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Water lubricated stern gland.


Teapot cottage

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13 minutes ago, Teapot cottage said:

Never had one before . Any comments welcome. It came with the Barrus engine pack. Anything new makes me nervous.

Two main types: Volvo (incredibly simple) and Vetus (a tad more complex).  I have the Volvo - just a rubber boot with a lip seal on the shaft, canal water lubricated supplied through small channels in the cutless bearing.  Needs a smidgen of silicone grease 200 hourly iirc. Never see a drop of water in the tell tale tray I have sat in the (perfectly dry) bilge underneath it. Change recommended every 5 years, but folk seem to run 'em forever in canal boats. Any failure is likely to be identified early by small drips. Changing the boot can be done in the water with a rag around the shaft accessed through the weedhatch since the external holes are fairly tiny.  Awesome kit. I'm so glad I lucked in to one of these fellas. 

3 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

What kind is it?  Mine's a Volvo, and also came with boat 15 years ago.   Bought a tube of the special lubricating grease 10 years ago, but never got round to using it..........

Lazy monkey!  Five seconds, one finger!  :D

 

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I've had the Vetus one on my boat for the last 14 years. It doesn't sound any more complex than the Volvo one to me. Just undo the stainless allen key screw on the top of the gland and squeeze a bit of silicone grease in there once every few years, or annually if you're doing lots of miles.

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I've had the Vetus one installed in my boat now over eleven years old.  If that is what yours is (see below), then remove the allen set screw on the top and give it a squirt of grease, then put a bit of the grease on your finger and run it round the outside of the seal.  Vetus grease is translucent white and Volvo grease is the same but blue, and usually much cheaper.

 

Volvo has a semi-conelike rubber bit on the inboard end,  the vetus rubber bit is straight-sided and has a brass fitting containing the lipped seals on the inboard end.

 

As stated, mine is over eleven years old and spent most of that time in the fairly silty Shroppie and I have never had any trouble with it and no drips. I grease it around every 100 - 150 hours.  If the shaft is out of alignment it can cause the seals to leak.  Easy to replace, but at Vetus prices! (about £100 I think).

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7 minutes ago, blackrose said:

It doesn't sound any more complex than the Volvo one to me. 

I did say a tad, and only for the OP to be telling them apart - my Volvo is just a rubber boot whereas your Vetus has a pipe and some brassware, innit?

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I have no idea which one I have, not at the boat to look. But in the 25 months since I have had the boat not a drop of water. The previous owner installed a suction pump to prime it with water before use after a long period of no use. I hope I have not woken the evil spirits who seam to turn up every time I say its working well.?

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1 hour ago, Teapot cottage said:

Never had one before . Any comments welcome. It came with the Barrus engine pack. Anything new makes me nervous.

Thank you so much for your prompt replies. Being new to the site I did not expect so much feedback. Put my mind at rest I need to find out the make of this one. But from your comments it all sounds positive many thanks

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51 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I did say a tad, and only for the OP to be telling them apart - my Volvo is just a rubber boot whereas your Vetus has a pipe and some brassware, innit?

Yes that's correct. Sorry I thought you meant it was more complex in terms of maintenance rather than build.

21 minutes ago, Teapot cottage said:

Thank you so much for your prompt replies. Being new to the site I did not expect so much feedback. Put my mind at rest I need to find out the make of this one. But from your comments it all sounds positive many thanks

 

Post a picture and we'll tell you what make it is.

Edited by blackrose
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1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

Fixed that for you! :)

 

Depends on your point of view :)
Nowt wrong with the Volvo though which has been around for many years. I would definitely be happy to fit one, and in preference to the Vetus unit.
I suppose it could be argued that the Volvo unit is safer for not having a vent; i.e. one less thing to spring a leak. I believe that one injects silicone grease with a flattened drinking straw on a syringe?

Edited by Guest
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2 hours ago, catweasel said:

My experiences with Vetus and Radici watercooled "greaserless" stern gear. (The Radici is very like the Volvo unit but has the advantage of a vent tube and a grease point.)

http://destinynarrowboat.weebly.com/vetus.html

Thanks for that. What is the advantage of the vent tube please?

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The vent tube is just to let air out so water can get up the propshaft tube, which is adequate for canal boats.  I think in the lumpy water boats, a scoop is fitted to the outside of the hull so water is forced through.

On a canal boat, the normal method is to fit a lever ball valve and a tube venting into the weed hatch.

Edited by dor
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Thanks for that. The engine was fitted by the boat builder with the vent tube just left open just under the deck height. I am sure it will work but it looks wrong I will have to see how it performs on the tidal Trent. I thought it may look neater taken to a skin fitting.

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I grease my Vetus gland every 100 hours in accordance with the instructions that came with the gland.

 

I use Plumbagrease injected through the hole left by removing the allen bolt, with a cheap plastic syringe and turn the prop shaft by hand as I inject it. 12 years old and still drip free. 

Edited by cuthound
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11 hours ago, catweasel said:

I believe that one injects silicone grease with a flattened drinking straw on a syringe?

I've read that here too, but I don't see the point of adding grease to the water on the outboard side of the lip seal or to risk damaging the lip itself by poking anything under it.  I simply apply a bit of grease to the shaft/seal interface on the inboard side and push it in with a finger.  I think that's what Volvo say in their instructions but, hey, it seems many folk take "water lubricated" to mean they can not bother with grease at all - and they still appear to get years if trouble free service. 

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