Leaking Porthole

[tburgess]

Hi All,

 

One of my portholes seems to be leaking and I was hoping someone can advise me on the best sort of sealant to use to effect a repair. I'm not the most practical bloke on the planet (by a long way) but I'm guessing I would have to unsrew the brass outer surround to access the area that would need resealing. Is that correct?

 

Thanks,

 

Trevor.

[Timleech]

Hi All,

 

One of my portholes seems to be leaking and I was hoping someone can advise me on the best sort of sealant to use to effect a repair. I'm not the most practical bloke on the planet (by a long way) but I'm guessing I would have to unsrew the brass outer surround to access the area that would need resealing. Is that correct?

 

Thanks,

 

Trevor.

 

Is it leaking between brass and glass, or brass and (presumably) steel?

 

Tim

[charles123]

I would use acrylic frame sealant round the entire outside edge of the porthole, easy to do, cheap, its flexible, and can be painted over, you wil have no further probs

 

Charles

[blackrose]

Try a PU sealant such as Marineflex http://www.marinemastics.com/marineflex.htm

 

I'd never be without it on a boat - it's wonderful stuff. That what was used by my builder to seal all my portholes.

 

There are other brands around but this is about 6/tube - about half the price of most others.

Edited September 11, 2007 by blackrose

[Alastair]

If it is a capillary leak, the sealants probably won't help.

 

someone suggested that I try ordinary pva glue. It worked perfectly.

[tburgess]

Hi Tim,

 

I'm pretty sure it's leaking between the brass and the glass - at the bottom of the porthole where the water would naturally collect. I don't think it's a capillary leak.

 

Cheers.

[Serendipity]

Hi Tim,

 

I'm pretty sure it's leaking between the brass and the glass - at the bottom of the porthole where the water would naturally collect. I don't think it's a capillary leak.

 

Cheers.

 

Captain Tolley's was recommended for that sort of thing a while back, although I've not tried it myself as yet.

[Timleech]

Hi Tim,

 

I'm pretty sure it's leaking between the brass and the glass - at the bottom of the porthole where the water would naturally collect. I don't think it's a capillary leak.

 

Cheers.

 

 

In that case I'd take out the glass & re-bed it in PU sealant.

The same stuff will do very well to refit brass to steel, if you need to do that, but it could be seen as overkill.

 

Tim

[tburgess]

In that case I'd take out the glass & re-bed it in PU sealant.

The same stuff will do very well to refit brass to steel, if you need to do that, but it could be seen as overkill.

 

Tim

 

 

Thanks guys. Most useful.

[DHutch]

It depends whats there to seal it already, how the glass is restrained in the frame, and how smart you want/need it to look afterwards.

- Also, theres a decent chance this 'brass' may actaully be anodised and stained aluminum. Just a thought.

 

But yeah, you could do a lot worse than take the glass out and replace it with the addition of the silicon/polyurethene/acrylic sealent.

- Or else at a push, just run a bead of sealent around the glass/frame from the outside with the whole lot in situ.

- If it was a leak between the frame and the steel, very much the same, only i would then use pu rather than any other.

 

 

Daniel

[chris w]

Captain Tolley's was recommended for that sort of thing a while back, although I've not tried it myself as yet.

 

I fixed a leaking window on a previous boat with Captain Tolley's. It's a liquid sealant that flows into any cracks, like water would, but then sets to seal off the leak.

 

Chris

Edited September 11, 2007 by chris w

[saltysplash]

I fixed a leaking window on a previous boat with Captain Tolley's. It's a liquid sealant that flows into any cracks, like water would, but then sets to seal off the leak.

 

Chris

 

 

yep Capt tolley's creeping crack cure.

 

Good stuff which i used on my roof mounted ships compass housing

 

 

http://www.captaintolley.com/

[tburgess]

Guys,

 

Yes I have used Captain Tolleys on the surround of a roof glass "prism", to good effect. In that instance it was not at all obvious just where in the surround the leak was occuring so I just gave it a squirt all the way round. I'm pretty sure, in the case of the porthole, that I can see where the the leak is at the bottom between the brass and the glass where the water naturally collects.

 

Daniel - It's definately proper brass and I am concerned that it looks smart afterwards. I think I may try running a bead of PU sealant round from the outside, as per your suggestion, and if that doesn't work removing the glass completely and doing it properly.

 

Does everybody think that's reasonable?

 

Cheers,

 

Trevor.

[blackrose]

Guys,

 

Yes I have used Captain Tolleys on the surround of a roof glass "prism", to good effect. In that instance it was not at all obvious just where in the surround the leak was occuring so I just gave it a squirt all the way round. I'm pretty sure, in the case of the porthole, that I can see where the the leak is at the bottom between the brass and the glass where the water naturally collects.

 

Daniel - It's definately proper brass and I am concerned that it looks smart afterwards. I think I may try running a bead of PU sealant round from the outside, as per your suggestion, and if that doesn't work removing the glass completely and doing it properly.

 

Does everybody think that's reasonable?

 

Cheers,

 

Trevor.

 

I've found a wet finger makes a nice even bead, but have a rag and some white spirit handy to wipe of the excess PU sealant if you want it to look nice afterwards.

Edited September 14, 2007 by blackrose

[DHutch]

Yeah, get it half right, leave it for half an hour, then the wet fingar trick!

- Or get good enought at squirting on quickly and confidently enough to look ok first hack.

[Irob]

I,ve got one porthole with slight leaking. I feel its from the bottom of the glass and through the brass frame where the water collects. My idea was to apply some type of creeping sealant. So i,ve just tried auto spark plug and plug lead sealant spray and let 3 coats seep into the bottom of the glass and frame and i think its done the trick. It should stay flexible. Fingers crossed !