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Seacock frozen
Posted: March 3rd, 2023, 11:30 am
by drewp
One of my seacocks is frozen. It is the freshwater intake to my port engine - via the sea strainer. The seacock is open, there is no water leaking or any need to close it right now, but I need to fix this ASAP. What is the best way to unfreeze the seacock?
My 96 325 Aft Cabin is in the saltwater,
I did spray the handle with Blaster and let it sit overnight, it did not loosen the seacock.
Thanks in advance!
Drew
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 3rd, 2023, 11:42 am
by Cooler
Try a product under the Hot Sauce brand. Use the "conditioner" formula. If that does not free it up, you may be turning the seacock the wrong way. This stuff is almost magic when it comes to loosening things up. Good luck!
er
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 3rd, 2023, 1:14 pm
by km1125
Which kind of seacock is it? There's typically a ball valve and a gate valve used.
If it's a ball valve, some have a drain plug on the side opposite the handle. If you have that, you can adapt a drain plug by drilling it through and putting a Zerk fitting in it so that you can grease the seacock. It's not typically the handle or shaft that gets stuck... it's the ball inside that gets crap built up on it and it doesn't pivot smoothly. Always make a habit of periodically exercising them to clean off any buildup.
It sounds like you're in the water. Would it be possible to pull the hose off the seacock safely? If so, you could take that off then put on a length of clear hose so that the end of the hose is higher than the water level (probably only need a foot or less). Then, (if it is a ball valve), you could fab up a tool like below which can put pressure directly on the ball to get it to move. When you're doing this kind of work, always make sure you have some plugs handy in case something goes awry! Using this kind of tool, it only takes just a tiny amount of movement on the ball to free it up enough that the handle can then be used.
ball_valve_tool_pic.jpg
ball_valve_tool.jpg
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 3rd, 2023, 2:54 pm
by KyleR
+1 on the zirc fitting. But with ours, I bought zirc fittings that matched the threads of the drain plug so no drilling/tapping required.
When we bought our boat, three of the six seacocks (actually inline ball valves, but that's another topic) wouldn't budge. I actually had our port main engine intake valve handle break off in my hand (stem broke) while trying to close it!! Thankfully it was still in the open position giving us use of the engine to get hauled out and replace it. I did it myself and it isn't that hard - as long as things go okay!
Anyway, putting zirc fittings on and SLOWLY cycling the valve just a bit at a time back and forth finally got all my others freed up. Don't try to go full closed in one shot. Seriously, if it moves just a tad, move it back the other way and just work that little bit of movement before trying to go any further. Then try going a little further. Just do it a little at a time - and slowly - and hopefully they'll free up.
Unfortunately, a lot of these older valves are designed so that if you break the stem, it requires a full valve replacement!
Good luck!!!
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 3rd, 2023, 2:58 pm
by KyleR
Also forgot to mention - some of these valves have a locking mechanism to prevent unwanted movement. Usually a little metal slide on the handle that engages a tab on the valve body. Make sure you check that out too.
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 3rd, 2023, 6:44 pm
by bud37
There are some good suggestions here, I also don't think squirting stuff on the outside will do anything.
Whatever you decide to do , be sure to be prepared with various cone plugs and rags in case you break the valve off and need to plug the hole while you arrange to get the boat hauled..... Sometimes they can be corroded internally which may not be obvious from the outside.....Good luck
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 6th, 2023, 11:44 pm
by drewp
km1125 wrote:Source of the post Which kind of seacock is it? There's typically a ball valve and a gate valve used.
If it's a ball valve, some have a drain plug on the side opposite the handle. If you have that, you can adapt a drain plug by drilling it through and putting a Zerk fitting in it so that you can grease the seacock. It's not typically the handle or shaft that gets stuck... it's the ball inside that gets crap built up on it and it doesn't pivot smoothly. Always make a habit of periodically exercising them to clean off any buildup.
It sounds like you're in the water. Would it be possible to pull the hose off the seacock safely? If so, you could take that off then put on a length of clear hose so that the end of the hose is higher than the water level (probably only need a foot or less). Then, (if it is a ball valve), you could fab up a tool like below which can put pressure directly on the ball to get it to move. When you're doing this kind of work, always make sure you have some plugs handy in case something goes awry! Using this kind of tool, it only takes just a tiny amount of movement on the ball to free it up enough that the handle can then be used.
ball_valve_tool_pic.jpg
ball_valve_tool.jpg
It is a ball valve. I am thinking of using a tidal grid and getting to the ball from the outside. Would it work to have a diver access the ball from the outside under water?
Thanks for all your help!
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 7th, 2023, 3:20 am
by Phrancus
uhm... frozen and then a diver?
perhaps simpler and cheaper to haul it, replace the whole valve with something better and forget about thawing it up and hoping it's not cracked inside.
if it's a worry to leave it open untill spring, you might put a plug in it from the outside and you're safe enough for when it does go wrong.
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 7th, 2023, 6:25 am
by Midnightsun
Phrancus wrote:Source of the post uhm... frozen and then a diver?
perhaps simpler and cheaper to haul it, replace the whole valve with something better and forget about thawing it up and hoping it's not cracked inside.
if it's a worry to leave it open untill spring, you might put a plug in it from the outside and you're safe enough for when it does go wrong.
Sounds like you think he means cold frozen however the wording can be misleading. He is saying the valve is stuck and will not close any more, nothing to do with freezing cold.
Re: Seacock frozen
Posted: March 7th, 2023, 9:14 am
by km1125
If it's the seawater intake for the engine, then likely it has some kind of screen over the scoop (like below). That would make it difficult to work from below.
If you can get somebody to go below, they could put a bowl over the scoop. If you put a little rubber seal around the edges (like self-stick door gasket weatherproofing) then it would stop any water from coming in if you take everything apart inside, either to replace the valve or just get it unstuck using the methods above.
seacock-water-strainer-scoop.jpg