Frozen Sea Cock

A

alkisearay

New Member
Jun 3, 2010
109
Seattle, WA
Boat Info
1994 330 DA
Engines
5.7L V Drives
I noticed the seacock for my head macerator is frozen open ( In don't know when it was operated last as I bought the boat in December). I don't discharge in my area but obviously if boarded by the coast guard I'd rather have it closed. It's hard to get at in my boat. Is there some kind of a grease fitting (zirk) for that or do I just use penetrating oil?
 
I don't have a grease fitting on mine... I would spray it with penetrating oil and use your foot to close it.
 
More than likely the valve is just cemented in with waste by product and sea life. This occures areounf the orifice of the valve and spraysa ren't going to reach the problem.

Consider this. Take a quick measur eof the free swing distanc eyou have for the handle. Cut a piec eof PVC as much as 12-14 inches wher ethe ID will slip over the sea cock handled. This will give you more leverage. Begine to work the handled in small increments, say 1/4 to half ince of arch back and forth, applying medium pressure. For every gain you make back off fully and return each time seeking a wider swing in arch. In a few attempts you'll begin to get a full swing, then really exercise the valve with perhaps 10-15 strokes to free up and dislodge any remaining particles, then close and wire tie down to avoid inadvertent opening.

Sea cocks should be exercised monthly.

If your sea cock is Delrin, best to haul out and free it where there is less risk of breaking off the plastic tube.
 
A frozen sea cock would be very painful.

A frozen seacock is something you will have to work loose.

(seacock is one word... a sea cock is using "sea" as an adjective for "cock"...)
 
Some of these have an electrical interlock on them that prevent the discharge pump from coming on when the valve is in the closed position. To move the handle, you have to hold the little metal tab away from the handle to rotate it.....makes moving the handle impossible unless the metal tab is depressed.

Don
 
OK my SEACOCK is like picture #1. It has no wires to it so I assume there is no electrical bypass. I'll try the penetrating (geesh) oil.
 
Before you start putting a lot of torque on the handle, check to see if there's a t-handle on the back side of the thru-hull like the one shown on the left side of this thru-hull. If you have it, it must be unscrewed before you apply any torque to the handle, and don't forget to tighten it back up when you're done playing with the handle.

Opening and closing them several times once a month is good for them. That will prevent them from seizing up. Also, a shot of WD-40 will penetrate the fitting and keep them loose.


Gally%20Assem.jpg


GFC
 
Gofirstclass said:
Before you start putting a lot of torque on the handle, check to see if there's a t-handle on the back side of the thru-hull like the one shown on the left side of this thru-hull. If you have it, it must be unscrewed before you apply any torque to the handle, and don't forget to tighten it back up when you're done playing with the handle.

Opening and closing them several times once a month is good for them. That will prevent them from seizing up. Also, a shot of WD-40 will penetrate the fitting and keep them loose.


Gally%20Assem.jpg


GFC
Click to expand...

I would suggest if you have the old rubber seacocks, bite the $$$ ($126) and replace them with SS ball seacocks. here is what I did: http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/27116-Replacing-Seacocks
 
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alkisearay said:
I noticed the seacock for my head macerator is frozen open ( In don't know when it was operated last as I bought the boat in December). I don't discharge in my area but obviously if boarded by the coast guard I'd rather have it closed. It's hard to get at in my boat. Is there some kind of a grease fitting (zirk) for that or do I just use penetrating oil?
Click to expand...

As far as the Coast Guard boarding your boat the seacock can be in the open position as long as you have a key lockout to start the macerator. I just had a Coast Guard safety inspection they recommend closing it but not required at the time it was open. I keep mine closed now and operate the seacock every month.
 
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Be carful about putting petroleum based lubricants on any valve that is for water. The seals might swell up and freeze the valve even more. There are greases and lubricants designed for water valves you can get at a plumbing supply store. I once lubricated a water valve with petroleum base material and it froze in one position.
 
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