Muffler drain

[higgins]

Hi all,I'm fixing my Catalina 30 and found that it seems that the "handle" of the drain valve of the muffler is more or less gone (rotted away). What I see is a nut standing out of the mufflers surface and a threaded screw body sticking out from there with the top rotted away. I assume mufflers are similar on most sailboats ? So what can I do here ?I'm afraid on one side to not be able to drain the muffler, on the other hand I don't want to damage it trying to get this screw or nut out ?Any idea would be appreciated. What about drilling a new hole, threading it and putting a new valve in ?Thanks

 

[Pat McCartin]

Drain valve

You should be able to remove the valve from the muffler body. It's a readily available 1/4" or 3/8" pipe thread valve.Pat McCartinInland Marine DieselBuford, Ga imd_ga@hotmail.com

 

[higgins]

Drain valve

Thanks a lot Pat.took your encouraging words and a wrench and after I managed to wriggle the 9/16 onto the nut,the plug came out with not too much effort. I saw no O-ring or anything on it. Still it seemed to be tight. That's OK ?Thanks again

 

[Pat McCartin]

sounds normal...

I'd wrap the new valve with alittle teflon tape before reinstaling it.Pat

 

[Jim P]

Why Drain?

Please excuse my ignorance, but could somebody please explain why one would want to drain the muffler?

 

[Pat McCartin]

The reason,

Jim,Especialy in your neck of the woods, I'd make draining an annual event. The muffler or more correctly the waterlock muffler collects water then expells it in the exhaust gas stream. Some water is always present in the waterlock either from running the engine or back wash. The drain is there so you can let the water out at winter layup.Pat McCartinInland Marine DieselBuford, Gaimd_ga@hotmail.com

 

[NYSail]

Anti-freeze

In the water lock from Westerbeke and a few others made by independant companies I researched 2 years ago none of them had drain valves. I thought that the antifreeze engine flush in the winter prevented a freeze?Greg

 

[Stu Jackson]

Jim P, you also need to drain the muffler

if you've tried to start the engine and it won't start for over 30 seconds. If you do that for any longer, the muffler will fill up with water and could backflow into the enginge.

 

[higgins]

drain valve

Thanks again Pat.I'm in Florida, so no need to winterize.But the starting longer than 30 secs and the backflow is why I want to be able to drain it.Thanks all.