 10, 2015

The bung at the bottom would prevent the glycol from going bye bye.
I would add the glycol AFTER plugging the thru hull from underneath. Since it appears that glycol is slightly heavier than water, it will settle at the bottom inside the plugged valve, displacing the sea water.

kito · Jan 10, 2015

gettinthere said:
The bung at the bottom would prevent the glycol from going bye bye.
I would add the glycol AFTER plugging the thru hull from underneath. Since it appears that glycol is slightly heavier than water, it will settle at the bottom inside the plugged valve, displacing the sea water.

I wish I would have said that

wflowe2 · Jan 10, 2015

Google "Seabung" and see if this plug would help you out.

http://seabung.com/index.html

Ralph Johnstone · Jan 10, 2015

wflowe2 said:
Google "Seabung" and see if this plug would help you out.

http://seabung.com/index.html

Now THAT is brilliant and worth a try in a case like this ................. as long as the valve is not too tightly attached to the thru hull and need external help. For this case, the cheap PVC just might be a blessing for removal.

kito · Jan 10, 2015

Will it work on a gate valve though? Ball valves have full flow when open. Not sure gate valves would let you get the Seabung through. I guess if your fast you can remove the gate valve first and insert the Seabung before too much water enters.

Tejas · Jan 10, 2015

You would need to find a willing diver, but perhaps a mechanical pipe plug installed from the outside could be used to seal the through hull. Then the hose fitting could be temporarily removed so that water could be vacuumed out.

Sailm8 · Jan 10, 2015

I once had a leaking thru hull and decided the only way to handle it was with a plug from the underside. It was cold when I jumped in (wetsuit) but only took about a minute to drive in the plug. Not as bad as I thought. The boat was iced in about 2 days later.

jibes138 · Jan 10, 2015

They make drain plugs for use in the drain holes for power boats. They fit in the hole then expand to seal it. The cam action makes for a very quick installation. This would be an external install also.http://www.westmarine.com/drain-plugs

IH82BL8 · Jan 10, 2015

Backing up: Why not use heat tape?

wflowe2 · Jan 11, 2015

I was kind of thinking that if the Seabung made it through the valve and set outside the thru-hull, you could leave it in place until spring. That way if water in the valve froze and split it, it would not be a problem.